Project Workshops Presentations

2 1. Why is Presentation important? Whatever profession you enter after graduation, you will have to stand on your feet regularly and present material to an audience. This can be nerve-wracking if you have not had any experience of it beforehand. This is the time for you to gain some experience. In this project, you will have to give presentations to staff and fellow students.

3 2. Types of Presentation Three types: 1.Bench test (Week 10) To the supervisor 2.Classroom presentation (Weeks 11-12) In front of students and examiners 3.Oral examination (Weeks 21-22) To the examiners

4 3. Preparing for the Presentation Background information about the presentation Preparing the contents Formatting the presentation slides Different types of presentation

5 3.1 Background Information Audience: –How large? How experienced? How formal? Time: –Duration? Time for questions and answers? Setting: –Stand-alone or in a series of talks? –Size of room, equipment, facilities? Purpose: –What information do you want to convey? –How detailed?

6 3.2 Preparing the Contents Best to develop the contents using the top- down approach: –Outline the presentation contents into sections. –Further subdivide each section into subsections if necessary. –Work out the content for each section. Develop the presentation contents to a suitable depth according to presentation duration and knowledge of audience.

7 Prevent going into too much detail on individual points, causing an unbalanced time distribution. It is important to note that: –The objective of a presentation is not to tell the audience EVERYTHING that you know. –It is about telling the audience what you want them to know.

8 When structuring the powerpoint file, a good approach is to present an outline, followed by the main contents and then a summary of the main points. Practice the presentation with a friend. Time your presentation. Prepare for possible questions during Q&A time.

9 3.3 Formatting the Presentation Slides Do not put too much information onto a single slide. Make sure that the font size is large enough for reading. Can you see this? Give suitable spacing between lines. High light important phrases.

10 You may use colours, but prevent getting too colourful though. Make sure that the audience can read the words in colour. Try to add diagrams to help presenting the ideas. (A picture is better than a thousand words!) Short videos may also be used to present some ideas.

Different Types of Presentation The bench test presentation is less formal. Explain: –Project background and objectives. –What you have done so far. –What you plan to do. –Difficulties encountered and solutions.

12 Marking criteria: Depth of understanding of the problem area. Quality of the design and discussion of important features. Discussion of the solutions to the problems. Use of support materials to aid discussions. Clarity and accuracy of answers to questions. Punctuality of the presentation.

13 The classroom presentation is somewhat formal, in front of a group of students and examiners. Explain: –Project background and objectives. –Highlight of relevant work. –What you have done so far. –Results to date. –What you plan to do.

14 Marking criteria: Similar to those for the bench test. Note that: Everyone in the room may ask questions.

15 The oral examination is a formal presentation, in front of two examiners. Maximum 30mins (including Q&A) to explain: –Project background and objectives. –Brief summary of relevant work. –The work that you have done. –Demonstration of results. –Brief project evaluations.

16 Marking criteria: Clarity of the presentation. Use of support materials to aid discussions. Clarity and accuracy of answers to questions. Punctuality of the presentation. Although the quality of the work is not considered here, it will affect report marking.

17 4. During the Presentation Try to avoid reading from notes – use summary cards or key notes. Speak to the audience instead of the screen. Prevent looking at a particular person all the time during a group presentation. Try to keep a smile throughout the presentation.

18 DO NOT overrun your presentation. If you run out of time, do not try to speak twice as fast. Simply summarize what you are going to say. If you are asked a question, think before you answer. Do not bluff if you do not know the answer, as you may get yourself into even more troubles.

19 Instead of just saying you do not know the answer, a good way to reply is something like “…this is a good question. Although I am not sure the answer, I guess… …. because… …” Present your work with enthusiasm. No one would be interested in your work if you do not.

20 Further Reading A number of papers available on giving talks: S. Peyton-Jones, J. Hughes, and J. Launchbury, “How to give a good research talk,” ACM SIGPLAN Notices, 28(11):9-12, Nov I. Parberry, “How to Present a Paper in Theoretical Computer Science,” Bulletin of the EATCS, (37), pp ,