Preparing Technical Presentations CIVL 1101, Fall 2008 Project 1: Topographic Model

Areas of Emphasis in Preparation  Slides  Organization  Preparation

Topic 1: Slide Preparation  PowerPoint Tips and Demonstration: Present phrases, not sentences Be consistent with format between slides Select a conservative background Remember that less is more

Suggested Organization of Slides for the Topographic Model Presentation  Introduction  Agenda  Objectives and tasks  Background  Methodology  Results  Conclusion  Call for questions with thanks to audience

Tips for Preparing Introduction Slides  Include the title of the project  Include your group name and individual members  Include the date  Do NOT include any reference to our class, the assignment, lab, instructors, etc. Present your material as professionals

Tips for Preparation of Agenda All agendas will include these components:  Introduction of group  Objectives and tasks of the project  Background information  Methodology  Results  Conclusions and questions

Introducing Group Members  This slide is optional, but all group members must be introduced  Consider using pictures as supplements here  Consider bundling introductions with the presentation’s agenda: Example: “…and this is Karen Caldwell who will describe the measurement tools and use in our project….”

Objectives  Describe the general context of the project as if the audience member has NO previous knowledge in this topic area--  Example: Project Objective: To obtain the contract for all site studies performed on the campus of Christian Brothers University by demonstrating proficiency in site analysis.

Tasks  Briefly describe the processes used to meet this objective in terms that all audience members can understand.  Example: Tasks associated with this project included ________, ______, and _____. Each task contributed to the project’s objective and will be described in greater detail later in this presentation.

Background  Provide information here to link your objectives and tasks to something REAL by addressing these issues: Where did this take place? How it did look at first glance?

Methodology  Include one bullet point or slide to explain how you obtained information and data.  Fully describe the steps required to obtain each part of the data  Provide visual information only if it is helpful and promotes understanding of the process

Results/Findings/Deliverables  Project 1 includes 2 significant deliverables:  (1)  (2)  Consider these questions related to both results:  Did you define your findings clearly?  Did you describe the specific processes used to produce each result?  Did you explain how these findings are linked to the objective?

Conclusions  Identify at least one area of strength and one area of difficulty within the process of this project  Provide examples to support these claims and suggest possible solutions  Conclude by linking your process and deliverable back to the project’s objective---did your group achieve this objective? Explain why or why not  Ask for questions and conclude with thanks to your audience

Tips for Group Organization in Presentations  Select a leader to assign each person to specific sections  Have the leader prepare initial slides and share them with the group members for feedback  Use your slides to highlight your information, but focus on communicating with your audience first

Tips for Preparation  Rehearse until you are familiar with your positions, timing, presentation of deliverables, and transitions between group members  PowerPoint has a timer under VIEW to help you meet your 3-4 minute goal  Arrive at least 30 minutes early with at least 3 different forms of your presentation and one copy of your final report.