giving an effective presentation - andrew r....

Giving an Effective Presentation

Andrew R. Barron

Department of Chemistry, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science,

Rice University

College of Engineering Swansea University, Wales, UK

www.rice.edu/barron

arb@rice.edu

The Story

The Audience

Who is your audience? What is their background? Give them what they want not want you think they want?

Don’t Give an Overview

1.  I am going to tell you what you already know.

2.  I am going to tell you what I am going to talk about.

3.  I am going to tell you about something that you cannot understand because you have not seen the data yet.

4.  I am going to waste your and my time.

5.  I am then going to spoil the ending of the story.

Tell a story

•  Who is your audience?

•  What is their background?

•  Give them what they want not want you think they want?

•  What are you trying to accomplish with your talk?

•  Make it flow in a logical manner.

What makes a good story/book/film?

Big picture not too many details

Alumoxane polystyrene flux permeability surface area pore volume

(µm) (10 -6m/s) (nm2) (m2/g) (mL/g) Support - 1.40 37.18 3.5 0.02A-alumoxane - 0.85 22.15 111.3 0.32A-alumoxane 0.75 1.25 32.21 267.0 0.50A-alumoxane 3.0 1.28 32.98 265.1 0.56A-alumoxane 15 1.15 29.68 272.1 0.57A-alumoxane mixed 0.87 22.48 285.6 0.42MEEA-alumoxane 0.75 1.23 31.77 218.52 0.53MEEA-alumoxane 3.0 1.92 49.57 231.75 0.56MEEA-alumoxane 15 1.92 49.66 333.50 0.81MEEA-alumoxane mixed 1.46 37.71 202.14 0.29

!Pc

support

aqueous carboxylate-alumoxane solution

gel layer

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

1 10 100 1000

Desorption Adsorption

Average pore diameter (nm)

d(V

p)/d

(Dp)

(mL.

g-1 .

nm-1

)

Alumoxane membrane

Alumoxane membrane

Support

Average pore size

(nm)

1.00.80.60.40.20.08

10

12

14

16

18

20

Fraction MEA-alumoxane

If you include it… use it

The Conclusion

•  Don’t repeat the data.

•  Make it a conclusion not a summary

•  Give them a take home message.

•  This is your last chance so make it good.

•  Give it your best shot.

The Presentation

Fonts

•  Choose a font and stick with it.

•  Changing in mid slide tells the audience that you are lazy •  Worse it make it difficult to read.

•  The simple ones are best.

•  And don’t forget that they have to read this.

Backgrounds

•  Choose something simple.

•  Color combinations are important

•  Make sure font can be seen.

•  Don’t distract the story.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds

Pictures (and scales)

1 mm

Tables and Data

Alumoxane polystyrene flux permeability surface area pore volume

(µm) (10 -6m/s) (nm2) (m2/g) (mL/g) Support - 1.40 37.18 3.5 0.02A-alumoxane - 0.85 22.15 111.3 0.32A-alumoxane 0.75 1.25 32.21 267.0 0.50A-alumoxane 3.0 1.28 32.98 265.1 0.56A-alumoxane 15 1.15 29.68 272.1 0.57A-alumoxane mixed 0.87 22.48 285.6 0.42MEEA-alumoxane 0.75 1.23 31.77 218.52 0.53MEEA-alumoxane 3.0 1.92 49.57 231.75 0.56MEEA-alumoxane 15 1.92 49.66 333.50 0.81MEEA-alumoxane mixed 1.46 37.71 202.14 0.29

K.I.S.S

Animation has a place, but don’t overuse it

Animation has a place, but don’t overuse it

Animation has a place, but don’t overuse it

Animation has a place, but don’t overuse it

Again… DO NOT use sound

And DO NOT use sounds !

The Performance

Look at the people you are trying to talk to

Can they hear you?

Know what comes next

Next slide

Don’t try to be funny

Relax

Finish on Time