How to Write a Summary of Presentation: Tips and Guidelines

Tasks

Details:
Your task is to summarize one of the following presentations:
1) “A Better Way To Talk About Love” by Mandy Len Catron
2) “How To Build Community When You Feel Isolated” by Chitra Aiyar
3) “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown

I have posted all three presentations to our eLearn website under Week 3. In your summary, you will represent the main points of your chosen presentation in a condensed format. Your goal is to accurately represent the original source in your own words. You will make use of paraphrase and selective quotation to provide evidence and support for what you have identified as the main points. In a summary, you do not include your response to or critique of the source. A summary should be as neutral as possible; however, the points you choose to focus on will convey your own subtle interpretation of the source. 

Your summary will include an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and a conclusion.
Note: This is a stand-alone summary. There is no need to connect this paper to bigger issues, ideas or trends. Please stay away from generalizations, especially in your introduction (ex: “People have always been interested in love”; “Community is the most important feature of our lives”). Stick to material from the presentation you are summarizing!

To accurately represent your source, review the presentation several times to identify the main points. Please make sure to distinguish main points from supporting details. You will encounter a lot of material (in the form of anecdotes, jokes,  bservations, asides, mini-points) and will need to discern what is important for the overall understanding of the presentation. Do not try to recount every detail from the presentation. Do your best to stand back from the presentation to perceive what the key elements are. 

Features of your summary:
1. An intro paragraph that makes it clear this paper is a summary and that explicitly names the title of the source and the speaker.

2. Paraphrase: the accurate and strategic use of your own words to recount the author’s points and to provide evidence for what you have decided are the main points.

3. Selective quotations: you may include in-text citations that correctly cull words and phrases from the original presentation, but be sure to limit how much you quote the text as to not drown out your own voice. Please us MLA or APA Styles to format your
citations.

4. Connecting words and transitional phrases to create cohesion and flow.

5. Body paragraphs that recount the main points of the source in an organized manner (i.e. each paragraph should revolve around one key idea or point).

6. A conclusion that succinctly wraps up the material you’ve surveyed.

7. A Works Cited List that includes the source’s information correctly in MLA or APA.Evaluation

You will be evaluated based on accurate representation of the source material, organization and management of main points, effective use of paraphrasing and quotation, choice of evidence and supporting detail, and clear and coherent writing