Creating Your 20 109 Presentation Atissa Banuazizi 25 26 September 2007 Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Presentation Basics According to The Book of Lists public speaking is the Number One human fear Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Outline Before you begin Structuring the presentation Principles of effective visual support Delivering the presentation Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Before you begin Oral vs written communication Challenge for the presenter Time constraint on information presented Challenge for the audience Can t control rate of presentation to match their comprehension Can t re read sections Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Before you begin Ask yourself What is the main point I want to make to my audience Why is this interesting or important How do the data support my main point What part of my story can I tell with the data in the allotted amount of time Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Before you begin Content is the Key If there is no content there is no presentation Know your material and its message Collect more information than you will use Review the experiment Review graphs and charts Anticipate problem areas Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Structuring the Presentation Tell a story Narrative Structure Beginning introduction Middle data End summary Show how each section relates to and builds upon the one before it Engage the audience s interest as they follow the narrative Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Structuring the Presentation Introduction Introduce yourself Give the title and author of your talk In one sentence introduce the central question or problem of the experiment State significance of experiment why should we care Briefly explain necessary background Give audience a preview of approach to problem Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Structuring the Presentation Data Forms bulk of presentation Drawn from Methods Results and Discussion of paper keep explanation of methods to a minimum only as much as needed to understand results integrate discussion as you go Data are only worth presenting insofar as they relate to your central question Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Structuring the Presentation Summary What do you want your audience to remember about your talk Remind your audience of primary findings Explain what these findings contribute to the field Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Structuring the Presentation Q A Anticipate questions not covered in the presentation OK to bring extra slides OK to acknowledge gaps in expertise Explain what you do know Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Structuring the Presentation Arrange ideas in a logical sequence Most important point first Emphasize key points as you make them Provide explicit transitions between points Guide your audience through the logic of the scientific process Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Structuring the Presentation Preview and Review Map out goals of the talk in advance Use topic sentences in body of the talk at end of each section at end of your talk Audience Attention Span Summarize Time Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Principles of Visual Support Or Why use slides at all Disadvantages Advantages disruptive pull audience s attention away from the speaker and onto the screen can convey a point quickly add variety and interest audience recall increases dramatically when the speaker uses effective slides Ask yourself What specific message are you trying to convey with your visual Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Direct the audience s focus Title all slides Headings should clarify the main point of each slide Use graphics liberally keep them simple Figure by MIT OpenCourseWare Average attention span per slide is 8 seconds Use clear explanatory labels for charts and diagrams Make sure to label axes Cite as Drew Endy Course materials for 20 109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering Fall 2007 MIT OpenCourseWare http ocw mit edu Massachusetts Institute of Technology Downloaded on DD Month YYYY Less is More Limit number of slides Say more than you show show primary