Important Points for Master's Thesis Presentations (Soutenance) in French Graduate Schools
Before I knew it, it was mid-June. For those in their first year (M1) of a French graduate school, you have likely submitted your thesis and are approaching your oral defense (soutenance). For those in their second year (M2), while the presentations are likely in September, you are probably starting to work on your thesis in earnest. In this post, I would like to introduce some important points for the thesis defense (soutenance) in French graduate schools.
By the way, when I was in M1, I gave my presentation in French. All the other students were French, but during the oral evaluation, I was told that mine was the best presentation in the cohort. Of course, there were students who presented after me, and since our graduate school does not rank students, I do not know the final ranking, but I received a high score of 19 out of 20.
In M2, I had my defense in English and received a score of 16 out of 20. Although this is lower than my M1 score, 16 corresponds to a 'mention très bien,' so I received a good evaluation here as well. Since those going to French graduate schools will basically be presenting in French, I will write about the important points for a soutenance based on what I did for my M1 presentation.
Presentation Flow
There are examples on platforms like Canva, and I believe your graduate school will also provide instructions on the flow you should follow. I followed the instructions (consignes) from my graduate school and proceeded with the following structure.
Table of Contents (briefly state the flow of the presentation at the beginning)
Brief introduction of the company where I worked
What is a Bilan Carbone (carbon footprint)?
Explanation of my mission
Method (calculation method for the Bilan Carbone)
Results
Discussion
Decarbonization strategy
Areas for improvement in the Bilan Carbone
Future outlook and conclusion
Basically, if there are instructions from your graduate school, I believe you can get the necessary points by creating a presentation that follows those instructions. My graduate school shared the evaluation grid (grille d'évaluation) in advance, so I had a certain understanding of which points I needed to cover to earn points.
Clearly Present the Problématique
This is also important for the thesis (mémoire), but you must clearly present your problématique (problem statement).
For example, when I was in M1, my task was to create a Bilan Carbone (greenhouse gas emissions calculation report) for a public institution, and the problématique of my report was: "En quoi le bilan de gaz à effet de serre peut-il influencer la stratégie de décarbonation de XXX (Name of my company)?"
It is important to clarify your problématique and show why you are writing the report and giving the presentation.
Make your charts and graphs easy to read!
The charts and graphs you use for results and other sections must be easy to read above all else! I checked all my slides in the presentation room beforehand to ensure that the size, colors, and everything else were clear, and I made adjustments where necessary.
Use minimal text! Make good use of pictures and illustrations!
Slides filled with nothing but text are unappealing, aren't they?
I have the impression that French people use far less text in their slides compared to Japanese people.
Include only the essential keywords and sentences. Also, since the jury members may not be experts in your specific field, it is important to use images and illustrations effectively so that even someone seeing it for the first time can understand. I made full use of free illustrations and photos from Canva.
Always stick to the time limit for your presentation.
I feel like many French people love to talk, but going over your allotted time will result in a point deduction.
While the content of your presentation is based on your thesis, there is no time to talk about everything. Generally, there is a limit to how long a person can focus on listening to a presentation.
To finish within the set time, it is important to carefully select the data necessary to convey your conclusions. Use your practice sessions to confirm that you can finish within the time limit.
Look at the jury members while presenting.
What is important in a presentation is to look at the jury members!
To do this, you need to practice what you are going to say so many times that your mouth can speak on its own. I am someone who is really bad at speaking in front of people, so I started practicing about a week before the presentation, and on the day before and the morning of the presentation, I practiced speaking alone in the actual venue. I think it is also a good idea to record yourself on your smartphone to check your pronunciation.
I had a script prepared just in case on the day, but I was able to present while constantly looking at the jury members.
The more you practice, the more confidently you can speak, so if you are not good at speaking in front of others, it is important to practice thoroughly beforehand 🗣️
Restate your problématique before your conclusion.
This was one of the points the jury specifically praised about my presentation.
Before my final conclusion, I restated my problématique and structured it so that I could say, 'Given these results, this is the conclusion I reached.'
Since the problématique is presented at the beginning of the presentation, the jury members often forget it after a long series of results and discussions. They might start wondering, 'What was this presentation for again?' By restating the problématique before giving your conclusion, your presentation will be more consistent and coherent.
I actually used this technique for the production orale section of the DELF B2, and I recommend it for thesis presentations as well 👍
Prepare slides for the Q&A session as well.
Once the presentation is over, the Q&A session with the jury begins. It is a good idea to have ChatGPT generate potential questions and prepare your answers in advance. You might get flustered during the Q&A on the day, so having answers to potential questions and supplementary data slides prepared will help you face the Q&A with peace of mind.
I kept slides that I had originally intended to use in the presentation but couldn't due to time constraints, and I was able to use them as supplementary data during the Q&A.
You might actually get more flustered during the Q&A, so it is a good idea to create supplementary data and slides with answers to potential questions as a safety net 🙆♀️
Finally
I know the soutenance can be nerve-wracking, but it is important to present with confidence and poise. To achieve that, it is essential to fulfill your mission, acquire the necessary knowledge, and practice your presentation! As long as you can deliver a solid presentation, it will be fine even if you struggle a bit with the Q&A session!
I wish you all success in your oral defense!
Good luck! ⚐😉