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Chapter 14: Oral Presentations - Coggle Diagram
Chapter 14: Oral Presentations
Format
content is similar to a research article, with an intro, purpose, design, results and discussion
A good format should include an overview, an intro/background, findings and conclusion.
For longer presentations consider an overview slide at the beginning
Background is to explain the purpose of the study and discuss results. Main emphasis should be key findings. Overview of of experimental approach is sufficient.
Concluding slide summarizes main findings.
Know your audience
depending on target audience and type of talk, emphasis may be placed in different sections
Prepare Notes
Notes can provide security of knowing what to fall back on when you are nervous during critical points of the talk.
Index cards or speaker notes on powerpoint will be visible to the audience. Extra large print for note cards will help with readability.
Outline form is sufficient. Some parts of the presentation may be written in full.
Parts to be written in full: opening, closing, transitions between slides and sections, and quotations if any.
Having the opening in full can give comfort in knowing where to find statements when you need them.
Practice!
Practicing can help make you realize at least some potential problem areas.
Can help with determining if you are within a given time limit, or know if the flow of words is smooth.
Effective Slides
Make slides attractive, but keep them simple
Most scientific presentations need conference style slides. Intention is to either inform or persuade the audience. Provide sufficient information in text slides as well as figures and tables.
Color and Design
Avoid bright colors, nonstandard colors and common color contrasts for people who are color blind.
Ensure titles are in the same place in each slide. No wildly animated, and ensure punctuation is consistent throughout the presentation.
Avoid nonstandard fonts. Ensure minimum font size is 20 point or larger so lettering can be read by audience. Use a sans serif font like Arial or Times New Roman. High contrast between background and writing. Important information in larger text or italics.
Should contain all key points, but yet stay simple. Do not clutter slides with too much text. Spend about 1 to 2 minutes on each slide.
Clear but brief bullet points for an overview and the rest will be filled in with your voice. Too much text means the audience will focus on reading the slide rather than listening to you. General rule is 5 words per bullet and five bullets per slide.
Give figures and tables a title, but no caption.
Ensure figures and tables are not cluttered or too busy. For lines graphs, no more than 3 to 4 curves per graph. Presenter should be able to walk the reader through all the information in 30 to 60 seconds.
If using a table, maximum of 4 columns and 7 to 8 rows including title.
Delivery
Arrive early and dress appropriately
Consider bringing personal computer, or send a pdf copy of presentation to the organizer as a backup.
Usually business casual to formal, depending on audience and purpose.
Avoid chewing gum, flip flops, smelly foods and unkempt hair.
Use simple words, and use spoken language. Do not read notes word for word. Bullets are intended for audience not for the speaker as notes. Be yourself, and be positive and enthusiastic about your topic.
Adhere to time limit. To help, keep a timer somewhere. Spend about 1 to 2 minutes per slide. If you need to leave out slides to stay within the limit, do so. A good talk requires speech that is slower and cleaner than normal conversation.
Keep eye contact and face audience. Use gestures to reinforce and compliment talk. Use good posture.
Do not skip over information. Explain why you are using a figure or table. Explain what the findings mean in the overall context of the presentation.
When concluding, signal the ending. Summarize findings and their meanings. Discuss overall significance of your work and next steps.
Q&A Period
Be courteous, repeat questions, admit if you do not know the answer, direct the answer to the entire audience.
Don't make up and answer if you don't know, do not argue with questioner, and do not maintain eye contact with the questioner.