Pointers on Giving a Talk Basic outline Slide format Presentation style

Basic Outline Title slide Introduction, purpose, objective Title, author, date, interesting picture Introduction, purpose, objective Show why the topic is important early in the talk. This will get the audience interested. Start by saying what you are going to do. This could be a slide with “Outline” title, or it could be more creative. Main body of the talk in logical order Observationsanalysis Conclusions List the main points the audience should take home and remember. Should give closure to objective. Make sure the ending is strong.

Slide Format Use high contrast color scheme Light background with dark text (this is what I prefer) Dark background with light text (sometimes better for pictures) OK to use design template, but avoid distracting complexity. Use Master slide with footer containing title, date, author, location Design slide so it is readable Large font, figures with thick lines and large symbols Modest amount of text Avoid red on blue, and other obnoxious color combinations. See following slide for example of what not to do

Slide Format Use high contrast color scheme Yikes! Slide Format Use high contrast color scheme Light background with dark text Dark background with light text (better for pictures) OK to use design template, but avoid distracting complexity Use Master slide with footer containing title, date, author, location Design slide so it is readable Large font, figures with thick lines and large symbols Modest amount of text Avoid red on blue, and other obnoxious color combinations

Slide Format Animation Use pictures/graphs as much as possible Use it to make a point Never use it just because it is therethis is distracting and irritating Use pictures/graphs as much as possible Text-only slides are OK, but always can be improved with pix Avoid spelling or grammar mistakes

Presentation Speak clearly, no mumbling Make eye contact with audience Use a pointer to highlight important parts of the slide Finish the talk on time. It takes roughly 1 minute/slide unless there are a lot of animations, which can take longer Practice the talk Get the words together Check the time

Presentation Use the slide as a cue for what to say, but don’t read it. Don’t apologise for small errors Most of the time the audience will not realize the problem, and in any case it is probably not worth calling attention to. Give slides as handouts when appropriate Use other talks you have seen for reference—what to do, what to avoid