Craig Syverson on giving presentations

Lab with Leo Laporte Episode 62 - Craig Syverson

This is a great video discussing how to give a good presentation. He repeats many of the things that I say in class, but it's certainly worth watching for a couple gems that I don't talk about (or that you slept through in my class :)

Dan

Clive on Learning: Clear and to the point

Clive on Learning: Clear and to the point

This is a good review of a book that pulls out some helpful suggestions for using PowerPoint.

Here are the highlights directly quoted from the blog.

1. Present neither too little nor too much.
2. Build on your audience's prior knowledge.
3. Make sure the most important points stand out and that unimportant things don't.
4. Make differences clearly distinguishable.
5. Make clear what should be grouped together and what separated.
6. Where possible, make the form of an object compatible with its meaning.
7. If you vary properties, such as colour, size, font, transition, etc., do it to convey something meaningful.
8. Take account of your audience's limited capacity for remembering and processing information.

Check out the original posting for some criticism of these suggestions.

Dan

On the Academic Interview Circuit: An End-to-End Discussion

On the Academic Interview Circuit: An End-to-End Discussion

Is it possible to have too much information? This might be, but it's great. Give it a read.

Dan

Academic, Faculty, Interviews, Questions

Academic, Faculty, Interviews, Questions

A very good good-example/bad-example. The moral of the story is to be prepared to deliver what they want to hear.

Dan

Succeeding in Academic Interviews - Career Development - jobs.ac.uk

Succeeding in Academic Interviews - Career Development - jobs.ac.uk

While academic interviews are a little off-topic for this blog, they are something that many students are going to encounter and should be prepared for. Also, the advice given on this topic is good for question and answer sessions at the end of presentations (and even preparing the presentation itself).

Dan

Do You Recognize These 8 Body Language Killers? at Ririan Project

Warning: Do You Recognize These 8 Body Language Killers?

This is a pretty good list of don'ts that apply just as much in a conversation as they do in a presentation.

To summarize:
1. Keep eye contact
2. Don't let anything get between you and your audience (e.g., equipment)
3. Don't fidget.
4. Don't keep your hands in your pockets or clasped together
5. Don't stand perfectly still (look alive)
6. Don't slouch, lean back, or hunch over.
7. Don't use "phony" gestures. Don't practice your hand guesture too much. You want them to look natural.
8. Don't do any repetitive movements (similar to #3) that take attention away from your message (don't play with stuff in your pockets).

Dan

PubCon Street Tips: Giving a Kick Ass Presentation

PubCon Publishers Search and Marketing Conferences 2007

This is a great article of giving good presentation. A lot of common suggestions and a few unique gems. The overall article is for presenters at technology conferences, but most of the advice is good for general presentations, including academic presentations.

Dan

How NOT to use a PowerPoint

This is a very funny, yet very true video on how not to design a PowerPoint presentation.

Creating Photo Stories

In our class, I am planning on doing a photo story. I see this as a way for you to create and present a presentation for all to appreciate, while remaining anonymous, thus removing some of the stress of presenting.

This type of project allows us to work on using visuals to convey meaning, pronunciation, timing, and organization. This will take us the rest of the semester to complete.

Take a looks at some of the examples below and let me know what you think about this.

Kids & Chess: A Photo Story

This one doesn't have anyone speaking, but it's funny :)
My Cubicle - Karaoke Version

Welcome to SNU Introduction to Presentation

Welcome to SNU Introduction to Academic Presentations.

The Web is FULL of resources to help you to develop better presentation skills. From pronunciation help to structuring your presentation, there is something out there for you. This blog will help connect you with those resources.

Check back often for new postings.

Transitional Words and Phrases

Here is a good list of transitions categorized by purpose. These are invaluable for both presentations and writing.

Dan