1. Presentations: The good, the bad and the ugly
Prepared by D. Fitch
Presented by S.F. Stiemer

2. Outline of presentation:
Why is a good presentation important?
Preparing for a presentation
Tips for making a good presentation
Example thesis presentation evaluation form
Concluding comments
Questions
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

3. Why does a good presentation really matter?
Consequences of a bad presentation:
No one understands or cares what you just talked about
Bad grade in a course
Decreased standing among peers and superiors
Passed over for promotions
Don’t get the funding/client/project/etc…
Miscommunication / misunderstanding leading to serious errors in technical fields
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

4. Preparing for a presentation
Make sure you understand the content
Know your audience
Try to anticipate questions
Only present interesting and essential information
Practice giving the presentation on your own
Arrive early, check equipment
Start presentation on time
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

5. Presentation Tips to be Covered
Outlines
Slide Structure
Fonts
Colour
Background
Graphs
Spelling and Grammar
Conclusions
Questions
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

6. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Outline
Make your 1st or 2nd slide an outline of your presentation
Ex: previous slide
Follow the order of your outline for the rest of the presentation
Only place main points on the outline slide
Example: Use the titles of each slide as main points
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

7. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Slide Structure – Good
Use 1-2 slides per minute of your presentation
Write in point form, not complete sentences
Include 4-5 points per slide
Avoid wordiness: use key words and phrases only
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

8. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Slide Structure - Bad
This page contains too many words for a presentation slide. It is not written in point form, making it difficult both for your audience to read and for you to present each point. Although there are exactly the same number of points on this slide as the previous slide, it looks much more complicated. In short, your audience will spend too much time trying to read this paragraph instead of listening to you.
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

9. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Slide Structure – Good
Show one point at a time:
Will help audience concentrate on what you are saying
Will prevent audience from reading ahead
Will help you keep your presentation focused
List the slide number and total number of slides at the footer
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

10. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Slide Structure - Ugly
Do not use distracting animation
Do not go overboard with the animation
Be consistent with the animation that you use
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

11. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Fonts - Good
Use at least an 18-point font
Use different size fonts for main points and secondary points
this font is 24-point, the main point font is 28-point, and the title font is 36-point
Use a standard font like Times New Roman or Arial
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

12. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Fonts - Bad
If you use a small font, your audience won’t be able to read what you have written
CAPITALIZE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ
Don’t use a complicated font
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

13. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Colour - Good
Use a colour of font that contrasts sharply with the background
Example: blue font on white background
Use colour to reinforce the logic of your structure
Example: light blue title and dark blue text
Use colour to emphasize a point
But only use this occasionally
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

14. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Colour - Bad
Using a font colour that does not contrast with the background colour is hard to read
Using colour for decoration is distracting and annoying.
Using a different colour for each point is unnecessary
Trying to be creative can also be bad
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

15. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Background - Good
Use backgrounds such as this one that are attractive but simple – best: NO BACKGROUND
Try to use light backgrounds in dark rooms, and dark backgrounds in light rooms
Use the same background consistently throughout your presentation
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

16. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Background – Bad
Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or difficult to read from
Always be consistent with the background that you use
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

17. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Graphs
Use graphs rather than just charts and words
Data in graphs is easier to comprehend & retain than is raw data
Trends are easier to visualize in graph form
Always title your graphs
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

18. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Graphs - Bad
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

19. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Graphs - Good
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

20. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Graphs - Ugly
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

21. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Spelling and Grammar
Proof your slides for:
speling mistakes
the use of of repeated words words
grammatical errors you might have make
If English is not your first language, please have someone else check your presentation!
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

22. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Conclusion
Use an effective and strong closing
Your audience is likely to remember your last words
Use a conclusion slide to:
Summarize the main points of your presentation
Suggest future avenues
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

23. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Questions
End your presentation with a simple question slide to:
Invite your audience to ask questions
Provide a visual aid during question period
Avoid ending a presentation abruptly
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

24. Example presentation evaluation form
Criterion
Score (1-10)
Started with a good ‘hook’ to get you interested, and clearly explained relevance of the problem
Clear statement of objectives of research
Evidence of careful research on the existing state-of-the-art
Used clear, simple, illustrative visual aids with adequate font size
High level of analytical or experimental work free from error
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

25. Example presentation evaluation form (cont.)
Criterion
Score (1-10)
Spoken in relaxed and confident manner
Logical seminar structure and appropriate length
Answered questions well
Appears to be making excellent progress towards a high-quality thesis
I understood and enjoyed listening to this presentation
Total
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

26. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Concluding comments
Presenting is an important skill
Adequate preparation is very important
By following simple guidelines as presented previously, it is very easy to make a good presentation
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

27. Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Questions?????
10/10/2006
Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly