Developing presentation skills: Oral presentations

1. Developing presentation skills: Oral presentations Today’s agenda: General principles for oral presentations In-class work on the presentations that you will give (next week!) in class.

2. Tell a story 1) Introduction 2) Methods 3) Results 4) Conclusion/Summary • Has the same elements that are in written paper (including Acknowledgments) but generally without references

3. Introduction • Convince the audience that the problem is important and interesting • Give enough background and context to allow them understand the study; state the goals clearly • Assume that they are interested but not informed. • Avoid needless jargon and digressions. • Use humor only with caution. You want people to take you seriously so be professional. • Consider “building” a slide to add complexity

4. Steelhead life-cycle Ocean Freshwater Estuary

5. Steelhead life-cycle Ocean Freshwater Estuary Are the sizes at ocean entry of juvenile steelhead from upstream and estuary habitats different? Is there size-dependent mortality at sea? Is there differential growth between the two habitats? Do estuary-reared juveniles recruit disproportionately to the adult population?

6. Methods • Describe the important methods – try mixing: • Cartoons • Schematics • Photographs • Text • Find simple ways to express complex methods • Minimize the number of words. People will read them and not listen to you!

7. Results • Only show results relevant to the story. • Graphs – make sure they are simple and clean but avoid graphs with too little information. • Use tables cautiously. They often have more information than you really want to present. • Avoid negative space – use photos or other things to fill the space and add content.

8. Graphs • Make sure graphs can be read • Use a simple font, not something weird • Symbols (squares, diamonds, etc.) should be big • Use a large font – think of the person in the back • Take time to explain all axes • Explain what the “take home” message from the graph is • Colors should be consistent among graphs and not too complicated.

9. Diel catches of anglerfish Anglerfish catches were low in the afternoon, peaked at midnight, and then decreased in the morning. Overall, most fish were caught in 25 m depth. Catches in 10 m only occurred at night. OK but a bit wordy and complicated

10. Diel catches of anglerfish Abundance Depth (m) • Catches of anglerfish are low in the afternoon, peak at midnight, and then decrease. • There is also a shift to catches in shallower water at night.

11. Diel catches of anglerfish Bars with different colors can convey information Abundance Depth (m) • Catches of anglerfish are low in the afternoon, peak at midnight, and then decrease. • There is also a shift to catches in shallower water at night.

12. Tables • Use sparingly

13. Tables • If you must show tables: • Highlight pertinent results • Make font large enough to read • Avoid excessive decimal places • Take the time to explain the table

14. Conclusions • Parallel to the Discussion in a paper • Use the pyramid technique • First interpret the results in light of the hypotheses • Then put them in context of broader literature • Use bullets with key points • Explain each bullet thoroughly • Minimize the number of words and lines

15. Practice your talk! • Does your time exceed what is allowed? • What points will you cover for each slide? A good rule of thumb is one slide per minute, unless you are showing photos or graphs with the same x- and y-axes. • Resist the temptation to keep adding material. Beyond a point, the audience will not remember any more, and will often remember less.

16. Common mistakes in oral presentations • Not enough introduction • Too much text • Reading text-heavy slides word for word • Talking to the screen • Fonts too small or weird • Use sans-serif fonts (calibri, arial) • Distracting colors • Avoid red-green combination; aim for contrast • Spelling errors • Proofreed everything (again) • Abrupt style changes between sections • Check transitions for all sections • Check for mac-pc hiccups

17. Overall format and color schemes Decide on a simple format and stick to it: Light background and dark letters or vice versa Make sure there is good contrast Be consistent in font placement, size and style Be careful of certain color combinations. Many men are color-blind and many women seem unaware of it! Red on blue is hard to read Blue on red is hard to read Yellow on white is hard to read

18. Color blindness: What do you see? The Ishihara test http://www.toledo-bend.com/colorblind/Ishihara.asp

19. In-class activity: Work on the Powerpoint presentations for your research projects. Remember, you will present them in class next week. Seek and provide help as needed.

20. Assignment: Continue to work on Powerpoint presentations. Read pages 226 – 233 in the book. Come to class prepared to work on a poster presentation for the published paper that you have been working on this quarter.