Pleasing Presentations

Interactive exhibition: A museum-type exhibition, small or large, would include text panels with interpretive text, photos and graphics, along with written or push-button audio excerpts from interviews. Interactive components invite the viewer to match faces with stories or create a vignette setting that offers an interpretive window onto the topic.

Interpretive booklet or "newspaper:" Similar in content to a traditional research paper, this booklet would incorporate photographs, documents, side articles and graphics for a more visually interesting presentation. A variation on this idea would be to create a fake newspaper or news magazine focused on the chosen topic, making use of quotations, photographs and other various materials.

Dramatic presentation or reenactment: Using the actual words of an interviewee, the presenter adopts one or more personas in order to present a dramatic interpretation.

Photo essay: This kind of interpretation could combine the words of interviewees with a series of photographs that document the places, events, and people that are the focus of the presentation.

Non-traditional research paper: An ordinary research paper can become extraordinary if it adopts a "behind-the-scenes" approach to a major event or a "window" to interpreting an aspect of culture or everyday life. A storytelling approach might enable a topic often studied at a distance to "come to life."

Video documentary: This format would compile excerpts from your videotaped interviews, commentary and footage of printed materials to create a thematic documentary.

PowerPoint presentation: In this type of presentation, slides of documentary materials and photographs could be used along with interpretive text and audio excerpts supporting a thesis.

Radio broadcast: This National Public Radio-type audio presentation would include introductory information and interpretive commentary, along with appropriate portions of your audio interviews.