Making Presentations: Preparing the Mémoire

3-Day Intensive Course for Students, Researchers & Early-Career Professionals
3 Intense Days
7 Hours per Day (Split into two 3.5-hour sessions)

Learning Path Visual

Your journey from messy notes to a confident, professional mémoire presentation:

Day 1: Structuring & Storyboarding Your Presentation
Learn how to turn your mémoire into a coherent, persuasive oral presentation. Build a clear structure, define your narrative, and adapt your content for your audience — whether academic or professional.

Day 2: Designing for Clarity & Impact
Master the principles of slide design, visual storytelling, and branding. Learn how to present data clearly, avoid common mistakes, and make your visuals support — not compete with — your message.

Day 3: Delivering with Confidence & Defending with Authority
Develop stage presence, tone, and verbal precision. Practice strategies for Q&A, handling objections, and defending your ideas with poise and professionalism.

Course Overview

A mémoire isn’t just about writing — it’s about presenting your thinking clearly, confidently, and persuasively. This 3-day course equips you with the structure, design, and delivery skills you need to turn your research or final-year project into a powerful live presentation.

You’ll get feedback, templates, and practice opportunities to help you build your final mémoire pitch from start to finish — and be ready to defend it in front of any jury or evaluator.

You’ll learn how to:

• Extract key insights and structure them into a narrative

• Design clean, clear, and engaging slides

• Use visuals to enhance clarity, not distract

• Build confidence in voice, body language, and pacing

• Handle tough questions and anticipate objections

• Defend your choices clearly and academically

What’s Inside Each Day

Day 1 — Structuring & Storyboarding Your Presentation

• Key differences between written mémoire and oral presentation

• Audience analysis: jury, academic vs. business style

• Building a presentation skeleton: intro, content, conclusion

• The 3-minute message and elevator pitch

• Common mémoire traps: too much detail, poor transitions, lack of goal

• Workshop: Turn your mémoire into a 10-slide storyboard
  Tool: Storyboard template + outline builder

Focus: Message Crafting • Structure • Adaptation

Day 2 — Designing for Clarity & Impact

• Visual hierarchy, spacing, contrast, and typography

• Choosing and presenting data: charts, graphs, and infographics

• Design do’s and don’ts for slides

• Templates for cover, content, and summary slides

• Animation, transitions, and branding — when and how to use them

• Workshop: Redesign 3 slides from your storyboard
  Tool: Slide critique checklist + design feedback template

Focus: Slide Design • Visual Storytelling • Clarity

Day 3 — Delivering with Confidence & Defending with Authority

• Voice, pacing, rhythm: how to sound confident and clear

• Body language and eye contact

• Handling Q&A: clarifying, rephrasing, answering honestly

• Responding to criticism without becoming defensive

• Simulating the full mémoire defense session

• Workshop: Final pitch practice with live peer/jury feedback
  Tool: Presenter checklist + defense rehearsal planner

Focus: Delivery • Presence • Defense Strategy

Course Goals

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Structure your mémoire presentation with purpose and flow

• Design slides that support your message without overwhelming it

• Speak confidently under pressure in front of juries or evaluators

• Answer difficult questions with academic and professional poise

• Defend your work with logic, clarity, and confidence

• Walk into your final presentation fully prepared

Who Should Take This Course?

• Students preparing for mémoire, thesis, or final project defense

• Early-career researchers pitching research to panels or institutions

• Business school students delivering capstone presentations

• Professionals presenting findings, audits, or strategic reports

• Anyone who wants to turn technical writing into effective communication

Class Reference: MPD/ENG
Form Updated on: 06/17/2025 (Version 1)
Last Modified on: 06/17/2025

📎 Program Note

Participants will receive editable slide templates, storyboard worksheets, and a guided practice script for solo or group rehearsal.