Transcript Suggestions for giving effective presentations that will

Suggestions for giving
effective presentations that
will captivate your audience in
16 easy steps
Jessica Purcell
How to give an effective presentation
Jessica Purcell
Department of Zoology
University of British Columbia
Acknowledgments
• Thanks to my classmates from Zoo502
2004/2005 for reminding me what NOT
to do in a presentation!
Presentation Outline
• Disclaimer
• I will show a variety of examples of
presentation tools that may distract your
audience, but they are still really fun to
play with!
• Effective tools
• Course goal
I will be silly in this
talk, but these issues
are real!
Disclaimer
Things to Avoyd
in PowerPoint
• Crazy colour skemes
• Distracting animation
• Unecessary Sound (I can’t even bring myself to include sound
affects)
90
80
• Speling errors
70
60
• Putting too many words on slides
50
40
• Reading directly off slides
30
20
• Difficult to read fonts
10
0
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
• Small type
• Pictures or graphs that do not contribute to your point
• Dark on dark and light on light
What to avoid
East
West
North
PowerPoint Dos
• Keep slides simple!!!
- Few words (rule of 5)
• Large text (24 pt)
• Plan about one slide per minute!
• Explain figures slowly and clearly!
What to do
# audience members
Take home message:
Figures
Take the time to explain figures!!
100
Linear regression
R2=0.95, p<0.0001
10
histograms
regressions
box plots
1
(supervisor only)
0
10
20
30
40
Time spent explaining figures
(seconds)
50
60
Effective Tools
What not to do while
presenting
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Don’t turn your back to the audience
Don’t block anyone’s view of the screen
Don’t rush
Don’t fiddle
Don’t ‘wing it’
Don’t expect your audience “to know”
Don’t use jargon!
Don’t apologize!!!!
What to avoid
Oh Shit, where’s my graph?
What to avoid
Technical Issues
• Always PDF, just in case!
• Mac/PC issues
• # of pixels
• If projector colour lamps are not working, low
contrast colours will be invisible!!
What to avoid
What to do while presenting
• Breathe
• Make eye contact with audience members
• Interact with your slides
• Speak clearly
• Know your audience
What to do
Presentations differ from
writing
• Being repetitive can be GOOD!
• It’s ok to be informal
• Less constraint imposed by formatting
What to do
Developing your style
• Different styles can be equally effective
(e.g. humour, unique slide layout,
attractive visual aids)
What to do
ONE MEMORABLE
SPEAKER USED
HUGE FONT!
Developing your style
• Different styles can be equally
effective
• Be careful not to go overboard on
gimmicks
• Figure out what works for you!
What to do
Presentation Outline
• Disclaimer
• I will show a variety of examples of
presentation tools that may distract your
audience, but they are still really fun to
play with!
• Effective tools

• Conlcusions, Course goal

Conclusions
• Keep it simple!
• Use your presentation as an advertisement
for your work
• Pitch to the right level for your audience
• Find your presentation style
Course Goal
• Essential skills for grad students
• Safe venue to practice & develop
presentation skills
• Presentations will include: articles,
teaching, your research.
Did I miss anything?
• What else drives you crazy?
• What do you admire in other
people’s presentations?
Welcome to the department!