Proposal Presentations

• Presentations:
  • Why do we give presentations?
  • To whom do we give presentations?
  • When do we give presentations?
• We will do proposal talks next week.
  • Please view these as an semi-formal presentation to peers.
  • I would like a 15 minute presentation of your topic
    • Overview - especially introduction to the topic.
    • make sure you give us any definitions we will need for our discussion.
    • Thesis/Question/Area of investigation/Direction.
    • More depth on your area of interest.
    • Project idea/methods.
    • Quick overview of the sources you have found.
• There are a few goals here
  • Help you focus and keep you moving forward
    • Nothing like a presentation to a group to help you concentrate and clean up your thoughts.
    • And in cleaning up your work for presentation you will be making progress
  • Try to demonstrate that you have a good topic
    • Do you have sufficient background
    • Do you have a good idea for the project?
  • Allow for feedback
    • Does someone in the audience know something about the topic you don't (possibly, but not a problem)
    • Does someone in the audience have an idea that might change the direction of your project
      • Did they see something you missed?
      • Do they have a different insight into the project than you?
• As you are watching, please try to engage the topic.
  • Try to think of questions that might be appropriate for the presenter.
    • Questions help the presenter to focus on their topic.
      • If they can answer everything, they know they have covered the topic well.
      • If you find a hole, or an error, it helps them to clean up their work.
      • Unanswered questions, or new ideas will lead to a better project.
      • An error at the proposal stage is far better than an error at a defense or a major conference.
    • It is polite to have questions for a presenter in any case.
      • The presenter has put considerable work into the project.
      • Let them know that you appreciate that by interaction.
    • As a presenter you should take this time seriously, and make sure that you record any ideas/problems/thoughts that arise.
• Some considerations:
• Time:
  • most presentations are a timed affair.
  • In elementary/middle/high school sufficient material for the time was the problem.
  • After that, if you know the material, insufficient time is the problem.
  • You will need to focus what you will talk about.
    • Make sure you get the definitions/ideas required for your main point.
    • Carefully select this, but if you audience does not have the background, they can not deal with new material.
    • Select the ideas/points of what you have done.
    • You will probably not have time to cover all of your work either.
    • Focus on the most important portions and present this.
• Slides:
  • Essential/Awful
  • I got these from a long gone article
    • Know your audience: But this is for any presentation.
    • Content is King: Make sure your message is clear, then add the fancy stuff.
    • Get a color wheel, and use it: This is not the time to experiment with colors.
    • Keep It Simple Stupid
      • Very few words per slide.
      • People don't trust you and will read your slides before they listen to you.
      • And you have lost that time.
      • Keep your charts/graphs simple too.
      • Invite people to read your paper/write to you for more information.
    • Fonts are like donuts: you really shouldn't have more than three at a time.
    • Friends Don't let Friends use the Laser Typewriter
    • Keep your artwork/background/other parts simple too.
    • Have a backup plan.
  • Day and Gastel
    • Specifically designed for a presentation. (Not a copy of the paper/book/...)
    • Not crowded/complicated: Can it be understood in 4 seconds?
    • Not too many.
    • If it contains a graph/picture/table, explain the main idea and why it is important.
    • Use a graph in place of a table if you can.
    • Use a picture in place of text if you can.
    • Test/Test/Rehearse (OUT LOUD)/
    • "The slide should supplement what you are saying at the time the slide is on the screen; it should not simply repeat what you are saying."
    • "Do not read the slide text to the audience."
  • Your Audience
    • You need to present the material clearly in a manner that the audience can understand.
    • You are the expert, explain the parts to your audience they might not know.
• Make sure that you allow and encourage questions
  • For the reasons listed above.
  • You might establish at the beginning if the audience should save questions or interrupt.
  • Make sure you leave time for questions at the end of your presentation.
  • With out interaction, the benefits of the presentation are greatly reduced.
• As a presenter make sure you thank
  • Your audience for participating
  • The organizers of the forum (if appropriate)