How to Give a Presentation

1. How to Give a Presentation Not Alex Montgomery POL 373: Global Ecological Politics 2007-04-17

2. Outline • Organizing • The Outline • Information Flow • Style Tips • Presenting: Yourself • PowerPoint: Your Worst Enemy • Things to Do • Things to Avoid • Summary

3. I.a) Organizing: The Outline …should look something like this: • Your Puzzle (+Your Answer) • Current Perspectives (No Straw Men) • Theoretical Basis (assumptions, actors, processes, structures, etc.) • Empirics • Conclusions/Further Research/Implications

4. I.b) Organizing: Information Flow • Assess audience knowledge • Introduce key concepts, terms early on • Have additional slides ready (and slides that can be cut) • Divide information between slides & notes • Signpost throughout the talk

5. I.c) Organizing: Style Tips • Outlines don’t have to be boring • Talks are not books: Repeat yourself • Fit your organization to your subject • Handouts?

6. II. Presenting: Yourself (1/2) • First impressions are important • Speak clearly (“loosen tie; speak up”) • Face Audience (+ make eye contact) • Practice, practice, practice • Don’t read your talk • Sound interested • Slow down

7. II. Presenting: Yourself (2/2) • Standing or Sitting? • Laser Pointers and Other Bad Things • Covering up Your Slides • Have Something to Drink • Supporters in the Audience? • When to Take Questions

8. III.a) PowerPoint: Things to Do (1/2) • Have a backup • Do a test-run before the presentation • Boot computer before presentation • Bring your own cables

9. III.a) PowerPoint: Things to Do (2/2) • Full Sentences v. Fragments • One to Three points Per Slide • One to Three minutes Per Slide • Don’t Read off your Slides • Consistent Slide Design

10. III.b) PowerPoint: Things to Avoid • Miniscule Text • Annoying Animations • Ugly Themes • Irritating Backgrounds • Complicated Slides • Unclear Plots

11. Centrifuge Uranium Enrichment – the ‘Poor Man’ Approach to Obtaining Clandestine Fissile Uranium Supplies • Centrifuge Uranium Enrichment – Uniquely Suitable to Obtaining Clandestine Supplies of Fissile Uranium by Industrializing Third World Nations, Since: - Centrifuges Demonstrate High Separation Factor per Machine. Thus Require Relatively Small Number of Centrifuges, & Stages in the Enrichment Cascade for a Given Plant Throughput - Centrifuges Require Low Energy Consumption per Machine. Thus No Need to Dedicate a Large Electric Generating Plant to Supply Power to a Uranium Enrichment Plant - Centrifuges Represent Medium Sophistication Technology, That Can be Implemented by Industrializing Third World Country • Laser Uranium Enrichment Technology Achieves Higher Separation Factors per Machine, Relatively Low Electricity Consumption, However, It Represents High-Tech Venture, Beyond the Technical Capabilities of Most Industrializing Countries • Magnetic Separation Technology Demonstrates Low Separation Factor per Machine, and High Energy Consumption Requirements, Thus Requiring Large Number of Separation Stages Operating Over a Longer Period, for a Given Production Level, and Increasing the Likelihood of Discovery. On The Other Hand, Magnetic Separation Represents a Low-Tech Option That Can be Mastered by Industrializing Third World Nations

12. III.b)PowerPoint: Things to Avoid • Miniscule Text • Annoying Animations • Ugly Themes • Irritating Backgrounds • Complicated Slides • Unclear Plots

13. III.b) PowerPoint: Things to Avoid • Miniscule Text • Annoying Animations • Ugly Themes • Irritating Backgrounds • Complicated Slides • Unclear Plots

14. III.b) PowerPoint: Things to Avoid • Miniscule Text • Annoying Animations • Ugly Themes • Irritating Backgrounds • Complicated Slides • Unclear Plots

16. Process Tracing

17. MDS plot of IGO co-membership

18. Clustering by Structural Equivalence 8 10

19. Missile Network Structure 1974 197> 1980 1984 1987 1988 1991 199< 1992 1994 1996 2000 Libya 3 9 9 1 – 0 8 9 1 0 0 0 2 Iran Egypt 199<–2000 1 8 1 9 9 1 8 – 8 4 7 9 1 1 9 2 8 0 4 0 – 2 2 – 0 7 0 1980–88 8 1 9 1 North Korea 1992–96 1 9 0 9 0 6 0 – 2 2 – 0 1 0 9 2 9 1 6 9 – 4 9 9 1 Syria Pakistan 197>–2001 Iraq

20. Nuclear Network Structure 1987 1990 199~ 1997 North Korea Iran Libya 1997–2002 1987-1995 1997–2001 Pakistan 199~ Syria 1990 Iraq

21. Iran: Nuclear Buildup, 1960-2002 1987 1990 1984 1985 1960 1975 1991 1993 1995 1997 2002 1999 2000

22. IV.Summary • Organize your thoughts • Practice personal presentation • PowerPoint is a means, not an end