1/27 Presentations: The good, the bad and the ugly Prepared by D. Fitch Presented by S.F. Stiemer.

1/27

Presentations: The good, the bad and the ugly

Prepared by D. Fitch

Presented by S.F. Stiemer

Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 10/10/20062/27

Outline of presentation:

Why is a good presentation important?

Preparing for a presentation

Tips for making a good presentation

Example thesis presentation evaluation form

Concluding comments

Questions


Why does a good presentation really matter?

Consequences of a bad presentation:

– No one understands or cares what you just talked about

– Bad grade in a course

– Decreased standing among peers and superiors

– Passed over for promotions

– Don’t get the funding/client/project/etc…

– Miscommunication / misunderstanding leading to serious errors in technical fields


Preparing for a presentation

Make sure you understand the content Know your audience Try to anticipate questions Only present interesting and essential information Practice giving the presentation on your own Arrive early, check equipment Start presentation on time


Presentation Tips to be Covered

Outlines Slide Structure Fonts Colour Background Graphs Spelling and Grammar Conclusions Questions


Outline

Make your 1st or 2nd slide an outline of your presentation

– Ex: previous slide

Follow the order of your outline for the rest of the presentation

Only place main points on the outline slide

– Example: Use the titles of each slide as main points


Slide Structure – Good

Use 1-2 slides per minute of your presentation

Write in point form, not complete sentences

Include 4-5 points per slide

Avoid wordiness: use key words and phrases only


Slide Structure - Bad

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 Structure – Good

Show one point at a time:

– Will help audience concentrate on what you are saying

– Will prevent audience from reading ahead

– Will help you keep your presentation focused

List the slide number and total number of slides at the footer

Presentations: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 10/10/2006

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Slide Structure - Ugly

Do not use distracting animation

Do not go overboard with the animation

Be consistent with the animation that you use


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Fonts - Good

Use at least an 18-point font

Use different size fonts for main points and secondary points

– this font is 24-point, the main point font is 28-point, and the title font is 36-point

Use a standard font like Times New Roman or Arial


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Fonts - Bad

If you use a small font, your audience won’t be able to read what you have written

CAPITALIZE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ

Don’t use a complicated font


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Colour - Good

Use a colour of font that contrasts sharply with the background

– Example: blue font on white background

Use colour to reinforce the logic of your structure

– Example: light blue title and dark blue text

Use colour to emphasize a point

– But only use this occasionally


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Colour - Bad

Using a font colour that does not contrast with the background colour is hard to read

Using colour for decoration is distracting and annoying.

Using a different colour for each point is unnecessary

Trying to be creative can also be bad


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Background - Good

Use backgrounds such as this one that are attractive but simple – best: NO BACKGROUND

Try to use light backgrounds in dark rooms, and dark backgrounds in light rooms

Use the same background consistently throughout your presentation


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Background – Bad Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or difficult to read from

Always be consistent with the background that you use


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Graphs

Use graphs rather than just charts and words

– Data in graphs is easier to comprehend & retain than is raw data

– Trends are easier to visualize in graph form

Always title your graphs


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Graphs - Bad

January February March AprilBlue Balls 20.4 27.4 90 20.4Red Balls 30.6 38.6 34.6 31.6


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Graphs - Good

Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

January February March April

Blue Balls

Red Balls


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Graphs - Ugly

20.4

27.4

90

20.4

30.6

38.6

34.631.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

January February March April

Blue Balls

Red Balls


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Spelling and Grammar

Proof your slides for:

– speling mistakes

– the use of of repeated words words

– grammatical errors you might have make

If English is not your first language, please have someone else check your presentation!


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Conclusion

Use an effective and strong closing

– Your audience is likely to remember your last words

Use a conclusion slide to:

– Summarize the main points of your presentation

– Suggest future avenues


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Questions

End your presentation with a simple question slide to:

– Invite your audience to ask questions

– Provide a visual aid during question period

– Avoid ending a presentation abruptly


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Example presentation evaluation form

Criterion Score (1-10)

Started with a good ‘hook’ to get you interested, and clearly explained relevance of the problem

Clear statement of objectives of research

Evidence of careful research on the existing state-of-the-art

Used clear, simple, illustrative visual aids with adequate font size

High level of analytical or experimental work free from error


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Example presentation evaluation form (cont.)

Criterion Score (1-10)

Spoken in relaxed and confident manner

Logical seminar structure and appropriate length

Answered questions well

Appears to be making excellent progress towards a high-quality thesis

I understood and enjoyed listening to this presentation

Total


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Concluding comments

Presenting is an important skill

Adequate preparation is very important

By following simple guidelines as presented previously, it is very easy to make a good presentation


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Questions?????

1/27 Presentations: The good, the bad and the ugly Prepared by D. Fitch Presented by S.F. Stiemer.

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