A good IOP is what exactly?

[aTeddy]

Hello everybody, yesterday I got my notification for the Individual Oral Presentation. 
I have until the 6th of May to prepare and I am aiming to deliver a speech on this topic:

"A critical examination of how Orwell uses dualities to shape political commentary."
Within my IOP, I am aiming to talk about "Shooting an Elephant" and "A Hanging", which have strong themes relating to this topic.
I'm confident in the analysis aspect, as I have done similar topics in practice speeches and have scored well in that criteria.
I'm fairly confident in my basic oral skills, but what I'm worried about is the breadth of the topic.
I am unsure whether the topic is too specific, too broad or just the right level of depth.
Reviewing, I feel comfortable within the time frame to deliver a thoughtful analysis of themes in sufficient detail, which is good I feel.
I think I will be doing the concept justice. Although, I would like a second opinion on depth/breadth of topic here.

Another thing is the use of a PowerPoint. I hate PowerPoints. They distract from the content, they are another thing to devote attention to as a speaker, its all a real mess.
On top of that, I don't think its vital to my topic. I think that pure oration is a better way to go about talking about political contexts, rather than a seminar type situation.
However, I'm worried about my Criterion B: "Presentation: audibility, eye contact, gesture, use of supporting material."
As it sits in the criteria quite vaguely, I'd like some insight into what actually this means. 
My notification says: "It is the responsibility of the student to select the type of presentation that most effectively enables the objectives of the topic to be realised. Whatever the activity chosen, all presentations must have a coherent structure."

Still kind of vague. So my final question is, in order to score 30/30 in the IOP, must a student delve further than a speech?
Honestly I feel like talking about Orwell's ideas on politics is more powerfully done in an equally powerful speech, rather than a PowerPoint which gives the sense of teaching or a seminar.
I find as an audience member that PowerPoints = disengagement. 

Ultimately, I just wish to do this topic justice, as I genuinely enjoy Orwell and have chosen his essays as they are opinionated and frank.

[terribletouw]

In terms of presentation, you don't need a powerpoint, though using one effectively certainly helps with getting marks. I find that adding some sort of 'role' for yourself helps with presentation marks. For example, stick a sentence about you being an english teacher/reporter/something else in the beginning, which allows you to directly address the audience in your speech.

Also, you could use rhetorical questions etc. to look 'engaging'. Your delivery makes a huge difference - make sure to practice your speech in advance so you can read it naturally and focus on eye contact and modulation in your actual presentation. i.e., should you be placing emphasis on certain words?

The IOP topic doesn't have to be super narrow, for example, I did 'How does Gwen Harwood utilize contrasting perspectives to explore the importance of experience in human development and understanding?'. Maybe explain what you mean by 'dualities' - is it duality of character?

Hope this helps

 

Edited April 7, 2016 by terribletouw