Oral Skills

The oral exam is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your knowledge, your presentation/speaking skills, as well as your ability to communicate... Answers are often less exact (right/wrong), and value is added for problem solving analysis and method, as well as interpersonal communication and presentation.

Preparation
- Ask your teacher or lecturer what will be on the exam.
- Prepare . If you do not study, you will not do well.
- Write out questions you expect to be asked, then...
- Discuss answering techniques with people in the field or who have had the test.
- Practice answering with classmates.
- Practice in a similar setting, in front of a mirror, to evaluate your "manner".

The Exam
- Look and act professional! Create a good impression. Dress well and appropriately, turn off mobile phones and pagers
- Arrive at the location early to collect yourself and check out the situation
The exam begins the minute you walk in:
- Introduce yourself immediately; Give the instructor all of your attention; look interested and smile!
- Keep good posture and eye contact; If there are distractions (noise outside, etc,) you may mention your distraction and/or nervousness.
- Stay focused through the interview. Be an intelligent listener as well as talker.
- Do not ramble if you do not know an answer. Do not keep silence or stare blankly.
State directly that you do not know the answer but ask if you could outline how you would find the answer, solve the problem, or the method you would employ.
- Maintain your self-confidence and composure if you feel the interview is not going well. The interviewer may be testing you.
- Answer questions with more than "yes" or "no". Stress the positive and not the negative. Use two or three key points or examples to demonstrate your knowledge.
- Watch for signs that the test is over. (i.e., the interviewer looks at the clock, moves the chair back, or completes a set of questions)
- Ask if there is anything you could answer that would add to your evaluation.
- Thank the instructor.

Follow-up
- Summarise your performance; where you did well or poorly. Keep a written record.
- Note how you could do better for the next time. Note if there was a significant "event" during the interview.
- Do not hesitate to question or comment on either the material or your performance, however, do not challenge the teacher, but seek to understand your performance.
- If you have concerns about an inappropriate evaluation after raising concerns with your teacher, discuss them with that department's, or your school's, academic counseling center or a higher authority.

Adapted fm Source

Student with a Cause

He came, he engaged, he went forth... by having

over 1,000 musicians' copyrights protected.


Musician Pho Duc Phuong, Director of the Centre for Music Copyright Protection of Vietnam.

VietNamNet Bridge. With the three newly signed contracts on November 22, the Centre for Music Copyright Protection of Vietnam now has over 1,000 musician members.

The family of late musician Nguyen Van Khanh, musicians Nguyen Vinh Tien and Hong Kien are the latest people to entrust the centre to protect the copyrights of musical works.

Established four years ago, the centre has sold musical works to businesses in Vietnam and paid fees to musicians.

“Between 2002 and July 2006, the centre collected over VND5 billion ($312,500) from selling music copyrights and this sum of money has been paid to musicians,” revealed Pho Duc Phuong, the centre’s director.

However, this sum of money is still modest since copyright infringement is still popular in Vietnam.

The centre has very patiently discussed copyright fees with some restaurants, hotels and clubs in Hanoi like Blue Wave, Aladin, Seventeen, and New Century, to get their commitments to pay copyright fees. However, from the ‘agreement’ to pay to “payment’ is a great gap that requires great efforts.

The centre has signed bilateral contracts on music copyright protection with 16 countries and territories. Accordingly, firms that use foreign music works will also have to pay copyright fees.

The centre plans to collect music copyright fees from cafes, departments of transportation, supermarkets and restaurants in the near future.

(Source: VNE)


"Originality is undetected plagiarism." W. R. Inge