Presentation skills Dr S. A. Pope

Overview When will you be required to give a presentation? The purpose of presentations General guidelines Overcoming your fears

When will you be required to give a presentation? Conferences Research group meetings Seminars Industrial collaboration meetings PhD upgrade/confirmation Your viva?

The purpose of presentations To communicate your research Who is the most important person? An opportunity to solicit feedback It is not an opportunity to show people how much you know!

General guidelines: Level Know your audience – i.e. pitch your presentation at the correct level Highlight/emphasise important points Once you lose an audiences attention it can be difficult to get it back

General guidelines: Media Usually PowerPoint or pdf Some conferences will have templates Colours?

General guidelines: Media Usually PowerPoint or pdf Some conferences will have templates Colours? Animations? Laser pointer – sometimes available Slide clicker – sometimes available Check the guidelines before

General guidelines: Timing Conference presentations are usually 10-20 minutes (this may include questions and changeover) Speed – don’t be afraid to pause (and think) – gives the audience time to process information Length – 1 slide every 1-3 minutes as a general rule.

General guidelines: Structure Title + authors + affiliations Overview (personal choice) Background (Context – Related work) Contribution (Theory – Sim/Exp – Results) Summary/Conclusion Really important

General guidelines: Content What is the purpose of an oral presentation? Don’t include too much information - its not a poster Emphasis should be on describing and explaining your work with the help of aids The audience can’t usually fully take in written and oral information at the same time.

Pictures/figures can get peoples attention

Videos can be a useful way to explain some ideas Check that videos work on the equipment that you will use during the presentation Chimpanzee riding on a Segway

General guidelines: Content Diagrams Graphs Tables Equations – be careful Text - short bullet points Describe what they show

General guidelines: Content

General guidelines: Content Emphasise/highlight important points Try to stimulate the audiences interest Keep on topic and be concise Summarise – at the end and mid way through if needed

General guidelines: Delivery Talk to your audience (not the floor or board) Prepare/practice If possible don’t use notes – should be ok for 15 minutes. Speed

Over coming your fears Some people are naturals – a lot are not Practice On your own With friends/family You will improve with each presentation Ask for feedback from colleagues

Summary Know your audience Present to your audience Engage your audience Practice Structure your presentation Don’t include too much