HOW TO GIVE AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION Dr Lester

HOW TO GIVE AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION Dr. Lester A. Gerhardt Acting Dean of Engineering Prof. of Electrical, Computer & Systems Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute gerhal@rpi. edu

1600 SATs and a Teacher’s Comment “Never Has So Much Been Said So Well About So Little”

● LEARNING • Native Language - Speaking - Reading - Writing - Grammar • Second Language - Grammar - Writing - Reading - Speaking • Papers - Writing - Reading - Speaking SO

1) Technical Papers Are a Lot Like Learning a Second Language 2) What We Do Last in Each 3) – Speaking – 4) We Tend To Do Least Well

● A Good Paper Deserves A Good Presentation ● A Fair Paper Needs An Even Better Presentation ● A Great Paper Deserves A Truly Great Presentation

As a Result __________ Level of Presentations > Paper Quality If Not Papers and/or Presentations Are Below Standard

THE ANALYST’s APPROACH SOME NUMBERS IF Preparation of Paper 6 -10 Pages @ 1 -2 Hrs/Page 6 -20 Hrs Class Preparation 1 Hr Lecture Requires 3 Hrs Prep.

THEN For A Quality Paper Presentation 25%-30% of Paper Preparation Time Or 2 -6 Hrs If 10 Slides Implies 12 Minutes to 36 Minutes/Slide Is Not Unreasonable ¼ to ½ Hr Preparation Time/Slide

P - Passion R - Relevance E - Extemporaneous S - Selective, E - Emphasis N - Navigator T - Title A - Articulate T - Timely I - Impact Yet not Superficia l And on Time O - On one hand; On the Other Hand N - New And Notable

EMPHASIS WHY NOT CHANGE THE WORLD?

The ‘Holy Grail’ of Presentation OR Navigating the Audience • Tell Them What You Plan To Tell Them • Tell Them What You Told Them

Engage The Audience – Use a Catchy Title § Stimulated Emission of Xenon § Seeking Employment in Xtapa § Superiority & Excellence in Xylography § Spectacular Expressions of Xmas § Society of Epsilon Xi Or Just Plain SEX

SO WHAT? IMPACT § On Society § On The Field § On the P. I.

Power Point (or equivalent) Hints § Plan 1 -2 Minutes/Slide - 2 minutes for up to 10 slides - 1 minute above 10 slides § Keep Density Low § Keep Font High § Make Effective Use of Figures & Charts § A Video Clip If Possible § Make Slides ‘Printer Friendly’

Power Point (or equivalent) Hints § Don’t Let The Power Point PIZAAZ (P 3) Overwhelm The Power Of The Paper (P 2) OR P 2 > P 3 1>P or Keep ‘Pizaaz Factor’ Modest § AMEN Avoid Maximizing Equations & Numerics

“POWER CORRUPTS, AND POWER POINT CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY” -- Vint Cerf ‘Father of the Internet’

DETERMINING THE BEST FONT SIZE TO USE IS CRITICAL TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TALK. OFTEN A SPEAKER CHOOSES A FONT SIZE SO THAT EVERYTHING THE SPEAKER WANTS TO FIT ON ONE PAGE DOES FIT, WITH LITTLE REGARD AS TO WHETHER THE PERSON IN THE LAST ROW CAN SEE IT ALWAYS CONSIDER THAT THE PERSON IN THE LAST ROW MAY BE YOUR NEXT DEPARTMENT CHAIR.

Some DOs § Stress What You Did and Why You Did It. § Highlight How § Emphasize Impact of Results § Emphasize the Value Added – What’s New and Unique? § Emphasize the Value Added By the Presentation § Make Effective Use of Figures & Plots § Engage Audience § Pick Three to Four People in Audience, Distributed in Location, and Making Eye Contact, Speak to Them. Remember Your Future Dean/Dept Chair in the Last Row.

Some More DOs § Speak Clearly and Sufficiently Loudly § Do a ‘Dry Run’ For Your Friends § Use a Laser Pointer § Leave Sufficient Time for Q&A § Relate Paper to Session Intent and Other Papers § ‘Leave Something on the Plate’ - Future Research to be Done - Questions to be Answered - Give Web Site - Contact Information

Some Don’ts or Nos § Don’t be Neutral - Be An Advocate For Your Paper § Don’t ‘Parrot’ The Written Paper § Don’t Read Your Presentation § Don’t Talk To The Screen Or Your Computer § Don’t Overrun Your Time

Some Knows § Know Your Session Chair - Contact Before Session § Know Your Audience - Background/Educational Level - Size § Know Your Room § Know The A/V Facilities Available (Floppy vs CD Drive, Projector, etc) § Know Your Session’s Content and How Your Paper Fits In

Seeing a Broadway Show OR A Fine Movie Is A Lot Different Than Reading The Screen Play

LESS IS MORE