T E C H N I C A L E X H I B I T I O N

PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

OUTLINE

• Introduction Strategies• Thesis Statements• Outlining• Slide Construction• Speech Delivery• Proving the Thesis• Wrapping it Up

INTRODUCTION STRATEGIES

• Tell a story• Create a scenario• Explain some shocking or interesting statistics• Involve the audience• State thesis

• Don’t forget: introduce yourself and topic!

• All of this should be going on while your title slide is visible

THESIS STATEMENTS

• Gives a clear focus to the presentation• Helps presenter stay on topic• Should be stated at the end of intro (no separate

slide necessary)• Creates a full-circle presentation

OUTLINING

• Second slide of presentation• Provides organized structure• Each item becomes a title• Gives audience clear path

SLIDE CONSTRUCTION: CONTENT

• 1-2 slides per minute of your presentation

• Write in point form, not complete sentences• Include 4 to 5 points per slide• Avoid wordiness: • No more than 6-8 words per line

• Use key words and phrases only

SLIDE CONSTRUCTION: CONTENT

• 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

SLIDE CONSTRUCTION: DESIGN

• Avoid distracting animation• Choose a

professional design • Avoid busy

backgrounds• Choose contrasting

colors

• Choose a professional design

• Avoid busy backgrounds

• Choose contrasting colors

• Keep font size reasonable

SLIDE CONSTRUCTION: BACKGROUNDS

• Simple, uncluttered, attractive• Light backgrounds with dark font• Dark backgrounds with light font• Power Point options are usually best• Professional

• Use same background consistently

SLIDE CONSTRUCTION: FONT

• Choose font size wisely• Title is 35 pt.• Main idea is 28 pt.• Supporting material

is 24 pt.

• This is 20 pt. • This is 16 pt.• This is 12 pt.

• Complicated fonts are difficult to read and can be distracting.

SPEECH DELIVERY

• Aim for no notes• Show your expertise• Do not necessarily memorize• Know your topic• Present rather than read from a script

• Eye-contact• Scan the entire audience

• Voice – volume, pitch, tone, enthusiasm• No Ben Steins, please

• Avoid fillers – ah, um, you know, like

SPEECH DELIVERY

• Do not face the screen!• Face the audience

• No gum chewing!!!!• Avoid:• Fidgeting• Playing with hair, face, clothes• Swaying• Pacing• Leaning• Cursing• Nose-picking

METHOD

• List five most important questions• Questions that yielded the best responses for your

purposes

• Discuss any others that were also important• Avoid questions that did not help you in your

efforts

RESULTS

• List the answers to the questions that you listed in Method• Do not repeat question• Consider labeling Q1, Q2, etc.

DISCUSSION

• Ties together primary & secondary research• Provides conclusion• Proves thesis

SUPPORT THESIS

• End of discussion• Restate thesis• Show what evidence supports/does not support

your ideas• Both primary and secondary• If not supported – revise thesis as needed

WRAPPING IT UP

• Consistency is the key• Simple, stylized, uncluttered• Avoid flashy, showy designs• Show your expertise• End with a bang

YOU’RE DONE . . .

ANY QUESTIONS?