GOOD QUALITY TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS

Prof K P Mohandas Dean Academic, MES College of Engg, Kuttippuram (email: kpmdas@ieee.org)

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Different types of presentations Seminar presentations in a class

Paper presentations in conferences

Project presentations as part of class work

Project presentations for research grants

Research updates or reviews

Thesis presentations (oral examinations)

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Why presentations ?

Effectiveness of visual presentations

It is estimated that we can retain or remember

Hardly 20% of what you HEAR

Nearly 40 to 50% of what you SEE

Almost 70-80% of what you DO

It is not always possible to make others DO, so next choice is to SHOW or use VISUALs

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Remember !!!

TELL ME , I WILL FORGET !

SHOW ME, I WILL REMEMBER !!

INVOLVE ME , I WILL LEARN !!!

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A presentation has

Content : information that listeners need to hear.

Structure : It has a logical beginning, body and end. It contains only information that can be understood within the time.

Packaging : It must be well prepared

Human Element: A good presentation will be remembered because it has a person attached to it

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The voice has

Volume : loud enough to be heard, voice modulation helps in better attention and avoids monotony

Tone: The Characteristics of a sound, a voice that contains fear can frighten the audience, one that carries laughter can make them smile

Pitch : High or low voice , medium preferred Pace: How fast the sound lasts, not too fast, not

too slow either Colour: If you overact and mix emotions in

presentation, sometimes it works wonders;

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If you want to improve your voice

Listen to it: practice listening to your voice while walking, working etc

To really listen: Cup your right hand around your right year and gently pull the ear forward. Next cup your left hand near your mouth and speak. This will make you hear your voice like others hear it

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HOW TO PRESENT THINGS?

Printed or typed text

Tables of data

Charts

Graphs , Pie charts, line graphs

Pictures

Video clips etc

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Why use tools?

Easy to use different types of features

Automatic size of letters and formats

Titles and subtitles choice of proper sizes

Easily Incorporate figures and graphs

Include Animations and special effects

Links and moving forward and backward in slides

Colour choice – artistic effects or esthetics

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Body Language

Eye contact: Helps communication and so never loose eye contact with listeners

Facial expressions: Smiling transmits happiness, friendliness and warmth

Gestures: Some gestures can avoid boredom

Posture and orientation: Moving while talking helps, bending (leaning) forward shows you are more approachable, receptive and friendly

Proximity: Not too close or too far

Voice : Modulation helps avoid boredom

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How to prepare

Remember

If you fail to prepare

You are preparing to fail

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Steps in preparation

1. Choose a topic or area of interest

2. Search for relevant material in text books, encyclopedias ,journals, internet etc

3. Prepare a write up on the topic in your own language after understanding the contents

4.Logically arrange the sequence of

presentation

5. Rehearse thoroughly monitoring time

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How many slides ?

Time available for presentation

Content and depth of the topic

Nature of materials to be presented like

mostly text material or

text and numerical data and tables

text, tables and graphs

pictures and videos

Maximum 2 minutes for each slide

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Good quality slides

Good visuals can strengthen your presentation significantly , but they are rare.

The keys to good visuals are:

1. FEW just enough to illustrate the points

2. BIG so that they are easy to see and read

3. SIMPLE , so that they are easily understood

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Contents of each slide

Not too many lines of text ( 7-8 lines)

Size of letters big enough to see for all

Not too many equations (?)

Use plenty of graphs rather than tables

Use pictures with proper titles and legends

Animations and special effects should not be too distracting

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Language in presentation

Simple and precise

Not pompous or flowery language

The audience wants to understand the technical contents, not the beauty of the language

Liberal use of figures, pictures or even videos to illustrate the points

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Things not to be done

Never read from the slides or depend totally on the slides. The displayed slides are for the audience to follow your seminar not for you

Never use light colours for text and figures since this will not be visible for those who sit in the back

Choose proper font size (at least 18 point) so that it can be read easily.

Do not give complete derivations, only highlight the significance of terms and equations

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Not to be done (contd)

Do not overcrowd the page with lot of text or figures

Do not make slides by photocopying directly from printed books or journals as letters will be too small

Choose different types of letters, bold, italics, capitals etc to emphasize points.

Letter size not less than 18 point or more

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Preparation for presentation

Rehearse as many times as possible Keep the timings strictly Allow some time for discussion Respond to questions after hearing it fully Repeat the question loudly for others to hear Answer clearly if you know the answer If not use your ingenuity in coming out of the

situation Accept mistakes pointed out by audience Never get into an argument with the questioner

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Inter personal communication tips Never loose EYE CONTACT with audience

Talk loudly and clearly

Never turn your back to the audience

When responding to questions wait for the questions to be completed

Repeat the question for the audience

Answer clearly, if necessary using board .

If you don’t know the answer, you can request any one else to answer or get out of it using your ingenuity

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Always remember

You are speaking to an audience

The presentation is for them

It is absolutely essential to:

Keep them interested in your talk

Make them understand what you speak

Get them involved in the process

Get their response and react to them

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Start and beginning

Give an overview of the presentation in the beginning ( one slide)

Give a summary in the end (one slide)

Some references for better communication:

1.www.allaboutcommunication.com

2.Today’s Engineer IEEE, USA

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