Title of your presentation

1. Title of your presentation Your name Geography 490 Semester, Year

2. Introduction • This slide should be used to point to the factors that interested you in the topic. • Remember that you don’t have to have a lot of words up here. • Photographs, or other graphics are useful.

3. Research Question Your research question is the question that drives the smaller thesis statement or hypothesis. • For the payday lending study you read…the research question was “Are payday lenders targeting minority and poor neighborhoods?” • You may have a secondary research question as well.

4. Hypotheses • The hypothesis is the very specific statement that you tested in your 490 paper. • For the payday lending study one was: Is there a statistically significant difference between neighborhoods containing payday lenders and those containing a bank. • You may also have secondary hypothesis.

5. Thesis Statement • If your paper uses a thesis statement, you should make it explicit to your audience. • This is the point or points that you are arguing. • Your argument should follow in a series of statements that you will support with evidence or the force of logic. • Each major point in your argument should get a slide (title) and the bullet points are the evidence or logical points in support of the titled statement.

6. Data • If you have collected data, discuss briefly the location, strategy and hassles you encountered gathering data for your project. • Remember “data” is more than just numbers. • Problems you have with your data are also worth mentioning.

7. Methods • Quickly…and try not to use sentences as you see here, to outline the method you used to analyze and evaluate your data.

8. Findings • What did you find…what were the results of your analysis?

9. Implications • This might be the most important slide! • Here you answer the “so what?” question…this is where you discuss the importance of your findings.

10. Further Research • You may, like most quality scholars, recognize the limits of your research and find that your research has generated new questions. • You may want to mention a couple things you might do differently, expand upon or ask if you had more time, resources or abilities.

11. Graphics • Graphics are highly recommended, especially maps, charts and tables. • If they are small enough, put them on a slide like this with a note or point of explanation. • Otherwise give them their own slide (see next)

12. Ohio in the Fall (small)

13. Ohio in the Fall

14. Major Rules • Whatever you do…stop looking at the slides while you present. • And don’t just read this to your audience…they can read. • Don’t make the slides the focus of your presentation, but an AID to presenting your story…they complement what your explaining, but should remain ONLY complementary.

15. Templates and Tips • There are a variety of templates that you can use, but some serve to undermine communication rather than enhance them. • See these links for tips on using PowerPoint. • From Microsoft: • http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/business_software/presenting_with_powerpoint_10_dos_and_donts.mspx • This one is very eye-opening: • http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/Handouts/powerpoint.htm • Practical Tips • http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/powerpoint.html

16. You may want a darker background • For presentations where the room is darkened, some recommend dark background and lighter text.