Presentation Skills
David Baker (IT Services)
Adrian Taylor
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
Aim of course
• To teach you some of the more advanced elements of
•
•
•
•
•
•
PowerPoint for use in your presentations (DB)
To teach the basics of ‘Smartboard’ and visualiser use
(DB)
To give you a chance to practise the use of PowerPoint
and modern audio-visual aids (DB & OUCS team)
To introduce the basics of poster preparation using
PowerPoint (DB)
To explore what makes a good talk (AOT)
To discuss what you need to think about when
preparing and giving a talk (AOT)
Remember, you already have a lot of experience……..
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
PREPARING & DELIVERING
A GOOD TALK
(Practical Tips, AOT)
See Materials WWW
http://www.materials.ox.ac.uk/teaching/
pg/pgskills.html
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
Aim of a presentation
• Remember you want to COMMUNICATE
• Try to tell a story
•
•
–
–
Make sure the audience follows you
Cover a moderate amount well, rather than a lot badly
Think about your message
–
–
What do you want to say, at what level
What is the exciting new science & why does it matter
Think about your audience
–
–
–
Are they physical scientists, 6th formers, politicians, modellers,
experimentalists...........? Often a mixed audience.
What do they want to know (their expectations of the talk)
What do they need to be told (in order to understand and take
away your message)
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
Structure of a talk
• A clear structure helps the audience to follow
your story
– beginning: what you are going to say
– middle: saying it
– end: what you have said
• Get the timing right
– how many slides can you use (rule of thumb = 1 slide
per two minutes)
– how fast can you talk, how fast should you talk
– get the main message across (rest is optional)
– have a plan in case you run out of time
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
Structure of a talk
• Title
• Outline
• Introduction: Background, Context,
Relevance, Definitions, Technique(s), Novelty
• MAIN STORY – Your Work:
•
•
Results,
Data, Analysis, Interpretation, Significance,
Discussion
Conclusions and/or Summary
Acknowledgements and Questions
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
Taking the audience along
• Tell a story - explain the links between points
• Face the audience - eye contact is very important
• Don’t just read out the whole talk directly from notes or
screen
• Don’t be too casual
• Allow a degree of spontaneity if possible
• Use the slides - lead the audience through them
• Point out and speak to main features on figures & plots
• Perhaps give a demo or pass round artefacts (1 or 2 only)
• Avoid distractions (e.g. irritating habits – ask your friends!)
• Communicate your enthusiasm and enjoyment and
explain the importance/relevance/applications of your
work, but avoid exaggeration.
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
Taking the audience along
• Avoid standing in the projector beam or blocking the view
•
of the screen
Use of pointers:
–
–
–
–
–
If possible use a proper pointer and point on the screen clearly to
the relevant part of the slide . Keep the pointer in place long
enough for the audience to register the feature being identified (ie.
a few seconds). If you have to use your finger, which is not
recommended, then take care not to block the view.
If using an overhead projector or visualiser then a pencil or biro
makes a good pointer for use on the original slide, but again take
care not to block the screen
Data projectors often have a built-in pointer function
DO NOT shine a laser pointer1 towards the audience!
Forgotten to cover a point you had planned to include? Usually
not critical, only if essential skip back to earlier slide to cover.
1 = anxiety amplifier!
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
How to make your slides
•
•
•
•
Keep style and layouts consistent
Avoid too much complexity
Combine text with figures to highlight main points
Check room size / projection facilities and make sure size
of features and text (including that on figures, scale bars & captions) is
•
•
•
clear enough to be seen by the whole audience (Helvetica 24, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10)
Avoid unnecessary details
–
–
too much decoration
too much numerical information in tables (use of highlighting)
Use colour wisely and avoid distracting animations
Sans serif fonts such as ‘Arial’ or ‘Helvetica’ are clearer than
‘Times Roman’
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
Table 1 ACTIVITY DATA FOR Bi-Mo-O/TiO2
CATALYST
ML TEMP But-1-ene Buta-1,3-diene
K
%C
%S
Butadiene +
but-2-enes %S
Anatase (TPA)
0
773
81
13
19
1Wt% A/TPA
0.5
773
46
71
82
4Wt% A/TPA
1.8
773
51
77
83
10Wt% A/TPA
5.5
773
54
73
83
Alpha Bi2Mo3O12
-
773
89
77
82
Bi6MoO12
-
773
8
0
0
1Wt% Mo-O/TPA
0.6
773
12
62
100
4Wt% A/RPA
1.8
673
77
60
88
Alpha Bi2Mo3O12
-
673
64
47
63
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
How to deal with nerves
•
•
•
•
•
•
Remember nerves are good!
–
actors know nerves help a performance
Use text slides to summarise main points
–
helps audience follow you too!
Run through talk in advance (ask supervisor for advice)
–
but don’t learn it like a speech
Have a good start to get you going
Imagine yourself talking to a friend in place of the
audience and remember that everyone empathises
Check room size & A/V facilities in advance and take
back-up version of presentation (eg. on visualiser slides)
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
Reminder of key points
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tell a coherent and structured story, at an appropriate
level for your particular audience
Lead the audience through your slides
Do not use too many slides for the time available
–
choose your key messages carefully
Do not overload slides with too much detail
Choose clearly legible font sizes and colours
If possible test your presentation in advance using the PC
that will be used for the real event
–
be extra careful if using features such as animations or video clips
Keep regular eye contact with the audience and project
your voice clearly
Communicate your enthusiasm for your subject
Department of Materials
University of Oxford
How do your slides look to someone who is colour blind?
http://colorlab.wickline.org/colorblind/colorlab
Other resources:
https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers-professional
development/engagement-influence-and-impact/communication-anddissemination/giving-oral-presentations-quick-tips
‘How to Succeed as a Scientist’
From Postdoc to Professor
BJ Gabrys & JA Langdale (CUP, 2012) – Chapter 2
Department of Materials
University of Oxford