Category: Cram Session
I have to give an oral presentation for a class. Usually, I would write up
some notes on my Braille writer, but I do not have a Perkins brailler anymore,
and I don't know of any other way to write down little notes for myself to
glance down at. Does anyone have any suggestions? If not I will just
memorize all the information.
ffIf you have access to a computer and a braille display you could use that. Personally I've often done presentations without braille and it usually goes just fine so long as I know what I'm talking about and have gone over in what order I want to speak.
Yeah I did an oral presentation once and I was using my laptop and since I was
scrolling down and repeating what my screen reader was saying I was reading
to the class rather than speaking.
When do you do the oral presentation?
Is there a blindness/visual impairment center near you that might be able to let you use a brailler?
Heck, if there's enough time and not too much content, I might be persuaded to do some Brailling for you. Maybe a bunch of us here can chip in...
BTW, I gave two oral presentations the same day less than a year after I learned Braille...
I chose not to use any Braille as I was so slow and I knew the tension I felt would slow down my comprehension. I just practiced the the speeches over and over to myself and anyone who would listen. I had a hard time even doing that at first, but I found that giving the speech while exercising with a friend helped with the nervous adrenaline.
Both presentations came out very well.
Good luck.
Yeah, I'm with VH. I'd be willing to help out with some brailling for you. Basically, I would ask you to email me the text you want brailled and I'd braille it for you using an embosser.
One thing I do when giving a speech with notecards in braille is braille a couple of lines with a double space between concepts where I'd want a page break. Then I cut these into strips and punch a hole in the lefthand side. Finally, I bind them using a key ring without a charm. It worked relatively well for me so I thought I'd share that idea.
Another option for you would be to order a slate and stylus if you know how to use one. They're going to b your least expensive option. Check at maxiaids.com, independentliving.com, and blindmicemart.com to compare prices.
I hope that helps. Sorry but I'd rather dive face first into my cats' litterbox than give a speech without braille. lol I know there are people who can do it but I'm not one of them. lol Good luck whatever you decide.
as far as buying a slate and stylus (why didn't I think of that?) check out www.futureaids.com AKA the Braille Super Store as they only have a $10 minimum for free shipping and MaxiAids is either $50 or $60 for free shipping.
Oh yeah, I always forget about the Braille Super Store and I actually really like their stuff. Thanks for the reminder.
slow the speech down, do it with that and a portable device. I presented to a room of 70 in a business context on Thursday with just that. works a treat
It all comes down to what you feel comfortable with. If you feel you can keep sounding more natural by taking speech hints that could work, maybe trying to find a way to get braille outlines would help too.
memorize the data, memorize the order of the slides. simple as that.
Let's face it, doing a presentation without Braille is a pain! I despise it, and I did it for my Spanish class at some point. When I was using a laptop for everything. It was frustrating, because I hadn't gotten the chance to practice and I kept stuttering over myself, which made me feel awkward. Also, why hasn't your school provided you with Braille? That's crap!
you can get a free slate and stylus from NFB
I love the Braille superstore! I got a couple T-shirts, a sweatshirt, a wrist
band, a keychain, and bump dots round and square.
Lol I forgot I did this post. That was back when I wasn't very active on here
though. I did the presentation I was talking about at the end of February. I
memorized all of the information, but when I was up speaking, I forgot some
things. The professor was impressed that I memorized all of the information
and I was able to talk about it for 5 minutes. I read over my notes over and
over again. The professor said that the information I left out wouldn't affect
my grade I guess because he knew memorizing it can be difficult.