The Craft of Scientific Presentations

1. The Craft of ScientificPresentations [Feynman] developed into an accomplished and inspiring teacher and lecturer, who gave virtuoso performances full of showmanship, humor, with his own inimitable brilliance, style, and manner. Jagdish Mehra

2. STRUCTURE

3. Presentations can be viewed from three stylistic perspectives Structure and Speech Visual Aids Delivery Archives, Cal-Tech

4. who are they? what do they know? why are they here? what biases do they have? You begin preparing a scientific presentation by analyzing your constraints audience to inform to persuade to inspire to teach formality size time purpose occasion

5. As with documents, the structure of presentations should have clear beginnings, middles, and ends B e g i n n i n g E n d i n g Middle

6. Beginnings prepare the audiencefor the work to be presented Shows importance Defines work Work = A + B Maps presentation Gives background B C A D

7. The middle presents the workin a logical order pre-combustion methods combustion methods post-combustion methods

8. In the middle, you make smooth transitions between major points pre-combustion methods combustion methods combustion methods post-combustion methods

9. The ending summarizes main points and places those results in the context of the big picture point 5 point 6 point 7 point 8 point 1 point 2 point 3 point 4 point 1 point 7 Summary Big Picture

10. VISUAL AIDS

11. One type of visual aid that deserves reflection is the presentation slide

12. Audiences remember more when you use well-designed slides Hear See Hear and See 60 10 20 30 40 50 Recall (%)

13. Choose a format that is easily read Choose legible type Arial BOOK ANTIQUA Choose a helpful layout words words words words words words words words

14. Color can distinguish a presentation

15. Color affects how fast the audience can read The color combination that is read most quickly is black on yellow.

16. Color affects how fast the audience can read What is important is that the combination has contrast—the one on this slide fails to do so.

17. Color affects how fast the audience can read Combinations of red, green, and brown are difficult for many people to read

18. Color affects the emotions of the audience Avoid having a hot color such as red or orange as your background color.

19. The sentence headline succinctly states the main assertion of the slide Body supports with images turbine compressor Body supports with words combustor Recommended here is a sentence-headline design that quickly orients the audience Headline Body

20. Secondary flows enter the primary flow through film-cooling holes and dilution jets Secondary Flow Dilution Jet Primary Flow Secondary Flow Film-Cooling Holes Combustor Simulator Turbine Vanes

21. DELIVERY

22. Include slides that accent important details Neptune has three moons Images The world is warming 1988 1987 1983 1981 Four warmest years of century Results

23. Include slides that show organization Middle Middle 2 Middle 1 Ending Conclusion Beginning Mapping Title

24. Methods to ReduceSulfur Dioxide EmissionsFrom Coal-Fueled Utilities Cynthia Schmidt Mechanical Engineering Department University of Texas

25. Three classes of methods exist for reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide pre-combustion methods combustion methods post-combustion methods

26. 90% removal capability low capital cost—able to use in existing equipment high operating cost ability to use different grades of coal cleaned exhaust separator grid air inlet The most effective combustion methodis an atmospheric fluidized bed

27. In summary, by using these methods, coal utilities can greatly reduce SO2 emissions coal cleaning coal switching fluidized bed absorption adsorption 40% 40% 80% 90% 95% 80% 25 50 75 Percentage Reduction of SO2 Questions?

28. Avoid filler information Avoid long lists • Corrosion • Acid rain • Toxic materials • Pulsed combustion • Energetic materials • Pyrogenic materials • Smog Roentgen discovered x-rays in 1895. He found that a cathode-ray tube produced fluorescence in a distant plati- num-barium-cyanide screen. Avoid complex images DEAR- ATOR HOT WELL RGF B A Exclude details that the audiencedoes not need or cannot remember

29. Delivery is the speaker’s interaction with the audience AIP Cal-Tech Voice Cal-Tech Movement Stage Presence

30. You have several choices for how you deliver your speech Memorizing the Speech + allows eye contact - difficult for long speeches - room for precision errors - no room for improvising Reading From a Text + ensures precision - does not sound natural - no room for improvising - hinders eye contact Speaking From Slides + insures organization + allows eye contact + allows improvising - some room for error Winging It + sounds natural - has much room for error

31. In summary, another way to approach presentations is to focus on three critical steps for success AIP Have an acute awareness of the audience Cal-Tech Be genuinely enthusiastic about the subject Cal-Tech Know the subject