Miss Bowen
Mr. Clark’s 7th grade class
Shahala Middle School
Communication:
 In science you represent yourself and your field both
within the lab and outside of it
 Your delivery determines both how you and your work
are received
 Capturing, focusing and maintaining an audience's
attention are the keys to giving a good talk in any
situation
Communication:
 55% of interpersonal communication comes form
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facial expressions and body language
38% comes from vocal quality or tone
Only 7% of communication comes from content
Pay attention to distracting gestures or mannerisms
Use good posture
Failing to prepare is preparation for failure
Presentations:
 Require preparation!
 Practice builds confidence
 Be organized (notes/outline)
 Make sure the talk has a logical progression
 Know the material- notes should only be a security
blanket
Your Responsibilities:
 Be prepared and organized
 Be clear and concise
 Speak slowly, coherently, and decisively in a moderate
volume (avoid monotone)
 Make eye contact and smile as often as possible
 Dress appropriately- don’t overdo it
Visual aids are a must
 Every slide counts, but avoid clutter
 Refrain from using distracting animations or sound
affects
 Be sure the purpose of each figure or picture is clear
 Be sure that each figure is in a comprehensible and
appropriate format (good size, not cluttered, etc)
 Practice with your visual aids
Format:
e aware of font type and size
 Formatting sends messages. . .
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8 point (can you read this?)
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10 point (you need glasses)
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12 point (you need lasic)
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14 point (you’re old)
 16 point
 18 point
 20 point
 Formatting determines clarity
 22 point
 24 point
 Pick a theme and stick with it
 28 point
 32 point
 36 point
(I have nothing interesting to say)
Examples of what NOT to do:
 Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All
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mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that
catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious
Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand: long time the manxome foe he
sought- so rested he by the Tumtum tree, and stood awhile in
thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood, the Jabberwock, with eyes of
flame, came whiffling through the tulgey wood, and burbled as it
came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through the vorpal blade
went snicker-snack! He left it dead and with its head he went
galumphing back.
“And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish
boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! He chortled in his joy.
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe; all
mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe.
Format: Avoid busy backgrounds
Format: pay attention to your color scheme
Can you read this?
How about this?
Try this one on for size
Know your audience
 How many are they?
 What is their background?
 Experts, laypeople, mixed
 What is the room configuration?
 Technology and accommodations
 Power point vs Poster
 What is the overall purpose of the
lecture?
 Casual, formal, themed
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Question/Discussion Time:
 Allow a couple minutes for questions
 You are in charge of time and flow- keep it focused
 Restate the question before answering
 Respond simply and directly
 Avoid becoming agitated (angry, flustered, etc)
 Even if you don’t know the answer, take a stab at it
 NEVER bluff!
A few final tips:
 Focus on a few points in depth (background, main
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point, conclusions)
Do not read your slides or notes- speak to the audience
If in doubt on what to include, ask yourself: “What do I
want to tell the audience?”
Remember: if it doesn’t need to be there, leave it out!
Never go over your time (rude)
Avoid saying ‘er, ah, um’- if need be, just pause to
think instead