Presentations: The Art of the Stand-Out Talk by Chris McKitterick

Preparing Presentations Audience. Analyze the speaking situation. Use effective and appropriate organization. Choose effective language: Concise and clear. Outline or note cards. Prepare presentation graphics. Put together the slide show or posters. Rehearse. Use others interested in topic; peer- review opportunity. Prepare for the unexpected and questions.

Presentation Design Templates. Slide construction. Graphics, movies, music, and so on. Animated slides. Graphics, movies, music, and so on. Transitions. How much content per slide?

Giving Presentations Introduce yourself and the presentation. Provide an agenda or overview. Control your voice: volume, speed, pitch, pronunciation, and verbal crutches. Don’t read slides – use as notes. Maintain eye contact. Avoid distracting mannerisms. Announce the presentation’s conclusion. Address the audience's questions.

Making Your Presentation Stand Out Involve the audience People are more interested in their own concerns than in yours. Talk to the audience about their problems and their solutions. In the introduction, establish a link between your topic and the audience's interests.

Making Your Presentation Stand Out Refer to people, not abstractions People remember specifics and concrete information; they forget abstractions. To make a point memorable, describe it in human terms or how it affects actual people.

Making Your Presentation Stand Out Use interesting facts, figures, and quotations Do your research and find interesting information about your subject. A brief quotation from: –An authoritative figure in the field. –A famous person not generally associated with the field (Abraham Lincoln on waste management).

Making Your Presentation Stand Out Make it relevant What does your topic contribute to your field? Does it address an important topic related to the conference or publication? What is your topic’s significance?

Making Your Presentation Stand Out Emphasize novelty or uniqueness What is new or unique in your topic? Do you present a new concept, perspective, or approach? How broadly might this interest people? How timely is it? How can you make your presentation reflect your subject’s novelty, uniqueness, timeliness, and so on?

Making Your Presentation Stand Out Show how your topic is realistic Can others use this in other contexts? Does it scale up or down? Is it economically, culturally, or geographically dependent? Does your approach solve the stated problems? Is it sustainable?

Making Your Presentation Stand Out Address social impact How broad an effect do the problems or solutions have on people or places? How would they benefit from your solution? Did you consider broader issues such as political, human rights, gender, language, disability, or so on?

Making Your Presentation Stand Out Look to the future What happens next? If this goes on…. If we are fully funded…. Recommendations. Requests.

The Art of the Stand-Out Talk Sample presentations