1 CS 6190 Communication Skills

2 Communication is the Key! No matter how good the idea is, it won’t go anywhere unless you can communicate it to others Keys to successful communication: Have something to say (and believe in it) Have something to say (and believe in it) Figure out how to motivate it – tell a story Figure out how to motivate it – tell a story Figure out how to organize it Figure out how to organize it Figure out how to SAY it Figure out how to SAY it Practice, practice, practice (rewrite, rewrite, rewrite) Practice, practice, practice (rewrite, rewrite, rewrite) Deliver the talk – submit the paper Deliver the talk – submit the paper

3 Why is Communication Important? Good writing/presentations can’t make bad work good, but bad writing/presentations can make good work go unnoticed Being a good writer/speaker rarely comes naturally Get better by writing more paper, giving more talks Get better by writing more paper, giving more talks Get better by analyzing what good writers/ speakers do Get better by analyzing what good writers/ speakers do Work at it … it’s uncomfortable but worth it!

4 Have something to say… Writing a paper/presentation often clarifies/solidifies ideas because the paper needs to tell the full story Papers/presentations have limited time frames –figure out the most important points AND how to get them across That means leaving out details That’s often tricky! That’s often tricky!

5 Good Writing Means… Making something Understandable to the Audience … Making something Interesting for the audience to read (with proper motivation) A poorly written paper is one where the wrong details are included, or it asks the reader to do too much work. Make it fun to read. Provide the necessary background and materials.

6 Writing is Important! Writing was one of the most important lessons you learn in graduate school It is important – spend time getting it right! Study from good writers Practice writing – and get feedback! (At the same time, be willing to give feedback too!)

7 How To Organize a Paper/talk Start early – “There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting” Decide what the “take home message” should be Write down the important points you want to make (in any random order) – don’t forget motivation and “way of looking at the problem” Spend time thinking about pictures/graphs/ visual aids to help you make your points

8 Some Things To Think About… Get the reader interested early (remember they’re busy …) Show the reader how to read and evaluate the work – establish the point of view the reviewer should be taking Must be technically sound, but also understandable to a non-expert Proof-read the paper and then proof it again!!! Spell check numerous times!!

9 Get Feedback Get the draft done early for feedback Give it to your advisor REALLY early Give it to your advisor REALLY early Give it to your friends – and offer to read their papers in return Give it to your friends – and offer to read their papers in return Look at feedback as a blessing (grow a thick skin) Let the people reading know what the acceptance criteria are

10 Understand Your Audience Know your audience Who is on the program committee? Who is on the program committee? What kind of work do they do? What kind of work do they do? What is the style of the conference? What is the style of the conference? What is the assumed knowledge? What is the assumed knowledge? Remember program committee members are busy people Your writing has to be clear and concise – don’t try to say too much! Your writing has to be clear and concise – don’t try to say too much!

11 Know the Criteria for Acceptance Significance Technical soundness Relevance to conference topic Relevant literature cited How general is the contribution Is the paper well-written/clear?

12 What if the Paper is Rejected Rejection does not necessarily mean that the work is not good What is good, bad about the paper - decide if the paper can be salvaged If so, revised the paper addressing reviewer concerns Resubmit the paper to the next relevant conference Don’t give up easily

13 Author Ordering Whose name should go first? Last? How big a contribution gets one on the author list? Don’t forget to include Acknowledgement to the funder (ask your advisor for the grant number) Acknowledgement to the funder (ask your advisor for the grant number) Acknowledgements to others who made contributions, just not enough to make the author list Acknowledgements to others who made contributions, just not enough to make the author list

14 Least Publishable Unit What about dual (simultaneous) submissions? To two different conferences – NEVER To two different conferences – NEVER To a conference and a journal – ONLY if the call specifically allows it and tell pc chair To a conference and a journal – ONLY if the call specifically allows it and tell pc chair What about two “versions” of essentially the same paper ? – LPU hurts you in the long run Don’t let anyone push you into something that you are uncomfortable with

15 Beware of Plagiarism “Plagiarism, in which one misrepresents ideas, words, computer codes or other creative expression as one's own, is a clear violation of such ethical principles.” All authors are held responsible for the paper content Understand the rules to avoid self plagiarism

16 Oral Presentations Determine the talk and make the slides Write out exactly word-for-word what you are going to say on each slide Give the talk out loud to yourself with the slides and printed notes in front of you Note mistakes in the slides Note mistakes in the slides Jot notes on places that just “don’t seem to work” or “flow” Jot notes on places that just “don’t seem to work” or “flow” Note if the talk is too long or short Note if the talk is too long or short

17 Some Slide Mechanics 30 minute talk = ~ slides Never use variable width fonts Never use less than 24 point font Shoot for about 3 points per slide and less than 30 words per slide Use animation (rather than a laser pointer) – Make effect use of color – but don’t overdo it butdon’toverdo it

18 Still Practicing… Act on the results of the practice Does the overall talk work? Does the overall talk work? Is it close to the right amount of time or do you have to cut/add major chunks? Is it close to the right amount of time or do you have to cut/add major chunks? Fix the slides Fix the slides Rewrite the text to fix the rough spots (sometimes this means re-ordering or working in a new transition or significantly changing a couple of slides) Rewrite the text to fix the rough spots (sometimes this means re-ordering or working in a new transition or significantly changing a couple of slides) Repeat until Good! (Speak slowly; don’t use notes)

19 The Dry Run… It is often harder to give a talk to your friends and colleagues than it is to a large audience that doesn’t know you Make sure to do it early enough so you will be able to incorporate changes Lay the ground rules for the dry run – make sure they know where you are giving the talk (what kind of audience), how long you have, whether you can be interrupted, etc.

20 Still on the Dry Run… Deliver the talk as if it were the real thing Smile Smile Be confident Be confident Look them (all) in the eye Look them (all) in the eye Be enthusiastic about (all) the material Be enthusiastic about (all) the material Speak SLOWLY Speak SLOWLY Speak clearly Speak clearly Modulate your voice emphasizing the important points Modulate your voice emphasizing the important points

21 More on the Dry Run Listen carefully to the comments Be grateful for every comment you get! (Remember, you don’t need to incorporate them if you don’t like them, but another viewpoint is ALWAYS helpful.) Be grateful for every comment you get! (Remember, you don’t need to incorporate them if you don’t like them, but another viewpoint is ALWAYS helpful.) Pay particular attention if someone is confused or didn’t understand a point that was made – that really needs to be fixed! Pay particular attention if someone is confused or didn’t understand a point that was made – that really needs to be fixed! Rewrite the talk based on the comments Go practice it for yourself again!

22 At the Conference It is natural to be nervous Check out the set-up in advance (take that stresser away) It is best if you can actually TRY the media in advance It is best if you can actually TRY the media in advance Ask for help if something doesn’t work right Ask for help if something doesn’t work right Know what “signals” for time you will get Know what “signals” for time you will get Remain confident – you KNOW this material and it is GOOD – now show them!

23 Answering Questions Be prepared ! Give session chair “sample” questions Give session chair “sample” questions Have backup slides for the questions you expect Have backup slides for the questions you expect Make sure you listen to/understand the question – repeat it back to the questioner For questions that need long/detailed responses, ask to meet after the session Don’t be afraid to say “that’s a really good point/idea and on our list to consider for future work” Don’t get into extended arguments

24 One Last Issue Keep a professional web page Update it regularly Include a professionally done head shot Put personal stuff (family pictures, etc) accessible via a link clearly marked as such If you wouldn’t be happy having your mother see it, don’t put it there If you wouldn’t be happy having your mother see it, don’t put it there

25 Resources That every graduate student in CSE should have on their bookcase Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 2001 Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 2001 Alley, The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid, 2005 Alley, The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid, 2005 Zobel, Writing for Computer Science, 2004 Zobel, Writing for Computer Science, 2004 Colwell, The Pentium Chronicles, 2006 Colwell, The Pentium Chronicles, 2006

26 Summing Up Communicating your ideas clearly is an important skill that needs to be worked on The more you do it, the easier it becomes – but that fear doesn’t ever go away Part of being a professional Acknowledgement: Mary Jane Irwin and Kathy McCoy