Your main goal in presenting this
seminar is to COMMUNICATE your topic
to an audience of MIXED BACKGROUNDS AND
INTERESTS.
PURPOSE
OF SEMINAR:
A presentation concentrates on teaching something to the
audience. A good presentation means that the audience understood the
message. The first rule is to place yourself in the mind of your
audience. The second rule is to provide the minimum amount of information
to the audience; this helps overcome the temptation to fill presentations with
details meant to impress the audience. So, make sure to:
·
Try not to cover too many ideas, stick
instead to a major theme.
·
Focus on what the audience needs to
know about the subject and not everything you could tell them.
·
Don’t give too many experimental
details unless the method is the main point of the talk.
·
For each set of data, explain the
significance of the findings, don’t just show it.
·
Don’t assume that the audience will
know what you mean.
·
Make transitions from one topic to
another logical and smooth: “now I’d like to tell you…”
·
Unlike a written report, the audience
must be able to immediately grasp the information. So, keep it simple.
·
Use repetition as a tool to help the
audience remember important points.
AUDIENCE
ANALYSIS:
Remember that your audience will be scientifically literate
but will not understand terms, jargon, abbreviations, and methods used
in your sub-area of food science (e.g. food biology, food chemistry, food
engineering). When planning your
seminar, put yourself in their shoes.
Explain all terms and concepts that are important for understanding your
topic and will be used throughout your presentation.
Ask yourself: What do they know now?
What
else do they want to know?
What
do they need to know in order to understand my presentation?
Make your title descriptive, succinct, informative and
interesting.
VISUAL
AIDS:
A visual aid is something your audience can see that aids
you in delivering your message. Always look and talk to the audience,
NOT to the visual aid or slide. Do
not read directly from the slides; you will lose eye contact with the
audience. Animation is good and beneficial as long as it does not get too
distracting.
Font, color, background
Decide what font, colors, graphics,
background design and layout to use for your entire presentation. While
you can use variation, strive for consistency: titles should be the same
color, bullets should be the same color and shape, etc. Visual aids can
be created using almost any color, but there should be enough contrast between
foreground and background elements and too many colors can distract from the
message. If you want to use graduated backgrounds, keep them subtle and
smooth. Sometimes different projectors display colors differently, so
make sure to check it out on the big screen before the actual
presentation.
Size and number of elements
A limited number of slide elements,
suitable graphics, and large text make reading easier. Remember than
sometimes, “Less is more”. The smallest text on the slide should be large
enough to be seen from the back of the auditorium. Titles should be in a
36-48 point font and slide text should be in a 26-36 point font). Also,
keep similar text the same size from one slide to the next.
Use of white space
Blank areas on a slide help the reader and avoid the
appearance of overcrowding. Slides should have ample margins. Try
to keep your slides neat and uncluttered.
Text
Use short and simple phrases and
NOT sentences or paragraphs to limit
the amount of information on the slide. Visuals should have:
·
One main point
·
One thought per line
·
No more than 5-7 words per line
·
No more than 5-7 lines per visual
Use a combination of uppercase and
lowercase lettering. Using all capital letters is harder to read.
Avoid commas, semicolons, or periods in visuals. Instead, use bullets or
numbers to separate and group ideas.
References
You need to give credit to the work of
others. Don’t forget to include references on your visuals at the bottom
in small font.
Graphs and tables
Graphs and tables are the best way
to summarize large quantities of raw data.
·
Simplify the data
·
Show only the essential information
·
Be consistent in style and terminology,
font, color, style, etc.
·
Data elements should be the thickest
and the brightest colors. Frames, grid lines, axis lines, and error bars
should be lighter in color and weight.
·
X and Y-axis lines should end near the
last data point
·
Include figure legends
Proofread
your slides yourself, and then have someone proofread them for you!!
Developing an outline is important for a logical flow
of ideas as well as serving as a checklist for items that appear in the
slides.
·
Introduction and background information
(why is the work important? what related work exists?)
·
Objectives of research
·
Explanation of methods (what is unique
about the presenter’s approach?)
·
Results
·
Discussion and conclusion (did the
results meet the objectives?)
·
Relevance or significance, implications
of findings (what is the overall scope of the work?)
·
Future work (what happens next?)
Introduction
The introduction serves to provide a focus (statement of
main idea), a reason to listen (significance of the main idea), and an
orientation (division of the presentation). Identify the problem and
focus on the scientific observations that led to your research topic.
Include some background information.
Choose the story you want to tell then present the data or
experiments that are essential to your story. Be selective;
don’t overwhelm the audience with volumes of data that may just confuse
them. This is NOT your thesis defense. Present your results in an
order that supports and maintains the flow of your story and that facilitates
understanding, even if that is not the order you used in the laboratory. Ideally,
summarize after you finish each point to wrap up what you’ve said and connect
it to the next point. Repetition makes the idea stick in the audience’s
head. Never use a slide unless you give the audience time to understand its
content. Presenting complex diagrams, equations or tables “for show” is
not useful. Only present material you can take the time to explain and
define.
Take this time to repeat and reemphasize the most important
conclusions. Show the significance of your work.
Tell them exactly what YOU want them to walk away
remembering. Thank your audience
for their attention and wait for them to applaud. After they applaud, you can ask if anyone has any questions.
Well-done visuals and graphics are
important in expressing ideas, and offering results that escape words.
However, it is the oral communication that gives depth and understanding to the
visuals.
Practice
Practice is very important for a
successful presentation. It allows the speaker to spot flaws and enables
smoother transition from section to section. Rehearse with an audience of
friends or with your advisor and your research group; it is the best way to get
feedback and constructive criticism. You might first develop a script for
your presentation. If you do use notes or cards during the seminar, try
not to read them. Know your talk well enough that you can speak directly to
your audience most of the time and periodically refer to your notes to keep on
track. Practice, but not so much
that your presentation sounds over-rehearsed!
Dress for success, present professionally
Look and act professionally. Develop a confident (but
not arrogant) stage presence. Look at your audience and make frequent eye
contact with them. This conveys an air of confidence and knowledge about
the subject matter. Strive to avoid audible pauses (um, ah, you know, ok, etc.)
as well as other nervous habits (rocking in place) or repetitive hand
motions.
Advance preparation can reduce nervousness
The internal nervousness most speakers
feel during presentations is usually not seen externally. It is a good
idea to visit the auditorium and practice before your seminar. The familiarity
with the environment can be comforting. Also, you can become familiar
with having the slides behind you and looking out into the audience as you
speak. You can practice projecting your voice, as well as using the
microphone and laser pointer. This
is also a good chance to check whether your slides are legible from a distance.
Speak slowly and clearly
During an oral presentation, the
speaker is in charge of speed control. Your sentences should be short and
main points should be repeated to aid memory and understanding. Your
voice should be clear and your pace should vary according to the audience’s
familiarity or unfamiliarity with the subject. Show engagement by varying
your voice pitch and tone. Timed practice sessions will tell you if you
need to add or cut material. Never try to include more information by
speaking faster.
Be enthusiastic
Enthusiasm is contagious. If you
show excitement for the topic, this will help the audience to listen
attentively.
Handling questions
During practice sessions, ask colleagues to pose what they
feel might be typical questions. Keep your answers short and to the
point. Preparing extra slides for anticipated questions is also a good
practice. Never get into a power struggle with someone in the
audience. Appropriate responses might be: “we have not performed those
experiments yet”, or “that is a very interesting idea; we’ll have to give that
some thought”. If an answer will take an unreasonable period of time, say
that you would be happy to discuss it after the session.