Prescription for the composition of an efficacious allocution

1. Prescription for the composition of an efficacious allocution Use an informative concise title void of disciplinary jargon

2. Presenting yourself • Do not allow apparel or behavior to distract from your talk • Dress and act professionally and conservatively.

3. WHY? • Place research in context. • Answer “Why is this important?”

4. Using Powerpoint • Remember that technological wizardry is no substitute for substance. • If using PowerPoint, avoid annoying animations unless they serve a well-defined purpose.

5. Organize • Present information in a logical organized progression. • Audience notes should reflect an outline of your talk.

6. Slow down! • Allow time for digestion of important concepts and note taking. • Aim for 1 slide every two minutes (not counting title and summary).

7. Organize • Present information in a logical organized progression. • Audience notes should reflect an outline of your talk.

8. Avoid clutter • Use simple uncluttered slides.

9. Avoid clutter • Use simple uncluttered slides. • Avoid any extraneous information..

10. Avoid clutter • Use simple uncluttered slides. • Avoid any extraneous information.. • Use as few words as possible. The use of excessive verbage will almost certainly lead to confusion of your audience, since it is really virtually impossible to listen to the speaker and read all the words on a slide simultaneously. Probably what will happen is that your audience will get frustrated and stop trying to listen to your explanations and eventually stop even trying to read your slides. You are probablymuch better off keeping the slides simple and eliminating any unnecessary words wherevever possible. This is just a little hint that comes from years of experience

11. Avoid clutter • Use simple uncluttered slides. • Avoid any extraneous information.. • Use as few words as possible. The use of excessive verbiage will almost certainly lead to confusion of your audience, since it is really virtually impossible to listen to the speaker and read all the words on a slide simultaneously. Probably what will happen is that your audience will get frustrated and stop trying to listen to your explanations and eventually stop even trying to read your slides. You are probablymuch better off keeping the slides simple and eliminating any unnecessary words wherever possible. This is just a little hint that comes from years of experience • Use pictures/figures and provide clear complete explanations.

12. Summarize data • Avoid long data tables and complex figures. • Find a way to highlight trends.

13. References • Give credit where it’s due. Extremely hard to read and interpret table on previous slide: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/j/m/jmf390/ist110_jmf/SMR%20Data%20Table.jpg, accessed September 7, 2004. Diagram of Lockheed S-3B Viking: http://www.aeronautics.ru/lockheed/s-3_viking/s-3-diagram-001.jpg, accessed September 7, 2004.