Making Effective Presentations

Graduate Student Research SymposiumTexas State University – San Marcos

Thursday March 26, 2009

• Patricia M. ShieldsProfessor Political Science

• Director, MPA Program• http://uweb.txstate.edu/~ps07/

• EditorArmed Forces & Society

• http://afs.sagepub.com/

Goals of Session• Place and Importance of

Presentations• Goals of Presentations• Organization• Tips

Understanding Place and Importance of Presentations

• Professional Exposure

• Share Preliminary Work

Professional Exposure

• Who you know and what you know – way to enhance both• Impress important people in your

field• Meet like minded people – share

ideas/collaboration potential

Share Preliminary Work

• Most journal articles have been presented as conference papers first.

• Way to get valuable feedback from likeminded professionals.

Goals of presentation

• Clear goal for presentation – let audience know.• Presentation not the paper• Clear professional goal for the

presentation.

Organization

• Big Picture (goal - where paper fits inlandscape of field)

• Little Picture – details of paper

• Synthesis

1. Tell them what your going to tell them

2. Tell them3. Tell them what you told

them

Tips

• Know your audience

• Rapport with audience

• Don’t take criticism personally – act professionally

• Avoid death by power-point

Review – Goals of session

• Where presentations fit in career• Importance of having clear goals• Importance of organization• Tips