April, 2005
I've often sat in workshops and conferences, listening to a presentation, and thought about how it could be improved. My own presentations probably leave a lot to be desired themselves. Anyway, at a recent conference, I was sitting at the back, laptop open on lap (as you do), and decided to jot down a few observations with the intention to improving my own performance. I make these available in the hope that others will find them useful. If you have any decent gems of presenting wisdom you absolutely feel should be added to this list, please email them to me.
| What's your contribution?
Make sure you define the contribution of your work. Too many presentations skip over this point, but it's important because it grabs the audience's attention by giving them a reason to stay awake! Remember that one of the principal reasons for giving talks is to *sell* your work and make it better known. If your audience tune out at the beginning, this won't happen. |
| What's the problem?
Explain the problem that you are addressing clearly at the beginning. In particular, explain and justify the importance of the problem. This is another selling point for your work, another reason for people to stay awake. It may also make the work relevant for some members of your audience who had previously assumed (perhaps from the title) that your work didn't apply to their area. |
| What's the context?
At the end, place your work in some context. This usually takes the form of related work, but you could talk about the problem itself in terms of its context, as well as your solution. |
| Where are we going with this?
Roadmaps are useful things - at the beginning, at certain key points and at the end. They can be used to remind the listener of key points that you want to carry over from one section to another, and allows the user to be aware of why you are talking about the current point. |
| What's the bad news?
Don't be afraid to point out weaknesses. Someone who is listening may know something that is useful in countering a weakness in your work, but it might only occur to him/her if you mention it first. |
| Why am I looking at this?
Visuals are often a good idea, because it is well-known that people process information in a variety of ways: literary, visual, audial. On the other hand, there needs to be a balance between the different forms in which information is present. One particularly bad habit seems to be to use visuals to dazzle the audience into believing there is more to the work than there really is! Another bad habit, which is usually prevalent among people who have never taught is to use visuals that contain so much detailed information that it would need an hour of detailed examination to understand it. So, use visuals, but keep it simple. Remember that each slide is only going to be displayed for about 3-5 minutes, during which time your audience will be listening to you as well as looking at the slide - they don't want to be overloaded. |