Effective Scientific Presentations
Lecture 4
G.J Mankey
[email protected]
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
My Poster/Presentation
My Name, My Collaborators, and My Advisor
Department
The University
This project was funded by grants from X, Y and Z.
Location and Date of Presentation.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Gary’s version of Ray's Rules for Talks
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•
•
•
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Organization
Appearance
Preparation
Presentation
Formatting
(http://www.astr.ua.edu/white/webtalks/raysrules.html)
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Organization
o Outline
o Introduction
o Provide context for your topic.
o What is the impact or implications of this work?
o Who, what and hows of previous work?
o Main Body
o Make sure the organization is logical & flows well.
o Emphasize key assumptions (rule of three), results, implications,
etc.
o Summary
o What is the conclusion?
o Explain the implications and impact.
o Is there a need for any future work ?
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Appearance
o Use brief phrases & keywords to reinforce what you are
saying.
– A few complete sentences in a bulleted list on each slide.
– Never make a slide with only a graph and no explanation.
– Don't recite your text verbatim.
o Use the MINT PowerPoint template.
– Don’t use fonts less than 16 points.
– Try reading it from the back of the room.
– Do not use more than three font colors.
o Don't put much on the page.
o Don't display tables.
– Use a histogram or graph.
o Explain what's being plotted.
– Describe each axis' units & range.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Preparation
• Make sure you know how to use the equipment .
 Fumbling is distracting, embarrassing & inefficient.
• Make sure projection is in focus & FILLS the
screen.
 What is the point if we can't read what you display ?
• Test slide show presentation before your talk.
• Make sure font size & graphics are readably sized.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Presentation
• Cater to the audience's
sophistication level.
 Avoid or explain jargon.
• Don't block the projector.
 Be aware of your surroundings.
• Face the audience.
 Don't talk to the screen
• Don't striptease your
viewgraphs.
 It frustrates the audience.
• Vary the amplitude in your
voice.
 Monotony stupefies.
• Reinforce the particularly
important parts.
 Jump up & down to make them notice.
• Develop a narrative which
builds expectation for your
results.
• Make eye contact with all parts
of the audience.
• Entertain the audience.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Formatting
• Each presentation should be submitted as a single Power Point file
with the slides in the correct order when viewed with the slide sorter.
• Use the MINT Presentation Template-don’t change font sizes or
colors.
• Slides must be readable when scaled down to six per page, so use font
sizes from the MINT Presentation Template (minimum 18 point) and
scale graphics accordingly (details later).
• All pictures must be in Windows Bitmap format (graphs too).
• Presentations will be converted to html for the MINT web page using
Power Point.
• Page titles must be entered using the Slide Layout to make Table of
Contents web page.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Insert Picture Guidelines
• Windows Bitmap (*.BMP) is
required format.
• Maximum size is 500 x 500
pixels (as shown).
• DO NOT RESIZE IN POWER
POINT!
• Resize larger images using
Microsoft Photo Editor, Adobe
Photoshop or Picture Publisher.
• 256 colors are recommended
for conversion to web files.
• If pictures have more than 256
colors, notify office personnel.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
OriginPro Graph
• Format/Page/Print dimensions:
6 x 6 in.
• Font sizes: title 24, axes title:
22, axes label and legend 20.
• Export Page as Bitmap (*.BMP)
• Export Options 72 DPI, 256
colors.
• Insert Windows Bitmap picture
into Power Point slide.
• DO NOT RESIZE!
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Sigma Plot Graph
• Format/Size and Position/ 5.00
in wide x 5.00 in high.
• Font sizes: title 28, axes title 22,
axes label and legend 20.
• Export jpeg: 72 Dpi.
• Crop and save as Windows
Bitmap using Microsoft Photo
Editor (or equivalent).
• Insert Windows Bitmap picture
into Power Point slide.
• DO NOT RESIZE!
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
KaleidaGraph Graph
• Set frame size to 5.00 x 5.00 in.
• Font sizes: title 20, axes title 18,
axes label and legend 16.
• Export Windows BMP - size:
Same as plot window.
• Insert Windows Bitmap picture
into Power Point slide.
• DO NOT RESIZE!
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Equation Example
Under Size / Define change font sizes as follows:
Full: 24 Point.
Subscript/Superscript: 14 Point.
Sub-subscript/Superscript: 10 Point.
Symbol: 36 Point.
Sub-Symbol: 24 Point.
Resizing affects formatting and makes some formulae
unreadable….


1
The equation editorHchanges
fonts
on
the
print
computer:
   J z R  R' S z R S z R'   J  R  R' S R   S R' 
2 R ,R'


1
H    J z  R  R' S z  R S z  R'   J   R  R' S   R   S   R' 
2 R ,R'
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Special Fonts in Equations
• Equations won’t print correctly if they include special fonts that
are installed only on your computer.
• To eliminate this problem, edit your equation in a Microsoft
Word document, save the Word document as an html file into a
dummy directory, and the equation will be saved as
ImageNNN.gif in the dummy directory where NNN is an
equation number assigned by the Word program.
• Make sure you use font settings from Equation Formatting so
the equation image is the correct size.
• Use Insert Picture to place equation on the Power Point slide.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Explanatory Text
• Some people won’t see your
talk in person, so the slide
should be self-explanatory.
Answer these questions:
• What is the sample?
• What did you expect?
• What did you get?
• What does this tell you?
• Use complete sentences.
• Proofread and spell check.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Slide Titles
Thin Film Processing
5/31/01
Click here to start
Table of Contents
Thin Film Processing
Vacuum
Why do we need a vacuum?
Vacuum Systems
Bayard-Alpert or Ionization Gauge
Residual Gas Analysis
Monolayer Time
Vapor Pressure Curves…
• Each slide title will be
displayed on the Table of
Contents Web Page.
• Keep it short: 7 words or less.
• Make the title a phrase.
• Use terminology that will
produce hits on search
engines.
from:
http://bama.ua.edu/~gmankey/vacuum/index.htm
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Presentation Content
• All presentations should have a title slide, an introduction slide,
the main body and a conclusion slide.
• Outline the presentation before making the slides--it will save
you time.
• Limit the content to three main points--more than that will
overwhelm the audience.
• The introduction should state the problem and the method of
approach to the problem.
• The main body should include what you did and how you did it.
• The conclusion should restate the problem and how your work
has contributed to its eventual solution.
• The conclusion may also include future work.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center
Important Details
• Cite background work and similar work by other groups.
• Follow a Style and Notation Guide from your discipline
when formatting cited references.
• Point the reader to your related published work.
• Don’t advertise submitted papers--only cite references that
are accepted for publication or published.
• Emphasize your unique contribution to the solution of the
problem you are addressing.
Center for Materials for Information Technology
an NSF Materials Science and Engineering Center