For many of you this will be the first time that you
have given a seminar. Here are some Hints and Tips that you might find useful.
Come Early. You should come early, at least 20 minutes before you give talk.
You need to familiarise with the environment and to get know some of the people there.
Take Charge. When you are giving
your talk remember that you are the expert in the room. You will know more than most people in the room so be bold and speak
out clearly.
Keep Control. Introduce yourself
and your talk and the main points that you hope to discuss during your talk. Being the most informed person there means you
have to lead your audience gently through the topics and keep them on track.
Timing is Important! Timing can
be quite difficult. There is often a temptation to pack too much into a talk. This is distracting for an audience and can
give a negative impression of an otherwise excellent talk. The limit of 5 overheads is as much as you can reasonably cover
in 10 minutes. Ensure that you practice your talk as often as you need, and practicing with other people there also helps
you 'simulate' how it feels to stand up in front of a group.
Structure Your Talk. Generally,
you should start with an introduction overhead, the middle overheads should show the message you are trying to convey, and
the final overhead should show a brief summary of the key points, and conclusions.
Bold and Beautiful. Mixing up
the way in which you present material is a really valuable way of holding an audience's attention. Bullet points are a useful
way of getting information across but can get quite boring. You should try to use as clear and large illustrations and diagrams
are extremely helpful in getting your point across. Badly photocopied diagrams that are too small and detailed to see are
worse than listening to other people's karaoke.
Make It Snappy and Interesting! Although
many people who feel nervous like to write out their talk in full reading from a script can be somewhat 'dry'. Try to look
at the audience as much as possible. If necessary use bullet points on an overhead as a prompt for yourself as well as underlining
key points for your audience. However, do not clutter up overheads with too much text as your audience stops listening to
you and starts reading your overheads. As a general rule font size should not be less than 16-18pts and overheads should contain
no more than three main points with a few key words associated with each.
Be Enthusiastic. Try
to be enthusiastic (or at least interested) in what you are talking about. Although it is tempting to do so when nervous try
to avoid saying things like ' I didn't really get this bit' or 'well this is a bit dull but I'm going to tell you about it
anyway'.
Body Language. Your
body language is also important. If you look bored you are enhancing the chances that your audiences is super-bored.
Talk Slowly. Make an effort to
talk slowly and clearly. If you have a tendency to go fast use props to slow yourself down. e.g. draw diagrams by hand or
take a sip of water everytime you change an overhead. It might seem like this takes forever but most of us have a tendency
to talk more rapidly in front of a large group. As the expert the speed with which you understand points will be about twice
that of an audience so keep it slow.
Ask Yourself. The most
important question to ask yourself when you've written a talk is - 'Would I be interested in that talk if I were in the audience?'
If the answer is NO then CHANGE YOUR TALK! We've all had to do that.
Hints and Tips for Power Point Presentation
Here are some basic tips for making good
presentations. Maybe you heard them before, but how many times have you seen a presentation that ignores them?
KISS. Keep it simple and
sweet.This does not mean aiming for a fourth grade level of literacy. The contents of your slide should be brief,
clear simple statements that sum up the point you are trying to communicate. You may elaborate on your point with your dialogue.
If you keep the slide simple and brief, it prevents you from reading the slide to the audience They can do that themselves
(if they are still on the bench, manager types have someone to read for them).
Use graphics and pictures to illustrate
your point. This helps people to understand what you are saying and what they are thinking are the same things.
Practice. Practice by yourself,
then practice in front of a friend and get their feedback.
Tell a story.
Scientific concepts and complex ideas are easier to understand in the context of a story.
Tell it twice.
Your introduction slide should give a brief overview of the whole presentation. Your summary slide should repeat BRIEFLY what
you have just tried to explain.
Make your font at least 24 point.
It may look good on your computer, but people are going to have to read it from the back row of the auditorium.
Use contrasting colors for your
text and background. Dark blue with white or yellow text is recommended. If you decide go with a more entertaining
background make sure you preview your slides in the same way that the audience will see them.
Be consistent. Use the
same font and background for all your slides.
Know your audience. Some
people just want the data, barely cooked while others expect a nice show with animation and audio to keep them awake.
