2018 POLICY CASE COMPETITION

Presentation Guidelines

1. Executive Summary
● Heading​: The heading should include the same title of the presentation, as well as your
team name (e.g. China Team 12)
● Length​: Should ​NOT​ be more than one-page.
● Content​: The executive summary should include the problems that your policy proposal
specifically addresses, the policy recommendations, and a conclusion.

2. Structure
● Presentations will be 20 minutes in length. Teams will be asked to stop promptly at the
20 minute mark by the committee.
● After the first five minutes, judges will be allowed to interrupt to ask questions if they
wish to do so. Keep this in mind as you measure the timing of your presentation.
● When the 20 minutes are over, judges will have an additional five minutes to ask
follow-up questions.

3. Format
● First slide​: Should contain relevant title for the topic as well as the team name (e.g. China
Team 12).
● Problem​: Your problem must be clearly defined within the first few slides of the
presentation, followed by your specific solution. This should ​NOT​ be the focus of your
presentation.
● Length​: Should not be less than 10 slides; however, keep in mind that teams only have 20
minutes to present their policy proposals and five minutes afterwards to answer questions
as needed.
● Citations​: Cite your sources as needed in the Notes section of your slides. Use MLA
format.
● Appearance​: The presentation should have an ordered, clear, and consistent appearance,
with clear headings for each slide and bullet points when necessary.
● Conclusion​: End your presentation with a concise conclusion that emphasizes the
proposal in a memorable way
● Audience​: The presentation should address the appropriate audience. The presentation
provides an understandable explanation of the issue and proposal, regardless of the
difficulty of the subject.

4. Content
 ● Specificity​: Policy-making is all about specificity; go in depth with each of your policy
recommendations.
● Feasibility​: The solution should be feasible; back your proposals with clear examples and
breakdowns of steps and resources as needed.
● Outside Research​: Your presentation must prove a deep understanding of the topic and a
great deal of research prior to developing the solution.
● Actionable Proposals​: Clearly lay out and elaborate on the steps that must be taken in
order to reach the goal proposed.

5. Style
● Formal Language​: Your word choice must be appropriate to the intended audience.
● Terms​: Terms specific to the issue must be used in the correct form, with explanations if
needed.
● Grammar and Clarity​: Please avoid any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes in your
presentation. Also, each sentence of the oral argument should carry weight and have a
purpose. Refrain from jargon.
● Tone​: Avoid using the passive voice.

6. Team Dynamics
● Participation​: Each member of the team should contribute to the presentation. The best
teams split the content between all the members so that everyone is an expert on a
separate aspect of the policy proposal. This is also useful for when judges ask questions.
● Transitions​: Transitions between members should be smooth and quick.
● Presentation​: Competitors are engaging and convincing. Maintain eye contact and use
body language to convey a strong presentation. The team members should engage with
each other and have a strong, inclusive team dynamic.
● Aesthetic​: The presentation should be neat and aesthetically pleasing; this includes
spacing, not too many words in each slide, and images where necessary. Do ​NOT ​use
videos in your presentation.

ALWAYS PROOFREAD YOUR PRESENTATIONS