Dolan Hefei How to Give a Good Technical Presentation T. J. Dolan ASIPP, Hefei July, 2008 References: Brian Dodd, IAEA (2000) James D. Callen, U. of Wisconsin (2002)

Dolan Hefei Outline Importance Preparation Effective speaking Slides

Dolan Hefei Why are technical talks important?

Dolan Hefei What kinds of technical talks do you like?

Dolan Hefei What kinds of talks do you not like?

Dolan Hefei Industry, Laboratories, Teaching Provide information Tell research results Propose research Persuade leaders Your reputation depends on your presentation skills.

Dolan Hefei You your message the audience

Dolan Hefei How to prepare? Audience Level ? What would interest them? Main ideas ? Visual aids ? Practice alone with audience

Dolan Hefei The talk should be organized. Title, author, institution, outline Main thesis Supporting points Summary and conclusion Allow about 1 minute per slide

Dolan Hefei How should we talk? Image Mannerisms Visual aids Understandable Memorable examples Repeat Interact with audience.

Dolan Hefei First impressions Audience evaluates you in first 5 minutes. No second chance.

Dolan Hefei Present a good image. Appearance Clothing Posture Voice confident loud enough Do not apologize admit nervousness Enthusiasm Courtesy of Brian Dodd

Dolan Hefei Avoid distracting mannerisms Talking too fast Talking too quietly, mumbling Not looking at people Talking to blackboard Saying “Uh”, “you know”, “I mean”, … Jingling keys in pockets

Dolan Hefei Use visual aids. Drawings, Photos, Charts, Graphs Prepare projector early to avoid problems. Courtesy of Brian Dodd

Dolan Hefei Use Demonstrations Brian Dodd used * paper airplanes in a talk on quality assurance in transport. * ‘accidental’ coffee spill with a ‘scalded’ hand to introduce emergency response. * kicked a packaged raw egg around the classroom to show principles of transport packaging. Courtesy of Brian Dodd

Dolan Hefei Make the content easily understandable. Audience has short attention span. Simplify the message. Reduce quantity. Leave them wanting more. Be entertaining. Maybe some humor. Be prepared to stop at anytime. Courtesy of Brian Dodd

Dolan Hefei Repeat important content. People don’t listen perfectly. Attention wanders -- distractions Other thoughts – work, family, entertainment,… Repeat Introduction Main talk Summary Courtesy of Brian Dodd

Dolan Hefei Interact with the audience. Get acquainted beforehand, if feasible. Look at many people. Encourage their questions. Paraphrase the question. Admit what you don’t know. Ask them questions.

Dolan Hefei How to Give a Bad Talk Dress sloppily Be hesitant and apologetic Use crowded slides with tiny lettering Show complex equations quickly Read from a manuscript Speak quietly and too fast

Dolan Hefei How to Give a Bad Talk Face the screen Avoid eye contact with audience Distract the audience by jingling coins or keys Say “uh” or “you know” frequently Keep talking after your time is over.

Dolan Hefei How can we prepare good slides ? Emphasize the main points

Dolan Hefei Each slide should have a thesis. Give main point in title < 6 main points Large lettering (> 18 point ) Graphs and pictures

Dolan Hefei Use < 6 statements per slide. List most important ideas. Give supporting facts (if needed) in smaller font Space between statements. Too many statements make retention difficult. Short term memory saturates ~ 6 facts/slide. Audience remembers pictures and graphs better.

Dolan Hefei Why is this graph bad? (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

Dolan Hefei What is still wrong with this graph? (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

Dolan Hefei Here is a better graph. Plasma density increases linearly with filling pressure (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

Dolan Hefei Why is this slide bad? (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

Dolan Hefei Here is a better slide. EBT Neoclassical Transport Theory for Field Error Effects (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

Dolan Hefei Simplify phrases How should we talk? Present a good image. Avoid distracting mannerisms Use visual aids Make the content easily understandable Use memorable examples Repeat important points Interact with the audience How should we talk? Image Mannerisms Visual aids Understandable Memorable examples Repeat Interact with audience

Dolan Hefei … completely unsecured!… … and easily removable by the public!... This slide emphasizes a bad situation.

Dolan Hefei Summary Your reputation Image Mannerisms Title statements Pictures and graphs Simplicity Examples Repetition Interaction with audience Summary Practice speaking aloud.