Oral Presentation
Impact
 Aim to hold interest of audience.
 Focus on point of the work, not mechanical detail ("first I did this, then I did
that", which can be explored during discussion).
 Keep slides simple:
– No unnecessary colour, patterns, or logo.
– Include figures and images (easier on eye than words).
– Keep to one or two font sizes and colours (e.g. head 36 pt, text 18 pt).
– No more than 6 bullet points per slide and 2 lines of text per bullet point.*
– Avoid all text and all images.
 Take care with copyrighted material.
 Availability on web doesn't mean free to use …
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*These slides contain extra detail for private study.
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Delivery style
 Rather than written notes, use slides as guide.
 Don't read line by line (audience can read faster).
 Be familiar with content (no slide should surprise you).
 Talk to audience, NOT to screen or floor. Keep eye contact.
 Be relaxed about personal pronouns ("I then tested …").
 Avoid personal reminiscences.
 If nervous, concentrate on talking to one person at a time …
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Rehearsal
 In rehearsals, get colleagues to identify weaknesses of presentation, and to
ask hard questions.
 Check timing beforehand, but adjust pace as you interact with real audience.
 Debug slides before talk.
 If you're using a meeting display system, check that presentation works
(fonts can change, macros can fail). …
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Management
 Use remote mouse to control slides.
 Use custom animation in PowerPoint to present successive bullet points.
 It keeps audience focus and stops them reading ahead.
 But nothing more elaborate:
‒ no moving text
‒ no fades or expansions
‒ nothing that distracts attention from your content …
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Management (more)
 With graphs, explain axes first (you know what they mean: audience doesn't).
 Don't wave laser pointer.
 If interrupted, keep mental note to resume.
 Don't overrun: may be stopped before finishing.
 As with research reports, keep reworking, but don't learn word-for-word. …
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Beginning of talk
 Ensure presentation ready to go: asking audience to wait is discourteous.
 Decide beforehand on opening remarks.
 First few seconds important in engaging audience.
 Announce one or two broad goals or illustration of problem, e.g.
– I want to show that these data ...
– The problem is obvious from …
 Avoid mechanical summaries, e.g.
– First I shall give an introduction; next describe the methods, then the
results; and end with the discussion and conclusion. ...
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End of talk
 Finish with main points on screen, preferably 1-2 lines of text per point, to
leave visible during questions.
 Don't worry about questions: you know your own work.
 If question has several parts, make notes.
 Don't answer immediately: let questioner finish, repeat if inaudible to
audience, think, and finally answer what was asked.
 Avoid telling jokes.
 When finished, make brief list of questions and your answers. They may
be useful when preparing future talks.
 For more advice, e.g. on what to put into your talk, see Chapter 11 of A
Concise Guide to Communication in Science and Engineering, OUP,
2017/18, by D. H. Foster, freely available from University Library. 
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