Improving Oral Presentations “items” to consider and improve technical communications

1. Lecture 13 TECHNICAL COMMUNICATONS Spring 2014 - Althoff Improving Oral Presentations“items” to considerand improvetechnical communications

2. Oral presentations • ___________ need much more help than ___________ to follow what you are saying. --thus, you have to: 1) give them structural cues 2) point out what is important 3) emphasize what you want them to “take home” from your presentation

3. Consider the Parts of Your Presentation • ________________ (optional) (at beginning of presentation) -- __________________ (positive) -- __________________ -- __________________ (BUT only in good taste and only if you tell jokes well)

4. Consider the Parts of Your Presentation • __________ of presentation-- _____________ you want to make -- major _________________ you will discuss -- ________ you may want your listeners to take

5. Consider the Parts of Your Presentation • _______of presentation-- discuss each major topic/issue -- Include structural cues • __________ of presentation -- ________ major points -- ________ actions you want listeners to take if applicable (i.e., could suggest need for more research or more consideration of a particular component relative to management of the species/issues, etc.

6. The 3 V’s of Oral Presentations • ___________ • ___________ • ___________

7. The 3 V’s of Oral Presentations: Visual • Refers to what you see the speaker doing • Make a good first impression by looking at the people around the room…not just at the computer slider or your notes • In most audiences, people will be supportive. They may smile and/or nod at you if you look at them. • Using hand gestures is “ok” if not over done and timing is right. Again, something audience can visualize besides what’s on the slides.

8. The 3 V’s of Oral Presentations: Vocal • Refers to the sound of your voice • Keep the ______________ at the end of sentences…because, when nervous, we have a tendency to speak lower and faster. • Don’t speak too fast. Give your audience a few “milliseconds” to __________ your words • Plan to __________ from time to time (pun intended)! • Considering the last two items….use a variety of speeds: slow down for emphasis. Perhaps speed up to pick up the pace…but not for long • Be enthusiastic: avoid being _____________

9. The 3 V’s of Oral Presentations: Verbal • Refers to the words you use and the organization of your talk. • Make sure your presentation has a clear a) introduction, b) body, and c) conclusion. • Define your __________________! • Give them a quick overview….”We will take a look at X, then examine Y, and finally, try to examine/discuss the relevance of Z (or X or Y) • Do not __________ your audience with visuals….the visuals are to complement and/or support your words • Think about “_____________” to the end…which means, in a way, starting at the end in developing your talk to make sure what you say leads up making a strong ending

10. Additional considerations • Remember this: A) no one really expects you to be “perfect” B) count on the audience being “supportive” C) expect at least one “computer” glitch… whether it actually be a hardware, software, or “peopleware” type (i.e., you advance to the next slide inadvertently…or forget a simple animation when you thought clicking the mouse or heading the page down key was taking you to the next slide) D) you know your material better than anyone else (at least you should!)….so you should have confidence what you “know” and “don’t know”

11. Timed Presentations • Typically, only 12-15 minutes to “present” with 3-5 minutes “buffer” to answer questions. Scenarios: a) you pick the right amount of slides, but run short….if you pace yourself, then don’t be concerned about finishing a tad early… but practice to know for sure…OK b) you pick the right amount of slides, but run over….then you are using up the “audience question” time. Usually not a good thing because you’d like some feedback…OK c) you run totally over…..and the moderator stops you without completing and without allowing for any audience questions….BAD

12. Timed Presentations • At the beginning…if introduced: a) acknowledge the _______________ b) acknowledge your co-authors (if any) • At the end…if you didn’t run over your time slot, then be prepared to take questions from the audience BUT _____________________—not you as the moderator must keep the session on time. Because of concurrent sessions (usually), it is not a good thing for one session to get out of “sync” with the rest

13. Timed Presentations - Post Presentation Questions • If the moderator acknowledges there is time for a “question or two”… then proceed. • When you are asked a question, there are 3 things you should do—generally: 1) _____ that is a “good question” or “excellent question” or “something I’m not sure about either…so it is a good question I someone can help me answer”…..do this to let the audience know you care/appreciate their interest. 2) ______ the question to the audience 3) use the time spent on (2) to “_______” for just another few seconds about your answer

14. Answering Questions • If you don’t know, don’t be too proud to say you “________________” • Like technical writing, be ready to use “may”, “could”, “possibly”, etc…..but don’t be _________________ ____________ as long as you say it is your opinion. If you think you have data to support that opinion, say so. • Encourage the questioner if you may have more to discuss about that question than time allows on stage now, _______________________…in fact, sometimes it is better to try to follow-up after a session or a conference than go off on a tangent during the end of your time slot.

15. Finally…. • Unless they (i.e., conference organizers) clearly identify that the “proceedings” will be published (i.e., peer-reviewed), any presentation (oral or poster) is not considered “______________________________.” And, it is generally not even considered “_______________.” Therefore, citing someone’s poster or PowerPoint slides from a scientific conference in another poster, PowerPoint slide presentation or peer-reviewed paper is ________________. • Submitting nearly the same material for presentation at another scientific conference, therefore, is typically _____….but you probably should change a “few things” (including the title) think _________ ! ! !