How to Give a Good Presentation? Cliff C. Zou CDA6938 02/06/07

Outline How to Read a Research Paper Prepare Presentation Slides Give a Presentation Follow up Online Resource

How to Read a Research Paper Find papers in good quality conferences/journals There are too many conferences/workshops!! Security: IEEE Security & Privacy, ACM CCS, Usenix Security Glance through abstracts to find interesting ones Read introduction and one more section to get the big picture Understand the novel idea(s) provided by a paper Read “related work” and glance over several related papers if not familiar with the topic Read the whole paper if the paper is worth it

How to Read a Research Paper Ask questions when reading: What is the novel idea(s)? Can I do this research, too? Some research are not doable by yourself A bit frustrating  What are the weaknesses of the paper? Which point(s) can I do further research on? Important to conduct your own research

Outline How to Read a Research Paper Prepare Presentation Slides Give a Presentation Follow up Online Resource

Prepare Presentation Slides Create examples/figures/animations to explain May not in paper, create by yourself Animations or step-by-step figures are best in explaining a system, architecture, algorithm Do not only put words in slides Boring, too abstract Good acknowledgement For others’ papers, put author names, publication place, time in the first page Then, “presented by: your name” Copying others’ slides must have acknowledgement

Prepare Presentation Slides Be focused Success if you pass ONE single central idea of a paper Audience cannot understand everything in 30 minutes! If you cannot explain a point clearly, skip it Some ideas/algorithms are complicated to explain Only use a sentence to say the name, and results In most case, a complicated idea is not the novel point of a paper Not too colorful Powerpoint template Readable text: big font, clear color e.g., no green/yellow text on white background Readable figures A project usually has fewer color, smaller resolution than a computer screen!

Prepare Presentation Slides Concise, self-explanation text Not too abstract, contain concrete information No need for complete sentences Some people prefer to read slides than listen!

Outline How to Read a Research Paper Prepare Presentation Slides Give a Presentation Follow up Online Resource

Give a Presentation Dry run before presentation Test timing Get familiar (bad impression if you do not know what you talk!!) Remember important words to say, be concise But do not recite every word in speech! Monotone, no personal attachment to what you say Especially important to non-English speaker Less grammar error, fluent, clear and concise Intense dry run for important presentation Write down talk notes for each page and remember them Video tape yourself: body language, wasted words (tag) Ask friends to listen your dry run, get feedback

Give a Presentation Speak loud Emphasize Do not read slides Force you to speak slow, looks confident Force you to remove murmur, be clear & concise Most murmur are wasted words, not confident words Audience cannot hear your murmur Emphasize Pause after an important point Even slower, louder on important point Do not read slides Slides are for audience to read

Give a Presentation Figures Timing Need to explain X/Y-axis; Don’t rush Timing Pay attention to time (put a clear clock in front) Prepare to jump slides for timing Don’t be frustrated for questions or your mistakes Be friendly, confident Your mood affects audience’s mood!

Outline How to Read a Research Paper Prepare Presentation Slides Give a Presentation Follow up Online Resource

Follow Up In job interview, always send “thank-you” notes to interviewers A brief email is good Online tutorial: google “thank-you notes” Thank, acknowledgement Explain unanswered questions Provide paper, reference information promised by you For this class, send your ppt file to me!

Online Resource How To Give A Great Presentation Presentation Skills http://www.to-done.com/2005/07/how-to-give-a-great-presentation/ Presentation Skills http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/dept/Tips/present/present.htm Advice on Research and Writing http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mleone/web/how-to.html Western New England Editorial Freelancers' Network http://www.editorsplus.com/members.html For copyediting your thesis, paper Google: “resume”, “job hunting”, “give presentation”, … You can find tutorials, samples for any topics through web search