Tips For Making An Effective Presentation

Notes & Visuals

• Don't read your written paper submitted for the Proceedings; create your presentation in a conversational tone
• Do not read your presentation; speakers receive poor evaluations and it puts the audience to sleep
• Jot down you main points ideas on note cards to prompt you
• Use of visuals should augment your remarks; not be the focus. Avoid using terms like, "This slide shows...".

Stage Fright & Delivery

• Rehearse your presentation out loud; preferably in front of colleagues or into a tape recorder.
• Time your presentation so that you can confidently stay within the 20 minute allotted timeframe.
• The most effective way to minimize anxiety is to prepare your message as thoroughly as possible. The more you have prepared, are interested in communicating your message, and are confident in your knowledge, the less nervous you will feel.
• If you are very tense and nervous before your presentation, take a few quiet and deep breaths and try to relax your muscles.
• Take your time during the presentation, breathe deeply and quietly, and move about purposefully.

Movement

• Movements should be purposeful. Avoid aimless movement and wandering.
• Make eye contact with people in every part of the room. This establishes and maintains a personal relationship with the audience and holds their attention.
• Facial expressions should reflect the speaker's ideas and emotional attitude. Avoid a "poker face."
• Eliminate restless or nervous body movements.

Voice

• Make sure your voice is loud enough to be heard in the back row, but not so loud that it is uncomfortable for those in the front row.
• Pauses are useful in that they gain and maintain attention, aid listener comprehension, and give the speaker time to breathe.
• Vary the rate at which you talk. An extended fast rate may be distracting and make comprehension difficult. An extended slow rate may bore the audience and cause attention to wane.
• Vary the pitch of your voice, just like the sounds on a musical scale

PREPARING A SLIDE PRESENTATION

• Leave a slide on the screen while discussing the subject.
• Repeat slides for effect.
• Limit the number of slides to approximately half to two-thirds the number of minutes in your total presentation. Don't use more slides unless you're trying to create a special effect, such as a sequence of events.
• Use humor in good taste.
• Don't look at the screen or the slide while you are speaking. Maintain eye contact with your audience.
• Don't stand and read the slides to the audience. If you have to read the slides, the message isn't clear.

• Too much information on one slide.
• Letters and symbols are hard to read.
• Line detail is too light.
• Color has been grossly misused.
• Out of focus.
• Much too dark or too light.

Lettering
• Use a minimum of 12 point type.
• Use bold, block (san sarif) letters such as Bold Gothic. Do not use italics or type with a lot of detail.
• Space the words and lines of type properly. Space between words should be at least the width of a capital "W". Space between lines should be no less that 3/4 the height of the letters.
• Place all lettering horizontally rather than vertically, which is hard to read.
• Place lettering on a sufficiently contrasting background. Use background colors other than white (to avoid blinding the viewer). Use light type on a black or bold color background ("Negative slides").
• When formulas and mathematical equations are used, limit them to a few lines. No more than 100 letters, symbols, and figures should be used on one slide.
Use of Color
• Use cool-colored backgrounds (blues, greens) for cool subjects and bright colors (red, orange) for alarm.
• Use colors with sufficient contrast when used together. Avoid dark colors in graphs so as not to look like black lines from a distance. Use brilliant colors for lettering or lines on a dark background.