5-7 minute speech on tarantulas. Need help

[AceOfJacks]

ok, so I'm giving a speech for my public speaking class on T's tomorrow.

i already made a powerpoint with quick topics on:

-what is a tarantula
-where do they live
-what do they eat
-process of molting



anything else you think i should include thats really important?

i know there's alot to cover, but im trying to stick within the time frame.

 

[jgod790]

You can talk about there self defensive methods, from using there fangs, to flicking hair,to flicking fecal matter( for the avics ). Talk about old world vs. new world, and the difference in venom toxicity and temperament. Show some pictures, talk about how big, or small they are. Breeding behavior etc.

 

[Lorum]

Maybe you can talk about myths associated to tarantulas (like, you know, "they are deadly animals"; deadly, yes... for crickets). Good luck.

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

Nothing better than giving a speech on Ts. Trust me, I gave three in my speech class. Here are my threads I started:

First speech:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=192295

Second speech:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=195597

I brought my 6.5" LP in as a visual aid and the whole class loved it. Even the ones who got up and ran to the back of the room when I got it out. :}

My last speech I gave I handed basic care sheets to everyone.

If you need any other help, I'll be glad to offer some.

 

[AceOfJacks]

oh, self defense is good! ill add that

i was going to talk about new world vs old world, but i gotta keep it short. i'll probably leave that out.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Ok, here comes Big Dragonfly's guide to a great presentation.

Do you want to give a good presentation? If so, here are a few key tips that help you wow your audience.

1. Narrow your topic. In this case, you have a 5-7 minute window to get your information out to your audience. If you talk about tarantulas in general, you seriously would have so much information to cover you could go on for hours and because you have a fairly short time frame, you will seem rushed. Instead, narrow the focus of your speech to just one of these topics.

2. I had a boss at work give me a very simple saying to keep in mind when giving a presentation. I shall now share that tidbit of gold with you.
A. Tell your audience what you're going to tell them.
B. Tell them.
C. Then tell them what you told them.

Here's an example that doesn't deal with tarantulas. Lets say I was asked to give a presentation about dogs. There is so much to talk about, I don't even know where to begin. Well, to make my job easier and more exciting, I'm going to narrow the topic down to service dogs. Heck, there are a ton of ways a dog can act as a service dog and I could still go on and on. Maybe I'll narrow it down even more to Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs and how they are used to save avalanche victims. I bet this would make for a way more exciting presentation than just talking about dogs in general.

Lets skip forward a little bit and pretend that I've done my research about this newly narrowed topic and that I'm ready to do my presentation. (Please don't copy this, I made everything up on the fly to use as an example and all of it is based on my imagination.

A. Tell the audience what you are going to tell them.
Hey guys, I'd like to talk to you about the fascinating topic of how the Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs are able to save people that have been trapped in an avelanche. I'm going to talk about how the trainers go about selecting a suitable puppy that they feel will do a good job saving people. Then I'm going to talk about about how they are trained. Then I will finish with how they actually do their job.

B. Tell them.
So to start, a couple of the big things that a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog rescue trainer looks for in a puppy are the ability to stay on task and a firm yet gentle disposition. I'm sure you can understand that these are very important abilities when out in the snow in dangerous conditions.

Once they have found the right puppies for the job, they then start on the arduous task of training them how to actually find and rescue someone trapped under the snow. To do this, they put them though a rigorous set of trials that will get them used to doing the same types of behaviors that will help them when they really need to go to work. Here are a couple of the trails. One of the main things they have to do is make sure they can follow a scent. To train this ability, the trainer....

Now that they have the training that is required, they can then now reliably be used to save people. Here is a picture of a one of these incredible and courageous dogs saving someone.

C. Tell them what you told them.

I hope you guys have enjoyed my speech about the selection, training, and work of the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. I think you'll agree that they really are man's best friend.

******

Now that you have read this, you are asking yourself how will this help me with my speech about tarantulas? Well, lets start out with your topic. Instead of talking about tarantulas in general, pick one of your subtopics, molting for example. Here is an outline that I might come up with when giving a speech about tarantula molting.

Remember your who, what, when, where, why, how?

1. Introduction - Who? Tarantulas; What? Molt their exoskeletons. You might show a tarantula that is in dire need of a molt.
2. Body - Why? They are invertebrates and have to do so in order to grow. When? When they are ready. Here's how you can tell they getting close to being ready. Where? This can very based on species. How? Between molts they start growing... You might show a picture of a tarantula this molting.
3. Conclusion - You might show a picture of a tarantula a couple days post molt. (All three pictures should be of the same species for best effect.)

Remember this was just an example topic. You can do it with whatever subtopic you want. One of the most important things to consider when giving a presentation is the audience. You know what? Maybe they will be bored with molting. You know what they probably aren't bored with? Sex! Talk about the tarantula mating. If you can put audio into your power point, maybe you could add some boom chika boom music when you show them a picture or short clip of the insertions.

Don't forget to 1.Tell them what you are going to tell them and 3. Tell them what you told them. If you do this, with more detail of course, I'm positive you will give the most kick ass speech of the class. =)

 

[Tym Hollerup]

Maybe they will be bored with molting. You know what they probably aren't bored with? Sex! Talk about the tarantula mating. If you can put audio into your power point, maybe you could add some boom chika boom music when you show them a picture or short clip of the insertions.

Oh my!!! :worship: Do try not too get kicked out. LOL.

 

[Necromion]

In your case maybe you should limit your presentation to you favorite T and possibly bring her in (with your instructors permission first).

I have taught many different classes about insects and spiders, and in my experiance the best way to do it is to keep things simple I.E. dont use words like theraposidae or other complex/scientific terms with out explaining them (I normally simplify it buy using commen terms like tarantula and such).

however as none of that answers your question. I would narrow it down to your favorite T as your topics become easier to discuss and are less broad. A topic they may find interesting if you choose to contine the gerneral aspect is the varience in size as most people consider T's to just be giant spiders. I. E. talk about he giant T. blondi or L. parabyna and then compare them to the dwarfs like H. incei or C. elegans (2" at maturity). also on the molting topic I would keep it brief (I.E. talk about why it molts)if you do include it as that topic I feel might be a little to boring for people who dont keep T's.

sorry about the marathon post but my 2 cents.