Things to Think About
1. Oral Communication is different from written communication
Listeners have one chance to hear your talk and can't "re-read" when they get confused. In many situations, they have or will hear several talks on the same day. Being clear is particularly important if the audience can't ask questions during the talk. There are two well-know ways to communicate your points effectively. The first is to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid). Focus on getting one to three key points across. Think about how much you remember from a talk last week. Second, repeat key insights: tell them what you're going to tell them (Forecast), tell them, and tell them what you told them (Summary).
Listeners have one chance to hear your talk and can't "re-read" when they get confused. In many situations, they have or will hear several talks on the same day. Being clear is particularly important if the audience can't ask questions during the talk. There are two well-know ways to communicate your points effectively. The first is to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid). Focus on getting one to three key points across. Think about how much you remember from a talk last week. Second, repeat key insights: tell them what you're going to tell them (Forecast), tell them, and tell them what you told them (Summary).
2. Think about your audience
Most audiences should be addressed in layers: some are experts in your sub-area, some are experts in the general area, and others know little or nothing. Who is most important to you? Can you still leave others with something? For example, pitch the body to experts, but make the forecast and summary accessible to all.
Most audiences should be addressed in layers: some are experts in your sub-area, some are experts in the general area, and others know little or nothing. Who is most important to you? Can you still leave others with something? For example, pitch the body to experts, but make the forecast and summary accessible to all.
3. Think about your rhetorical goals
For conference talks, for example, I recommend two rhetorical goals: leave your audience with a clear picture of the gist of your contribution, and make them want to read your paper. Your presentation should not replace your paper, but rather whet the audience appetite for it. Thus, it is commonly useful to allude to information in the paper that can't be covered adequately in the presentation. Below I consider goals for academic interview talks and class presentations.
For conference talks, for example, I recommend two rhetorical goals: leave your audience with a clear picture of the gist of your contribution, and make them want to read your paper. Your presentation should not replace your paper, but rather whet the audience appetite for it. Thus, it is commonly useful to allude to information in the paper that can't be covered adequately in the presentation. Below I consider goals for academic interview talks and class presentations.
4. Practice in public
It is hard distilling work down to 20 or 30 minutes
A Generic Conference Talk OutlineThis conference talk outline is a starting point, not a rigid template. Most good speakers average two minutes per slide (not counting title and outline slides), and thus use about a dozen slides for a twenty minute presentation. Title/author/affiliation (1 slide) Forecast (1 slide) Give gist of problem attacked and insight found (What is the one idea you want people to leave with? This is the "abstract" of an oral presentation.) Outline (1 slide) Give talk structure. Some speakers prefer to put this at the bottom of their title slide. (Audiences like predictability.)
It is hard distilling work down to 20 or 30 minutes
A Generic Conference Talk OutlineThis conference talk outline is a starting point, not a rigid template. Most good speakers average two minutes per slide (not counting title and outline slides), and thus use about a dozen slides for a twenty minute presentation. Title/author/affiliation (1 slide) Forecast (1 slide) Give gist of problem attacked and insight found (What is the one idea you want people to leave with? This is the "abstract" of an oral presentation.) Outline (1 slide) Give talk structure. Some speakers prefer to put this at the bottom of their title slide. (Audiences like predictability.)
Backgroundo Motivation and Problem Statement (1-2 slides) (Why should anyone care? Most researchers overestimate how much the audience knows about the problem they are attacking.)
o Related Work (0-1 slides) Cover superficially or omit; refer people to your paper.
o Methods (1 slide) Cover quickly in short talks; refer people to your paper. Results (4-6 slides) Present key results and key insights. This is main body of the talk. Its internal structure varies greatly as a function of the researcher's contribution. (Do not superficially cover all results; cover key result well. Do not just present numbers; interpret them to give insights. Do not put up large tables of numbers.) Summary (1 slide) Future Work (0-1 slides) Optionally give problems this research opens up. Backup Slides (0-3 slides) Optionally have a few slides ready (not counted in your talk total) to answer expected questions. (Likely question areas: ideas glossed over, shortcomings of methods or results, and future work.)
o Related Work (0-1 slides) Cover superficially or omit; refer people to your paper.
o Methods (1 slide) Cover quickly in short talks; refer people to your paper. Results (4-6 slides) Present key results and key insights. This is main body of the talk. Its internal structure varies greatly as a function of the researcher's contribution. (Do not superficially cover all results; cover key result well. Do not just present numbers; interpret them to give insights. Do not put up large tables of numbers.) Summary (1 slide) Future Work (0-1 slides) Optionally give problems this research opens up. Backup Slides (0-3 slides) Optionally have a few slides ready (not counted in your talk total) to answer expected questions. (Likely question areas: ideas glossed over, shortcomings of methods or results, and future work.)
Getting ready
It is always advisable to check the room where the presentation will be given, in advance. Check the podium for the microphone, the remote control for the slide projection, the slide pointer and the lights. Provide your slides, properly arranged, or diskette to the technician for projection.
Speaking well
Perfection in speaking is acquired. It is acquired by practice, by observing good speakers, and by learning from your own mistakes as well as the mistakes of other speakers. If you are excited and eager to share, others will warm to you. If the microphone is to be attached, attach it to the lapel of the jacket or dress, and not to a movable part such as the necktie. It can produce a distracting background noise when you move. Look the audience in the eye.
It is more effective not to read your presentation. If, however, you read from a script, the script should be written for hearing not reading. Prompter cards or prompter slides can help the speaker to deliver the presentation without having to read. The generally accepted rate for easy hearing and understanding is not more than 120 words-a-minute, as indicated above. Pauses in speaking replace punctuation in writing: comma: break of one second; semicolon: break of two seconds; period/full stop: break of three seconds; paragraph: break of four seconds. Varying the tone, pitch and volume helps to maintain the attention of the audience.
It is always advisable to check the room where the presentation will be given, in advance. Check the podium for the microphone, the remote control for the slide projection, the slide pointer and the lights. Provide your slides, properly arranged, or diskette to the technician for projection.
Speaking well
Perfection in speaking is acquired. It is acquired by practice, by observing good speakers, and by learning from your own mistakes as well as the mistakes of other speakers. If you are excited and eager to share, others will warm to you. If the microphone is to be attached, attach it to the lapel of the jacket or dress, and not to a movable part such as the necktie. It can produce a distracting background noise when you move. Look the audience in the eye.
It is more effective not to read your presentation. If, however, you read from a script, the script should be written for hearing not reading. Prompter cards or prompter slides can help the speaker to deliver the presentation without having to read. The generally accepted rate for easy hearing and understanding is not more than 120 words-a-minute, as indicated above. Pauses in speaking replace punctuation in writing: comma: break of one second; semicolon: break of two seconds; period/full stop: break of three seconds; paragraph: break of four seconds. Varying the tone, pitch and volume helps to maintain the attention of the audience.
Managing slides
Mark and number film slides. If a slide is projected upside down, there are seven possible ways of showing it again wrongly, before the correct orientation is discovered.
The international convention calls for a spot to be placed in the lower left-hand corner as the slide is viewed by the naked eye. This should be visible at the upper right corner when the slide is inserted. Check your slides before the presentation. Well organized conferences usually have a preview room where this can be done. Remember the
saying that if anything can go wrong, it will. Be prepared for the possibility of breakdown of visual equipment. It is generally advisable to start the presentation with the lights on. Keep the lights off till you complete showing the slides.
Use “filler” slides if needed, to avoid having lights on and off during the presentation.
But, it may be good to conclude while the lights are on, to make a strong finish. Do not read the slides. You can safely assume that the audience is literate and is not blind. An exception can be made in case of simultaneous translation, so that the translators can translate the slide which is read. Better still, provide translators with a copy of your text notes. Do not go back to a previous slide. Insert a copy.
The use of two projectors in parallel, with two screens (dual projection), and two sets of slides is really only useful when you want to show changes that are difficult to demonstrate unless two slides are compared side by side. The audience must be given time to look at both slides. A good rule is never to show two text slides at the same time.
Keeping to time
The speaker who exceeds his allotted time is guilty of gross bad manners. He imposes not only on his audience, but also on all the speakers who come after him. It is a sign of poor preparation.
Answering questions
Answer politely: Do not answer questions in a dismissive or confrontational manner.
Answer knowledgeably. Remember that “I do not know” is a good answer.
Mark and number film slides. If a slide is projected upside down, there are seven possible ways of showing it again wrongly, before the correct orientation is discovered.
The international convention calls for a spot to be placed in the lower left-hand corner as the slide is viewed by the naked eye. This should be visible at the upper right corner when the slide is inserted. Check your slides before the presentation. Well organized conferences usually have a preview room where this can be done. Remember the
saying that if anything can go wrong, it will. Be prepared for the possibility of breakdown of visual equipment. It is generally advisable to start the presentation with the lights on. Keep the lights off till you complete showing the slides.
Use “filler” slides if needed, to avoid having lights on and off during the presentation.
But, it may be good to conclude while the lights are on, to make a strong finish. Do not read the slides. You can safely assume that the audience is literate and is not blind. An exception can be made in case of simultaneous translation, so that the translators can translate the slide which is read. Better still, provide translators with a copy of your text notes. Do not go back to a previous slide. Insert a copy.
The use of two projectors in parallel, with two screens (dual projection), and two sets of slides is really only useful when you want to show changes that are difficult to demonstrate unless two slides are compared side by side. The audience must be given time to look at both slides. A good rule is never to show two text slides at the same time.
Keeping to time
The speaker who exceeds his allotted time is guilty of gross bad manners. He imposes not only on his audience, but also on all the speakers who come after him. It is a sign of poor preparation.
Answering questions
Answer politely: Do not answer questions in a dismissive or confrontational manner.
Answer knowledgeably. Remember that “I do not know” is a good answer.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar