Presentation Skills (for Senior Division oral presentations)

1. Presentation Skills(for Senior Division oral presentations) Mercer Science and Engineering Club 3 Creek Rim Drive Titusville , NJ 08560 www.mercersec.org

2. Overview • What to do first • Starting a conversation • The Pitch: What to talk about • Target Audiences • Dressing for success • Display Tips • How to practice • Building confidence • What Judges Look For www.mercersec.org

3. What to do first • Make a plan • Make sure you understand your project • Write things down • Choose proper attire www.mercersec.org

4. Starting a conversation • Learn how to start a conversation • Write some opening lines • Practice, practice, practice • Memorize these • Make the opening natural and easy to speak • Make it short and to the point • Introduce yourself, then your project www.mercersec.org

5. The Pitch: What to talk about • Start with a verbal abstract • Make a list of questions and answers • Provide more detail • Be prepared to discuss any aspect of the project • Not every judge has the same background or interest • Review questions with parents, mentors and teachers www.mercersec.org

6. Target Audiences • Judges • Select award winners • Engineering and scientific backgrounds • Start simple but be prepared to go into depth • Teachers and Mentors • Grade your projects for class • Have followed your progress • Students and Parents • Unfamiliar with project and terms • Simplified explanations www.mercersec.org

7. Dressing for success • Professional attire • Use for future interviews • Do not wear • Jeans • Flip flops • Sneakers www.mercersec.org

8. Display Tips • Utilize the entire space 30 inches deep 48 inches wide 108 inches high (from floor to top of project) • Avoid “Clutter” www.mercersec.org

9. Display Extras Too much stuff Pictures are better Minimal is good One item is best www.mercersec.org

10. Items Not Allowed at Project or in Booth Living organisms, including plants Taxidermy specimens or parts Preserved vertebrate or invertebrate animals Human or animal food Human/animal parts (e.g teeth) or body fluids (e.g. blood, urine) Plant materials (living, dead, or preserved) which are in their raw, unprocessed, or non-manufactured state (Exception: manufactured construction materials used in building the project or display) www.mercersec.org

11. Items Not Allowed at Project or in Booth Laboratory/household chemicals including water (Exception: water integral to an enclosed apparatus or water supplied by the Display and Safety Committee) Poisons, drugs, controlled substances, hazardous substances or devices (e.g. firearms, weapons, ammunition, reloading devices) Dry ice or other sublimating solids Sharp items (e.g. syringes, needles, pipettes, knives) Flames or highly flammable materials Batteries with open-top cells Awards, metals, business cards, flags, endorsements and/or acknowledgements (graphic or written) www.mercersec.org

12. Items Not Allowed at Project or in Booth Photographs or other visual presentations depicting vertebrate animals in surgical techniques, dissections, necropsies, or other lab procedures Active Internet or e-mail connections as part of displaying or operating the project Glass or glass objects unless deemed by Display and Safety Committee to be an integral and necessary part of the project (Exception: glass that is an integral part of a commercial product such as a computer screen) www.mercersec.org

13. Items Not Allowed at Project or in Booth Any apparatus deemed unsafe by the Scientific Review Committee, the Display and Safety Committee, (or Science Service at INTEL) (e.g. large vacuum tubes or dangerous ray-generating devices, empty tanks that previously contained combustible liquids or gases, pressurized tanks, etc.) www.mercersec.org

14. Audio/video Presentations I • Designed to augment oral and board presentations • Use AV presentation when explaining related aspect of the project • Types of video presentations • Video clips • Animated sequences • Examples of tools • Powerpoint • Windows Media Player www.mercersec.org

15. Audio/video Presentations II • Practice answering questions using AV presentation – similar to using your board in the oral presentation • Keep audio aspects to minimum so it does not interrupt oral presentation or neighbors • AV presentation used to show • Video clips that show non-standard procedures or results • Animations that would take too many static images • Very large or small objects www.mercersec.org

16. How to practice • Oral presentation practice must be spoken, not read • Start by speaking to a mirror • Move onto speaking to individuals: parents, teachers, students • Practice in front of a class www.mercersec.org

17. What Judges Look For • Student’s understanding of the project, its results and techniques employed in experimentation • Quality of research, planning, construction, execution and presentation • How well the student presents the project (Senior division) • How well the board presents the project • What did you learn • Who did the work • Future plans www.mercersec.org

18. Getting Students Involved • Get students to critique presenters • Students learn how to listen • Students learn how to write evaluations • Write short paragraph summarizing presentation • Grade critiques for extra credit • Is the critique constructive? • Did the critique miss key items presented? • Did the critique point out areas that are unclear? • KISS • Have non-science fair students present on topics of their choice www.mercersec.org

19. Summary • Start with a good project and results • Dress for success • Start a conversation –Introduce yourself • Extemporize don’t memorize • Practice, practice, practice • Explain your project as many times as possible to as many people as possible www.mercersec.org