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Some Thoughts on Academic Presentations

Some Thoughts on Academic Presentations. Dan Quint University of Wisconsin. March 26, 2014. Introduction Preparation Delivery Answering Questions Almost Freakish Attention to Detail. 1. Introduction. Presenting well matters. Introduction.

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Some Thoughts on Academic Presentations

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  1. Some Thoughts on Academic Presentations Dan Quint University of Wisconsin March 26, 2014

  2. IntroductionPreparationDeliveryAnswering QuestionsAlmost Freakish Attention to Detail 1

  3. Introduction • Presenting well matters

  4. Introduction • Preparing a good talk takes much longer than you think “Hofstadter’s Law: it always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law.”– Douglas Hofstadter 3

  5. Introduction • Giving a good talk is hard… …and you’ll screw it up Your first presentation will probably go worse than you expect… even when you take this into account. 4

  6. IntroductionPreparationDeliveryAnswering QuestionsAlmost Freakish Attention to Detail 5

  7. Preparation • “Own your paper” 6

  8. Preparation • Think about who your audience is • Assume we’re smart, but haven’t read your paper, or the paper you’re extending 7

  9. Preparation • Think about the best way to teach them your paper 8

  10. Preparation • Start with a puzzle, or a story 9

  11. Preparation • You want us to understand, quickly: • What the question is • What you found • Why we should care 10

  12. Preparation • Your lit review is terrible • Show you know the literature you’re supposed to • Put your paper in context and clarify its contribution easy hard good place to take advice from advisors, etc. 11

  13. Preparation • You don’t have to present the most complicated case in your paper 12

  14. Preparation • Plan where you want to spend your time 13

  15. Preparation • Plan where you want to spend your time 14

  16. Preparation • PLAN WHERE YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR TIME 15

  17. Preparation • Get to your model FAST! 16

  18. Preparation • Define things rigorously 17

  19. Preparation • Have examples in mind 18

  20. Preparation • Highlight the things you want us to notice 19

  21. Preparation • Don’t drown us in equations 20

  22. Preparation • Tables 21 source: A. Sengupta and S. Wiggins (2014), “Airline Pricing, Price Dispersion, and Ticket Characteristics On and Off the Internet,” AEJ: Economic Policy 6(1)

  23. Preparation • Visuals good! 22 source: T. Piketty, E. Saez and S. Stantcheva (2014), “Optimal Taxation of Top Labor Incomes: A Tale of Three Elasticities,” AEJ: Economic Policy 6(1)

  24. Preparation • Ask for advice – and follow it 23

  25. Preparation • Practice! 24

  26. IntroductionPreparationDeliveryAnswering QuestionsAlmost Freakish Attention to Detail 25

  27. Delivery • Face the audience, and don’t laser-point every slide 26

  28. Delivery • Go slow, except for the technical parts – then, go really slow 27

  29. Delivery • Slowness especially important for equations probability h of my opponents do one thing and the rest do another increase in probabilitystuff happens expected payoff I get if it happens 28

  30. Delivery • I like dot points to appear one by one • Guides people through each point I make • Reinforces each point • (Means I can’t present without a clicker) 29

  31. Delivery • But don’t “foreshadow” dot points You may think it looks cute But it makes people read ahead while you’re talking Which means they aren’t paying attention 30

  32. Delivery • But don’t “foreshadow” dot points • You may think it looks cute But it makes people read ahead while you’re talking Which means they aren’t paying attention 31

  33. Delivery • But don’t “foreshadow” dot points • You may think it looks cute • But it makes people read ahead while you’re talking Which means they aren’t paying attention 32

  34. Delivery • But don’t “foreshadow” dot points • You may think it looks cute • But it makes people read ahead while you’re talking • Which means they aren’t paying attention 33

  35. Delivery • Also, don’t put everything you want to say on your slide • If you do, then all you can do is read your slides • And that isn’t a very compelling way to present • Better to leave some things off your slide and just talk about them • And use your slides as an outline of the major points you want to cover… • …not every detail 34

  36. Delivery • Don’t be limited by your slides • Control pace, adjust accordingly • Use white board as needed 35

  37. IntroductionPreparationDeliveryAnswering QuestionsAlmost Freakish Attention to Detail 36

  38. Answering questions • Anticipate likely questions 37

  39. Answering questions • Don’t take it personally • Don’t get defensive • Don’t be a dick 38

  40. Answering questions • Don’t interrupt someone asking a question 39

  41. Answering questions • Don’t interrupt someone asking a question 40

  42. Answering questions • Make sure you understand the question before you start to answer 41

  43. Answering questions • Don’t defer questions more than necessary 42

  44. Answering questions • But don’t lose control of the seminar 43

  45. Answering questions • Don’t be a bullshitter 44

  46. Answering questions • But also, don’t undersell your work 45

  47. IntroductionPreparationDeliveryAnswering QuestionsAlmost Freakish Attention to Detail 46

  48. Almost freakish attention to detail • Minimize typos, incorrect notation, etc. • But don’t freak out if you catch one during your talk 47

  49. Almost freakish attention to detail • If your dot points appear one by one, 48

  50. Almost freakish attention to detail • If your dot points appear one by one, • Make sure you do it properly, 49

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