1. Scientific Communication CITS7200 Lecture 10 Giving a Talk

2. Good presentation skills are vital in many professions and contexts Research seminars, conference talks, project meetings, budget meetings, sales talks, funding applications, job interviews, meeting your future in-laws, …

3. Key points Know your audience –What do they know? What do they want to know? Figure out what they will learn and why they want to learn it Be professional –Organise yourself, your materials, and your time

4. What to say and how to say it A good talk can usually be split into five parts 1.Definition and motivation of the problem 2.General theory 3.Details 4.Conclusions 5.Question time

5. Define and motivate the problem Define and motivate the problem!

6. Define and motivate the problem First impressions count! Be concrete, not abstract –Be concrete in motivation and in details –Generalise in conclusions, if appropriate Motivate with applications, philosophy, history, predictions, dollars, … Cover background only where necessary for understanding or for motivation

7. Set up the notation and terminology –Keep notation (especially) to a minimum –Keep examples as simple as possible Remind, but do not assume Emphasise your contributions Often a “road map” to the talk helps to impose structure

8. The general theory Describe the methodology Describe the key results Explain the significance of the results Sketch the proof/evidence of the results –Pictures/graphs help

9. The details Present one key result which is –Important –Non-trivial –Representative Now give details –But this is the part of the talk that is least important, and should be first to be cut –Refer them to the paper/notes, if necessary, or to later discussion

10. The conclusion Put your results back in context –Once again, motivate the problem –Make clear your contribution Discuss any limitations Discuss some interesting open problems Conclude: thank the audience, and invite questions and comments

11. Handling questions Always allow time for questions –There are always questions! Allow/encourage questions during the talk, if you are confident enough Try to anticipate likely questions Try to learn from the questions

12. Visual and aural aids High tech –PowerPoint, LaTeX, HTML, PDF, others Medium tech –Overheads, slides Low tech –Pen and plastic, whiteboard

13. General points Use large font sizes Write points, not sentences Do not put too much on one “slide” Make the medium invisible

14. High tech Use presentation software if possible –Forces you to prepare in advance –Helps you to organise your talk –Makes changing your talk easier –Looks professional and well-prepared But plan for equipment failure, or portability issues –Have a lower-tech back-up plan

15. Medium tech Overheads are good as a back-up mechanism But printed overheads can look boring –And a mixture can look odd Always use permanent pens With slides, video or audio: be in control of the situation yourself, and prepare

16. Low tech Recommended only for confident speakers Allow you to tune the presentation on-the-fly Allow you to build up complex pictures/equations/graphs on-the-fly in any order, and to control the audience’s attention

17. Pointers Stick pointers are easier to aim –But don’t bang on non-rigid screens! Laser pointers give you more range –But avoid these if your hands shake

18. Voice issues Face the audience, not the projector screen, nor the computer screen, nor the OHP, nor the desk, … –And don’t get between them! Talk to (multiple) individuals, or at least to the back of the room Vary the tone and level of your voice Use “normal” language

19. Getting through to the audience Use repetition –Remember that with a talk, people cannot “refer back” to earlier comments Use examples –Don’t get bogged down in abstractions and generalities –Never present the details of proofs –Feel free to say “more details are given in the paper/notes”

20. Know your audience Scientists (or business people, or the general public) –Will be interested only in general results Computer scientists –Use notation carefully and focus on the problem Theoretical computer scientists –Will want to know exactly what your contribution is Experts –Will want to know how your work beats theirs!

21. Timing Never over-run your allotted time –Talks which are too short are always better than talks which are too long Be aware of how long you have, and stick to it Design multiple exit points, or identify material that can be skipped –Cut out details first Make sure you’re aware of the time

22. Handling nerves Everyone gets nervous Make your nerves work for you –Be animated: show them you care! But be prepared too –Deep breathing –Know your introductory “speech” –Use written reminders if necessary –Bring water, so you can pause and re-group when necessary