1. Oral Presentations for MCEN 3027 Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Colorado, Boulder

2. MCEN 3027 Overview  Logistics: when and where  Content: what to talk about  Technique: how to appear professional

3. MCEN 3027 Logistics  When T/Th Section: 2-5 pm Thursday M/W/F Section: 3-5 pm Monday  Where the Active Learning Classroom, ITLL 1B50, or the break-out rooms  How long Total time 15 min, (exactly!) Each team member should plan on speaking 3-5 minutes  Other Before class, put your presentation in the MCEN 3027 Permanent folder (public folder) on the ITLL server Presentations will be videotaped Your grade will be based on student (10%), TA (15%), instructor evaluations (75%)

4. MCEN 3027 Presentation Content  Topic is your lab –You will turn in answers to questions –You will turn in the paper originals of your presentation IN ORDER, STAPLED IN ADVANCE –Print 2 slides per page, 4 copies

5. MCEN 3027 Structure of Presentation  Opening is most important, catch audience’s attention –Don’t forget to introduce the people in your group  Body of the presentation, need to hold the attention of the audience –Purpose of experiment (introduction) –Experimental description –Results and discussion (together!)  Ending is also important, finish strong with good conclusions

6. MCEN 3027 How to Hold the Attention?  Opening –try to present one theme, a key message  Body –Don’t say something that will cause loss of attention (“this is not important, but…”) –Pay attention to how you link phrases (don’t use “next I want to talk about…”)  Conclusion –Signal end is coming (people will wake up!) –Decide on the message you most want your audience to remember and deliver with impact

7. MCEN 3027 Overheads/Slides  Simple, uncluttered, with short phrases  Approximately one per minute  Horizontal page set-up  Very large type  3/4 of your slides should be GRAPHIC –Schematic, flowchart, sketches, pictures, descriptive Optical Particle Counter Sample location Test Chamber, Vol = 1 L

8. MCEN 3027 Flowmeters studied Rotameter: a tube with a bob that shows flowrate Turbine meter: a rotating wheel that puts out a signal

9. MCEN 3027 Flowmeters studied magnetic pickup to counter RotameterTurbine meter Scale Ball indicating Flow rate

10. GRAPHICS  Fancy images don’t make up for BAD content or organization –Don’t use distracting backgrounds (Powerpoint has many!) –Use color to emphasize points, distinguish between 2 different measurements –Keep it simple (K.I.S.S.) –Avoid charts that are redundant and nondescriptive HORSE HORSE: Important parts

11. MCEN 3027 Tell your audience THREE times  Tell them what you are going to tell them  Then tell them  Then tell them what you told them  Repeat yourself

12. MCEN 3027 Finally...  PRACTICE as a group (at least once!) –Your audience is your peers and your instructor –Practice in front of them  Direct the audience’s attention –Positioning, where do you stand? Next to the screen –Gestures, no pointing tools, use your hands, be directive, forceful  Say “Thank You” at end

13. MCEN 3027 Other Suggestions  Use pictures, bullets, short phrases  Avoid tables, complicated equations –If you use equations, label everything  1 slide per minute  Large font size  Give essentials only, avoid boring detail  Slides should reinforce what you are saying  Strict time limit!  Give physics of experiment, not JUST equations  Show uncertainty with measurements (error bars)  State axes when presenting graphs  Do comparisons on one figure