A Project defense day will come when you will face a Panel of fierce-looking Lecturers and Professors trying to convince them and drive your copy and paste Project work points home. Especially these days that Students’ just Copy and Paste Project works from Afribary.com and submit to schools have become extinct through a compulsory mechanism called Project Defense. This is going to be your last test as an Undergraduate in any great Citadel of learning. It will be your last chance to make a mark and we are going to show you how to prepare for your Project defense.
Often times we hear ‘You have till October to submit your project topics’, This is your best time to start preparing for your project defense. How? Yes, You should choose a Researchable topic. Choose the best area of your course you have mastered. I have identified this as the basics on your Journey to ace your project defense presentation.
In this Guide, I am going to help keep you in the right frame of mind before your defense, during your defense and after your defense. Its end point will be to help you ace your defense presentation.
These following tips will help you:
1. Fall in Love with your topic: Like earlier written, your project topic should be within and around a field you are conversant with and enjoy alot. Even if the topic was imposed on you by your supervisor, try to change it, if you can not, embrace it and fall in love with it. What you love you fight for right? Then this is your chance to fight for what you love and that is defending your project topic. Make it an integral part of you and it will not let you down. I remember my Lecturer imposed a topic on me, I did justice to it, defended it and till date, I hate an urge to join the Army and Peace keeping Operations.
2. Do a Thorough Research: Source sufficiently for materials on your topic. Let there be a connect between your Project topic and the Problem it tends to solve. The problem it solves could be your motivation to carry out the study. Know extensively certain keywords, background and history of the study, this will help you answer the question, ‘Introduce your Project Topic’. You have to arrive at a conclusion and possible recommendation/solution to the statement of problem.
3. Practice before your friends: Within your clique/group of friends, Practice and act like you are really defending before a panel. Charge them to criticize you. Their feedback could be your basics for improvement and areas to work on will be identified. Your small group discussion helps you perfect after Practice makes perfection.
4. Develop your confidence and esteem: Your fears can only be seen when you start showing them. Get rid of your timidity and fear jacket at the door before entering a defense hall. You have to be out-spoken and of course precise in your speech. Do you dream of a project defense where your panel of judges are nodding their heads in agreement with your points, possibly applauding you as you unleash and elucidate your points, do not just dream it, train yourself to be more out-spoken. It is far better to make few points and defend them in a most audible and commanding way than have plenty points with high VOICE-NO-HOW to drive your points home.
5. Practice simple etiquette: Your conduct will be judged and it will add to your general points. Aside your Well-dressed status and appearance, You need to knock before you enter, smile, greet and keep calm for your questions. I must add, When these questions take a bad turn, do not feel defeated or jittery, take a deep breathe, maintain an eye contact with members of the panel and answer with great confidence. Well,no one is going to ask you questions outside your project specifics.
6. Believe: I say believe because you have to trust and charge yourself to perform well. After which you believe you have done your best. Believing is the last tip on my list. Put the other way round, it should be the first thing you do.
Never stop believing in yourself. The sky is your starting point.