1. Dolan Hefei 20081 How to Give a Good Technical Presentation T. J. Dolan ASIPP, Hefei July, 2008 References: Brian Dodd, IAEA (2000) James D. Callen, U. of Wisconsin (2002)

2. Dolan Hefei 20082 Outline Importance Preparation Effective speaking Slides

3. Dolan Hefei 20083 Why are technical talks important?

4. Dolan Hefei 20084 What kinds of technical talks do you like?

5. Dolan Hefei 20085 What kinds of talks do you not like?

6. Dolan Hefei 20086 Industry, Laboratories, Teaching Provide information Tell research results Propose research Persuade leaders Your reputation depends on your presentation skills.

7. Dolan Hefei 20087 You your message the audience

8. Dolan Hefei 20088 How to prepare? Audience Level ? What would interest them? Main ideas ? Visual aids ? Practice alone with audience

9. Dolan Hefei 20089 The talk should be organized. Title, author, institution, outline Main thesis Supporting points Summary and conclusion Allow about 1 minute per slide

10. Dolan Hefei 200810 How should we talk? Image Mannerisms Visual aids Understandable Memorable examples Repeat Interact with audience.

11. Dolan Hefei 200811 First impressions Audience evaluates you in first 5 minutes. No second chance.

12. Dolan Hefei 200812 Present a good image. Appearance Clothing Posture Voice confident loud enough Do not apologize admit nervousness Enthusiasm Courtesy of Brian Dodd

13. Dolan Hefei 200813 Avoid distracting mannerisms Talking too fast Talking too quietly, mumbling Not looking at people Talking to blackboard Saying “Uh”, “you know”, “I mean”, … Jingling keys in pockets

14. Dolan Hefei 200814 Use visual aids. Drawings, Photos, Charts, Graphs Prepare projector early to avoid problems. Courtesy of Brian Dodd

15. Dolan Hefei 200815 Use Demonstrations Brian Dodd used * paper airplanes in a talk on quality assurance in transport. * ‘accidental’ coffee spill with a ‘scalded’ hand to introduce emergency response. * kicked a packaged raw egg around the classroom to show principles of transport packaging. Courtesy of Brian Dodd

16. Dolan Hefei 200816 Make the content easily understandable. Audience has short attention span. Simplify the message. Reduce quantity. Leave them wanting more. Be entertaining. Maybe some humor. Be prepared to stop at anytime. Courtesy of Brian Dodd

17. Dolan Hefei 200817 Repeat important content. People don’t listen perfectly. Attention wanders -- distractions Other thoughts – work, family, entertainment,… Repeat Introduction Main talk Summary Courtesy of Brian Dodd

18. Dolan Hefei 200818 Interact with the audience. Get acquainted beforehand, if feasible. Look at many people. Encourage their questions. Paraphrase the question. Admit what you don’t know. Ask them questions.

19. Dolan Hefei 200819 How to Give a Bad Talk Dress sloppily Be hesitant and apologetic Use crowded slides with tiny lettering Show complex equations quickly Read from a manuscript Speak quietly and too fast

20. Dolan Hefei 200820 How to Give a Bad Talk Face the screen Avoid eye contact with audience Distract the audience by jingling coins or keys Say “uh” or “you know” frequently Keep talking after your time is over.

21. Dolan Hefei 200821 How can we prepare good slides ? Emphasize the main points

22. Dolan Hefei 200822 Each slide should have a thesis. Give main point in title < 6 main points Large lettering (> 18 point ) Graphs and pictures

23. Dolan Hefei 200823 Use < 6 statements per slide. List most important ideas. Give supporting facts (if needed) in smaller font Space between statements. Too many statements make retention difficult. Short term memory saturates ~ 6 facts/slide. Audience remembers pictures and graphs better.

24. Dolan Hefei 200824 Why is this graph bad? (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

25. Dolan Hefei 200825 What is still wrong with this graph? (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

26. Dolan Hefei 200826 Here is a better graph. Plasma density increases linearly with filling pressure (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

27. Dolan Hefei 200827 Why is this slide bad? (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

28. Dolan Hefei 200828 Here is a better slide. EBT Neoclassical Transport Theory for Field Error Effects (Courtesy of J. D. Callen)

29. Dolan Hefei 200829 Simplify phrases How should we talk? Present a good image. Avoid distracting mannerisms Use visual aids Make the content easily understandable Use memorable examples Repeat important points Interact with the audience How should we talk? Image Mannerisms Visual aids Understandable Memorable examples Repeat Interact with audience

30. Dolan Hefei 200830 … completely unsecured!… … and easily removable by the public!... This slide emphasizes a bad situation.

31. Dolan Hefei 200831 Summary Your reputation Image Mannerisms Title statements Pictures and graphs Simplicity Examples Repetition Interaction with audience Summary Practice speaking aloud.