Effective Presentation Strategies

1. Effective Presentation Strategies Helen Brown-Liburd– Rutgers University Jennifer R. Joe – Georgia State University

2. Why presentations are important • An opportunity to enhance your marketability • Presentation quality can either generate OR stifle interest in your paper • Can lead to future research/collaboration • Journal editors and reviewers are likely to be in the audience • Can help you solve a problem in paper Page 2

3. Types of presentations • Job talks – typically 1.5 hours • Conference paper – • 15-20 minutes • Conference discussion – • 10-15 minutes • Workshops – 1.5 hours • (Journal conferences e.g. CAR; JAR) Page 3

4. Plan ahead • The better your paper, the easier your presentation • Know your audience and tailor the presentation • Identify the key points and plan to communicate them early – particularly, your contribution • Anticipate the questions Page 4

5. Use your slides effectively • They are a visual aid – not a crutch • Don’t be scripted – audience can read the slides • Selection of font size – don’t go too small • Consider figures to get difficult points across and communicate results • Avoid clutter and wordiness – use multiple slides rather than a single busy slide Page 5

6. Figure e.g., 2 x 2 Experimental Design Conceptual DV Conceptual IV Operational DV Operational IV Page 6

7. Figure e.g., Illustration of H1b Page 7

8. Bad slide e.g. – entire table Your audience may be figuring out the busy table and not listening! Page 8

9. Better idea -ANOVA of Quality Ratings Page 9

10. Bad slide - Conclusion & implication • In the FV classification context, auditors are more skeptical of management’s preference when management prefers the less conservative reporting choice. • This result differs from those in other audit settings, where auditors were swayed by management’s classification preferences. • These results suggest that in the high-risk FV setting, auditor skepticism and conservatism work together to temper the second-mover effect of management’s preference on auditor judgments that was found in lower risk settings. • PCAOB inspection reports note that when auditors are provided with several FVs obtained from external pricing services, they tend to select the value that is closest to that preferred by management without evaluating the significance of differences between the other prices obtained and management’s preferred value. • Our results are inconsistent with this concern. Either the PCAOB’s criticisms increased auditors’ skepticism or there are other aspects of the FV task for which auditors are still swayed by management. Page 10

11. Better idea – 2 slides: ONE • Auditors more skeptical of management’s preference when management prefers the less conservative reporting choice. • Differs from prior findings, where auditors were swayed by management’s classification preferences. • In the high-risk FV setting, together, auditor skepticism and conservatism might temper the second-mover effect of management’s preference. Page 11

12. Better idea – 2 slides: TWO • PCAOB concerned that given multiple valuations, auditors select the FV preferred by management without evaluating the difference in management’s preferred value vs. other prices. • Our results are inconsistent with this concern. • Either the PCAOB’s criticisms increased auditors’ skepticism or there are other aspects of the FV task for which auditors are still swayed by management. Page 12

13. Use your slides effectively • Have a reasonable number of slides • Practice so you know how long your presentation will last • Always have additional slides available in backup to present information when asked • Know exactly where everything is located in your slide deck Page 13

14. Preparation • Know your paper! – especially what your co-authors did • Practice, practice, practice – timing and delivery • Have someone watch your dry run and get feedback Page 14

15. Delivery • Connect with your audience - sell your topic and contribution early • Be prepared to adjust – know which slides you can skip or extend depending on the discussion • Your tone and attitude are important – be receptive; be firm but not argumentative • You are the expert but it is a give and take • Ask someone to take notes so that you can be laser focused on your presentation Page 15

16. Delivery • Wear appropriate attire • Maintain contact with your audience • If you are well-prepared you can connect with audience members using their names & cites • Have the same version of the paper handy • Keep track and MANGAGE your time • Have fun! or at least try to  Page 16

17. Dealing with difficult situations • The person(s) who think they know your topic better than you do • The dog on your leg • The participants who never read the paper • The citation jockey • The “quiet” group • Never let them see you sweat Page 17

18. Resources • http://www.iasted.org/conferences/formatting/Presentations-Tips.ppt • http://research.microsoft.com/~simonpj/papers/giving-a-talk/giving-a-talk-html.html • http://wit.tuwien.ac.at/research/tips/good_research_talk_slides.pdf Page 18

19. Your turn Comments Questions?? Page 19