Presentation Guidelines

An effective presentation starts with the slides you are presenting. Here are some pointers on constructing slides in PowerPoint:

· All slides should use the same type font and have the same background color

· Simple backgrounds that do not distract the audience are preferred

· Consider carefully the color scheme you choose – make sure there is adequate contrast between text and background

· Consider the room you will be presenting in – what is the smallest font that could be read from the back of the room – unreadable slides are a horrible, but common mistake

· Keep slides simple – especially keep the amount of text on a slide to a minimum

· Use pictures and graphs rather than text whenever possible

Presentation Content:

· All presentations must have a title page, objectives (or purpose) slide, and a summary or conclusions side

· The presentation should summarize your research paper.

· Be sure the bulk of the presentation is spent on the most important points.

Presentation tips:

· Do not read your presentation, in fact, don’t use any notes at all – you will connect with your audience more effectively if your face isn’t buried in note cards. You will sound more natural if you just speak to your audience.

· Have cues on each slide to remind you of the particular points you want to make

· Speak to the audience, not to the screen. Look at the screen for your cues then turn back to your audience.

· Do not memorize your speech. There is a fine line between practicing your talk too much and giving an effective presentation.

· Practice is essential to insure that your talk is of the correct length.

· Lead your audience during the presentation to the conclusions that you will present at the end – make the presentation flow from a starting point to an ending point

· Think of the transition between each slide. Each slide should logically follow the previous slide – saying “shifting gears” or other similar statements are not appropriate for this presentation.

· Don’t hide behind a podium. Move around if possible and use appropriate body language and hand gestures.