1. How to give a scientific presentation?
How to give a scientific presentation?
Uwe Stilla

2. Outline
Preparing for your presentation
Giving the presentation
Performing the discussion
Formal aspects
Evaluation

3. 1 Preparing for your presentation
Collecting material
Reading publications
Sorting topics
Selecting facts and figures
Forming the story
Transforming content
Designing slides
Estimating presentation duration
Practice your presentation
Takes time to prepare a prentation
Conferences presentation take me 3-4 hours, for 10 minutes.
Takes longer when you are new

4. Contact your supervisor Search in Internet Which search engine ?
1.1 Collecting material
Contact your supervisor
Search in Internet
Which search engine ?
Check different material
Journals, proceedings, newspaper ...
Books, reports, theses (PHD, MSc) ...
Publicity material
Videos
Make a list of your references
Note all required information for citation
What is required ?

5. 1.2 Reading publications
Read title
Read abstract
Check images and figures
Read introduction
Read conclusion
Read entire text, ignore formulas
Read entire document (with formulas)
Read again

6. 1.3 Sorting topics
Identify the abstraction level
Overview ?
Detailed description ?
Identify the type
Method ?
Application ?
Identify the impact
Nice to know ?
High impact ?

7. 1.4 Selecting content, facts and figures
Consider your audience
Think about following questions
Who am I addressing?
What do I have to say?
What do I want my audience to know?
What would my audience want to know?
Which facts are important in context of your topic?
Which figures support very strong your arguments?

8. 1.5 Forming the story
Tell a story !
Make a logical structure that is similar to a good story.
Beginning: context of presentation
Body: develop main points.
Conclusion: summarize main points, take home message.

9. 1.6 Transforming content
Talk in “spoken English” style, not in “written English” style

10. 1.7 Designing slides (1)
You do not need to use full or wordy sentences because they can become very, very long and make it much hard for the audience to follow. They also make it much for difficult for you to quickly look at if you need a reminder of where you are at.
Don’t use full or wordy sentences.
Harder for the audience to follow.
Harder for you to use as a reminder.
Starting with the verb can help.
Layout,
see: 4 Formal aspects

11. 1.7 Designing slides (2)
Make sure tables, pictures, and graphs can be read.
Titles on graphs and tables must be readable at back of room.
Number must also be readable

12. 1.7 Designing slides (3)
Tables/Pictures
You can make them inside PowerPoint.
You can make them in excel and copy and paste.
You can bring them in as an object.
You could scan them, then make a hyperlink to the document.

13. 1.8 Estimating presentation duration
Split the presentation in 2-4 blocks
Present actively your talk (loud, standing)
Measure the time you need for each block
Redesign the presentation (hide slides)
Note the time for 1-2 key slides
Insert emergency jumps

14. 1.9 Practice your presentation
Present parts of your presentation multiple times
Improve formulation and wording
Present the entire final presentation
in front of some class mates ... or ...
in front of a mirror

15. 2 Giving the presentation
How to speak
Communicate with audience
Body posture

16. 2.1 How to speak
Speak slowly and clearly.
Try not to say “äh”, “so”, “ummm” “jagenau” or other time fillers too much.
We all do it, it takes practice
Try to avoid reading directly from your slides
Speaking instead of just reading enables you to involve the audience

17. 2.2 Communicate with audience
Look at the audience
Try to look at everyone, not just one corner of the room.
If you are nervous pick some spots at the back of the room above people’s heads.
Be enthusiastic
Vary the tone of your voice.
Use humor if it suits you, but don’t force it or over do it. Content is what matters.

18. 2.3 Body posture
Look friendly
Stand open
What not to do ?
Turn your back on the audience
Put your thumbs in your pockets
Hit yourself or a table
Cross your arms and take a star pose
Tab your pen
Stand on one leg or sit on the table
Make a laser show with the pointer

19. 3 Discussion
Why is a discussion needed?
Be prepared to answer questions from audience
Don’t rate the quality of a question
What to do
when you haven’t understand the question?
when you don’t know the answer?
when a question allows answers in different directions?

20. 4 Formal aspects
Layout
Citation
Original statements ?
Figures ?
Images ?
Maps ?
Methods ?
Math ?

21. 5 Evaluation (2016 WS) (1)

22. 5 Evaluation (2016 WS) (2) enlarged

23. 5 Evaluation (2016 WS) (3) enlarged

24. Evaluation form – PSC (1)

25. Evaluation form – PSC (2)

26. Evaluation form – PSC (2)

27. References
wikiHow to Give a Presentation
Preparing a Good Presentation [access: 2017-OCT-23]