Presentation Tips (Or, how to survive public speaking) Technologies Powerpoint tips General tips Managing a crowd How long should a talk last? Your ISP presentation

Presentation technology The simple, spoken talk –Better for supporting discussion –Problematic for more structured, longer talks Overheads: sadly, a dying art form Powerpoint Other technologies The dreaded demonstration

Advantages of Overheads Flexible when cutting talk short, answering questions Amenable to spontaneous drawing, change Speaker is physically closer to the projected notes Have to be created in advance--more preparation required of speaker

Powerpoint Animation possible, always aligned and sharp looking Difficult to reorder talk on the fly, add new material Can be tempting to create presentations minutes before talk Good for providing a visual focus, help attendees to ‘see’ a core set of points

Other media Don’t forget other (physical) presentation aids: whiteboard, paperboards, posters… ‘mixed media’ talks can be very effective ‘mixed media’ allows presenter to annotate, create on the fly Use ‘props’ sparingly

Demonstrations Something always goes wrong –Always Have screenshots as backup Must be carefully scripted Generally flows better if the speaker isn’t also driving the demo

General tips Never begin a talk with an apology Make eye contact Use normal gestures Stand up straight, with weight on both legs Move, but not too much Vary your speaking tone Watch for “um”, “like”, “you know” Appear relaxed Appear interested, lively Rehearse! Re-rehearse!

… tips continued Do not read a presentation from notes. If you must consult your notes frequently, hold them up (but NOT in front of your face). Don’t put your notes down low on a table. Never just read out bullet points on slides. Don’t lean on the projector or table—that shakes it. Don’t look back at the screen.

…tips continued The arms: don’t fold in front or hide in back. More than 1 presenter? Only 1 stands in front at a time; other presenter(s) sit down, away from the presentation area, until it’s their turn. ‘Crossing the projector light’: try to set up so as to avoid crossing. If you have to, just do it boldly. Don’t hold a pencil or pointer; that encourages fiddling. The advanced technique: a can of Diet Coke.

PowerPoint tips 1st slide: title, organization, speaker Include an “outline of talk” slide Include a conclusion/summary slide Each slide should have a clear, relevant heading Large font, short phrases, simple pictures –Non-native speakers: use more words on slides –Figures and tables can’t be as complex as on paper; PPT is relatively low resolution –Use figures/tables only if they have some meaning!

…PPT tips Bullet points may (over) simplify ideas Bullets indicate that points are sequential or of equal importance (not always true!): –Objectives Increase market share 25% Increase profits 30% Increase new product introductions to 10 per year Bullets should be intelligible, but not too wordy: –Focus –Focus on growing markets –It is necessary to focus on those markets which are profitable and growing rather than those which are loss-making and declining

…PPT tips Pointers: use a physical one, if possible. progressive displays: don’t do the PPT ‘striptease’ Fancy powerpoint effects: they’re trite now, don’t use them –Don’t use animated slide transitions –Never use sound effects for bullets, transitions Know where to stand: don’t block the display

…tips continued SPELL CHECK!! Color? Background? Logos? –Repeat this mantra: Less is More –Use sparingly –Visibility is paramount: black on white is most readable –Particularly avoid clip art; we’ve all seen the standard ones

…PPT tips –How many slides? Figure out how many that you need Get rid of 1/3 of them Rule of thumb: no more than 1 per 2 minutes; better to use fewer –Hold a couple slides in reserve Think about possible questions, and consider making extra slides to answer them (particularly if a figure or table is required)

Playing to the crowd... Don’t begin with a joke: CS people aren’t funny Know what the audience expects your appearance: dress appropriately presentation style technological support

Tailoring a talk to the time Always finish on time, or a bit earlier (you never hear anyone wishing that the speaker had gone on longer) Always find out in advance how much time you’re allowed, and remember to factor in question time Short talks: overviews, the big picture, few details Longer talks: add detail AS NEEDED Keep the pace the same, whatever the length

The ISP presentation 20 minutes: 15 talk, 5 questions Purpose: informational and persuasive (inform client of your recommendations, ‘selling’ the proposal) Audience: clients, CS colleagues working on similar projects Overheads or PPT? Definitely! DO NOT read out ISP, or read from notes. I will confiscate notes containing sentences. Recommended: 2 presenters per group Other group members must attend “Professional” programmer look

Focus on Description of client –Real world: this would be short, folded into business problems Client’s business problems –Important: point out problems without being insulting Existing system (and its problems) Your solution Its benefits Note: it’s doubtful that you will be able to cover every point made in the ISP–tailor to time allocated