Despite the general fear in the populace of speaking in public (it even outscores death!), ITEE students seem to have taken remarkably well to the recently-introduced practice of presenting tutorial solutions in front of their peers. Most surveys we have conducted show that students have no major problems with this.
On the other hand, there have been consistent complaints by students about the poor quality of other students' presentations. As well, a desire has often been expressed for explicit instruction on how to present well, and speak in public generally.
Students desire feedback on the style of their presentation as well as the content. You have to — of course — be careful in giving such feedback, especially in front of the class: a student's confidence can easily be crushed by ill-chosen critical comments. A standard technique is to praise the good points of the presentation first, before discussing the shortcomings. The number of interruptions that you make during a talk should also be considered carefully.
Dr Bob Colomb contributed the following tips on how to handle student presentations in tutorials. He has an interest in public speaking, and runs regular seminars on `how to give a presentation' for Honours students. His methods may give you some ideas for your own tutorials.
Early in semester, the tutor should make the students aware of what is expected in a presentation:
1. An explanation of the question or problem that is being presented.
2. An emphasis on the approach (or process) used in solving the problem, rather than simply the solution itself.
3. A clear structure to the presentation.
4. A loud and clear delivery; that is, they should act like they are addressing a person in the back of the room.
It is sometimes useful for a tutor to intervene in a presentation, to make it a better learning experience for the rest of the class. Such an intervention should come at a logical break in the presentation (if possible), and should be clearly demarcated so that the presenter knows when he/she can continue. For example, interject with an "Excuse me", make your point, then say "ok, carry on".
You can also invite questions from the class during such an intervention.