Giving a seminar or conference paper Eszter Molnar Mills Head of Organisational Development and Steven Mensah IT and Web Support Trainer

Introductions n Your name n Your specialism n Your research topic n What is interesting about it?

Session objectives n By the end of this session participants will be prepared to deliver a paper for a seminar, or specialist conference audience, including: –being able to plan and structure a presentation for a range of audiences –be aware of the skills of effective delivery –be able to design and produce effective PowerPoint slides for presentations

Exercise n Think of the best paper you ever gave or seminar you presented (or presentation of any other kind) n In small groups share what made it so good

Presentation objectives n The speaker n The subject n The audience n The time available

Planning content n What will your audience’s level of prior knowledge and experience be? n What will your audience be expecting to gain from the presentation? (WIIFM) n How will you be able to adjust when you are presenting? Perhaps allowing time to define or explain. n Consider how you can present you information to meet the requirements of your audience

Presentations - Good Advice? ‘Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?’ he asked ‘Begin at the beginning’ the King said gravely ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop’ Lewis Carroll

Preparation n Objectives – what do you want to do: –Convince –Inform –Test your work / get feedback –Entertain –Enthuse –Call to action

Preparation n Objectives n Conclusion n Building blocks – 3 key points n Sequence n Timescale n Detail vs. Clarity vs. Time n The beginning – your hook / WIIFM n Visuals – see PPT section n Questions

What makes a good presentation n The opening n Control n Brevity n Interest n Watch the audience

Speaking to different audiences n What are the differences of speaking –To a large conference or a small seminar group? –To the academics at the top of your field, a group of specialists in your specific area or a lay audience? –Different presentation styles

Interactive exercises. Slides / presentation of information. Handouts(booklet/ notes). Presentation

Design and Appearance  Design structure.  Impact of a design.  Video & Images. Video & Images  Fonts.  Font sizes.  Line spacing.  Colour.

Fonts

* Guidelines provided by the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) Accessibility n Avoid use of Old English and handwriting fonts. n Avoid use of CONDENSED text. n Do not put ALL text in CAPITALS (difficult to read). n Design a good column layout and flow in your slides.

* Guidelines provided by the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) Accessibility n Use clear and large print. n Font sizes should be 14 pt (minimum), recommended. n Good use of line spacing. n Justification (left, centre, right alignment) to neatly position text. n Good (and sensible) use of colour and tonal contrasts.

Colour n The perception of information may be impaired depending upon: - Colour response - Colour blindness - Colour visibility n Some colours are pleasing to the eye whereas other colours may be very uncomfortable. n The choice of colour in a presentation can provoke both a physical and emotional response from your audience.

I.e., yellow is the most visible colour in the spectrum, use it sparingly as it can over-stimulate the eye and result in fatigue. Colour Blindness n With regards to colour blindness, some members of your audience are likely to be affected. n Colour blindness affects 8% of men and 0.5% of women. n The most common form of colour blindness affects the ability to perceive the colour green. n Avoid highlighting important issues or hyperlinks in green text.

Keep it Simple

Delivery  Aim to be bold and convincing  Start slowly  Don’t read what you want to say word- for-word  Make sure you are standing where you can see everyone

Posture and Body Language  Stand up in a relaxed position  Always be aware of other people’s space and don’t intrude into it  Use effective hand movements that help to stress the valuable and important ideas  Smile at appropriate moments, particularly before you begin to speak

Voice  Relax your body  Breathe deeply  Speak slowly and clearly  Very very slowly…  Don’t mumble  Don’t cover your mouth with your hand

Eye Contact  Keep your head up, use lighthouse technique  Don’t stare – this can make your audience uncomfortable.  Glance at your notes, then look back up  Keep your focus on the audience  Withhold eye contact to manage interruptions

The Right Attitude Be positive!  I am happy to be here  I am happy to see the audience  I am interested in the opinions and thoughts of the audience  I am in full control of the situation

Dealing with Trouble n Backtrack n Information n Watch your body language n Relax, have a drink of water n Remember the audience n The audience will perceive pauses as a lot shorter

Handling questions n Anticipation n Repeating / Rephrasing n Unanswerable n Ask the audience n Admit if you don’t know

Exercise n Your name n Your specialism n Your research topic n What is interesting about it? 3 minute presentation to a lay audience 10 minutes to prepare

Top tips n Know your material backwards n Have a master presentation of all your slides n Then pick and choose for the occasion n Always think about your audience n Video yourself presenting

Top tips continued n Have a back up plan for audiovisuals n Plan ahead for questions n Remember: it’s ok not to know the answer n Keep your promises – if you say you will follow up with the answer or documents, do so. n Your top tips?

Your action plan n What is your next presentation? n Considering your objective and your audience, note three things you will do as a result of this session