1. Pointers on Giving a Talk
Basic outline
Slide format
Presentation style

2. Basic Outline Title slide Introduction, purpose, objective
Title, author, date, interesting picture
Introduction, purpose, objective
Show why the topic is important early in the talk. This will get the audience interested.
Start by saying what you are going to do. This could be a slide with “Outline” title, or it could be more creative.
Main body of the talk in logical order
Observationsanalysis
Conclusions
List the main points the audience should take home and remember. Should give closure to objective. Make sure the ending is strong.

3. Slide Format Use high contrast color scheme
Light background with dark text (this is what I prefer)
Dark background with light text (sometimes better for pictures)
OK to use design template, but avoid distracting complexity.
Use Master slide with footer containing title, date, author, location
Design slide so it is readable
Large font, figures with thick lines and large symbols
Modest amount of text
Avoid red on blue, and other obnoxious color combinations. See following slide for example of what not to do

4. Slide Format Use high contrast color scheme
Yikes!
Slide Format
Use high contrast color scheme
Light background with dark text
Dark background with light text (better for pictures)
OK to use design template, but avoid distracting complexity
Use Master slide with footer containing title, date, author, location
Design slide so it is readable
Large font, figures with thick lines and large symbols
Modest amount of text
Avoid red on blue, and other obnoxious color combinations

5. Slide Format Animation Use pictures/graphs as much as possible
Use it to make a point
Never use it just because it is therethis is distracting and irritating
Use pictures/graphs as much as possible
Text-only slides are OK, but always can be improved with pix
Avoid spelling or grammar mistakes

6. Presentation Speak clearly, no mumbling Make eye contact with audience
Use a pointer to highlight important parts of the slide
Finish the talk on time.
It takes roughly 1 minute/slide unless there are a lot of animations, which can take longer
Practice the talk
Get the words together
Check the time

7. Presentation
Use the slide as a cue for what to say, but don’t read it.
Don’t apologise for small errors
Most of the time the audience will not realize the problem, and in any case it is probably not worth calling attention to.
Give slides as handouts when appropriate
Use other talks you have seen for reference—what to do, what to avoid