1. Based on and modified from the notes “How to give a presentation focused on an experiment”, by Jeff Elhai, 2012

2. Why present your proposal?

4.  1) Introduction  2) Method  3) Results  4) Synthesis and recap of question

5.  What question is the focus of your presentation? Why did you ask it?

6.  Start from general, work your way down to the specifics

7.  What question is the focus of your presentation? Why did you ask it?  Start from general, work your way down to the specifics  Don’t use “jargon”

8.  What question is the focus of your presentation? Why did you ask it?  Start from general, work your way down to the specifics  Don’t use “jargon”  Have a goal in mind: what information does your audience need to know to understand your question?

9.  What question is the focus of your presentation? Why did you ask it?  Start from general, work your way down to the specifics  Don’t use “jargon”  Have a goal in mind: what information does your audience need to know to understand your question?  MAKE YOUR CENTRAL QUESTION CLEAR

10.  How will your central question be addressed by the experiment?

11.  Present logic of experiment and underlying principles

12.  How will your central question be addressed by the experiment?  Present logic of experiment and underlying principles  Explain how what you’re doing relates to the question you’re asking

13.  How will your central question be addressed by the experiment?  Present logic of experiment and underlying principles  Explain how what you’re doing relates to the question you’re asking  Only enough detail for conceptual understanding ▪ Method descriptions do not need to be reproducible

14.  What observations do you expect (ALL possibilities)?

15.  Remind your audience of the central question

16.  What observations do you expect (ALL possibilities)?  Remind your audience of the central question  Set up the result so that the audience can engage, not just be told

17.  What observations do you expect (ALL possibilities)?  Remind your audience of the central question  Set up the result so that the audience can engage, not just be told  Provide actual data ▪ Modified from closely related results

18.  What observations do you expect (ALL possibilities)?  Remind your audience of the central question  Set up the result so that the audience can engage, not just be told  Provide actual data ▪ Modified from closely related results  Explain

19.  Be careful when describing how results relate to a hypothesis

20.  Experimental results = observations  show, indicate, suggest, demonstrate, or support hypothesis  Always true

21.  Be careful when describing how results relate to a hypothesis  Experimental results = observations  show, indicate, suggest, demonstrate, or support hypothesis  Always true  Hypotheses:  May be true

22.  What has been learned?

23.  Return focus back to central question

24.  What has been learned?  Return focus back to central question  Summarize how proposed strategy will lead to progress toward answer

25.  What has been learned?  Return focus back to central question  Summarize how proposed strategy will lead to progress toward answer  Potential problems/issues/alternative explanations

26.  What has been learned?  Return focus back to central question  Summarize how proposed strategy will lead to progress toward answer  Potential problems/issues/alternative explanations  Reconnect to central question

27.  What has been learned?  Return focus back to central question  Summarize how proposed strategy will lead to progress toward answer  Potential problems/issues/alternative explanations  Reconnect to central question  Finish strong

28. YOUR CENTRAL QUESTION SHOULD BE CENTRAL IN YOUR PRESENTATION

29. Some notes on Presentation Strategies

30.  Use them

31.  Steal useful images, adapt to make them relevant to your specific needs  Obviously: Cite all images used ▪ “Figure #A adapted from Bob, et al, 2009.”  If you use pre-existing images, almost always need to make them simpler.

32.  Use them  Steal useful images, adapt to make them relevant to your specific needs  Obviously: Cite all images used ▪ “Figure #A adapted from Bob, et al, 2009.”  If you use pre-existing images, almost always need to make them simpler.  Make your own

33.  Use as little as possible

34.  Present info as words or phrases  Avoid complete/complex sentences

35.  Use as little as possible  Present info as words or phrases  Avoid complete/complex sentences  Small chunks of info at a time

36. Which looks easier to understand?

37. It is important to make sure that every part of your presentation ties back in to the central question. This brings your audience back to the main focus of your presentation and helps remind them of why you are doing the experiment in the first place.

42. In the words of Thoreau: SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY!

43.  HOMEPAGE  TOPICS  RESEARCH PROPOSAL   “How to give a presentation” ▪ Example presentations  “How to prepare for a panel” ▪ “How to give a presentation focused on an experiment”  From Jeff’s email:  “Mock Panel Schedule”