Advice for LUMES students

1. HowHow (Not)(Not) ToTo Give anGive an
EffectiveEffectiveTalkTalk
Kim Nicholas, kimberly.nicholas.academic@gmail.com
@KA_Nicholas
LUCSUS, Lund University, Sweden
With input from Weston Dripps, visiting professor from
Furman University
NOT

2. Key PointsKey Points
A. Content
- Meet the requirements
- Focus on what’s important
A. Presentation Skills
- Addressing your audience
A. Slide Design
- Clear, consistent slides

3. 20 minutes, no more!
A. Content
Meet the requirementsThe LUMES Thesis Presentation

4. Ideal: 1 slide = 2 minutes
Minimum: 1 slide = 1 minute
1. Title Slide [1 slide]
2. Introduction / Research Question [1 - 2 slides]
3. Materials, Methods, Field Site [2 slides]
4. Results [3 - 5 slides]
5. Discussion [2 - 4 slides]
6. Conclusions [1 - 2 slides]
Focus on What’s Important
Content

5. Title slide (1 slide):
Title, your name, institution, and contact info.
Possibly interesting photograph
Some Specific Suggestions
for Slide Content

6. Analysis of Urban Air Pollution:
Implication for Global Health
and Mortality in the Developed World
Dr. Jane Doe
Department of XYZ, University of ABC
jane.doe@abcde.edu

7. URBAN AIR POLLUTION: THE SILENT KILLER
Jane Doe / Department of XYZ / University of ABC
jane.doe@abcde.edu

8. Title slide (1 slide):
• Title, your name, institution, and contact info.
• Possibly interesting photograph
Some Specific Suggestions
for Slide Content
Introduction (1 – 2 slides):
• Get your audience excited about the "issue”
• Put your issue in some context / past work
• Provide statement of hypothesis / question

9. Materials / Methods / Field Site (2 – 3 slides):
• visuals of your equipment / set up / field site
• experimental approach / methods employed
• data collected, why selected, how analyzed
Results and Discussion (5 – 9 slides):
• show data collected (graphically)
• highlight key trends and findings
• explain findings
Conclusions (1 – 2 slides):
• Reiterate / summarize key points
• Contribution of your work
• Future directions / next steps

10. Put on a Good Show
Hit the Highlights
“Pay no attention to the man
behind the curtain!”
“I am the Great and Powerful OZ!”

11. LUMES Defense Format
• Student presentation: 20 minutes
• Discussant: 30 minutes
• Final 10 minutes: Examiner/Audience

12. LUMES Defense Reminders
• Bring printed or electronic copy of your
thesis for reference
• Be prepared to justify and explain the
appropriateness of your research question
and methods, and the relevance of your
findings
• Keep answers short and concise
• Ask for clarification: “Is your question …?”

13. B. Presentation SkillsB. Presentation Skills
Addressing your audienceAddressing your audience
• Eye contact
• Project voice
• Open body language
• Face audience,
not slides
• Find the “nodders”
Image: Publicwords.typepad.com

14. ExcusesExcuses
• “I’m just a student…”
• “I did this last night (or 5 minutes ago…)”
• “I haven’t done this before…”

15. ExcusesExcuses
• “I’m just a student…”
• “I did this last night (or 5 minutes ago…)”
• “I haven’t done this before…”

16. TimingTiming
• ESSENTIAL to get this right
• Put key points up front,
support throughout,
summarize at end
• Rehearse fully at least 3
times
• Have minute goals for slides
• No excuse to go over time
Image: sundialtime.com

17. Know Thy AudienceKnow Thy Audience
• Catch interest at the beginning
• Make relevant and accessible to them
• Don’t assume overly specialized knowledge

18. From Todd Reubold, UMinn
C. Slide Design
Clear, Consistent Slides

19. • Backwards Design
• design around main take-away points
• Focus on your work!
• Minimize background.
Powerpoint DesignPowerpoint Design

20. • Minimize text (phrases / bullets) – cue
• One key point per slide
• Consistency in font, colors, style
Powerpoint LayoutPowerpoint Layout

21. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

22. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

23. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

25. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

26. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

27. “The audience will either read your slides
or listen to you. They won’t do both.”
Nancy Duarte, Duarte Design
The slides are meant to support the
narration of the speaker,
not make the speaker superfluous.

29. So Avoid theSo Avoid the “All Word” Slide“All Word” Slide
Avoid the use of a large block paragraph
to introduce your information.
Attendees do not like to have what is on
the screen, read to them verbatim. So,
please use short, bulleted statements
and avoid typing out your whole
presentation on to the slides. It is
difficult for some to listen and read a
large amount of text at the same time.

30. From Todd Reubold, UMinn
Don’t !

31. From Todd Reubold, UMinn
Don’t !

32. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

33. Keep it simple!
From Todd Reubold, UMinn

34. Limit the number of fonts
in your presentation!
FontsFonts
• DonDon’t Sacrifice Readability for Style’t Sacrifice Readability for Style
• DonDon’t Sacrifice Readability for’t Sacrifice Readability for
StyleStyle
• DonDon’t Sacrifice’t Sacrifice
ReadabilityReadability
for Stylefor Style

35. Arial
Tahoma
Verdana
FontsFonts
Choose 1 – 2 Sans Serif fonts
for your presentation

36. • Good title size (Arial 40 point)
• Good subtitle size (Arial 32 point)
• Content text should be no smaller than Arial 24 point
Font SizeFont Size
Remember, your slides must be readable,
even at the back of the room.

37. • Here is what Arial 20 point looks like …
• Here is what Arial 16 point looks like …
• Here is what Arial 12 point looks like …
Font SizeFont Size
You won’t be able to read these …

38. Use a TemplateUse a Template
• Use a set font and color scheme.
• Different styles are disconcerting to
the audience.
• You want the audience to focus on
what you present, not the way you
present.

39. Ideally Use the Same
BackgroundBackground
on Each Slide

40. • Don’t use multiple backgrounds in
your presentation
• Changing the style is distracting

41. CCoolloorrss
• Reds and oranges are high-
energy but can be difficult to
stay focused on.
• Greens, blues, and browns are
mellower, but not as attention
grabbing.
• Reds and Greens can be difficult
to see for those who are color
blind.

42. CCoolloorrss
• Large Hall Events
–Avoid WhiteWhite Backgrounds
–The white screen can be
blinding in a dark room
–Dark SlidesDark Slides with LightLight ColoredColored
TextText Work Best
Don’t

43. TheThe CCoolloorr WheelWheel
• Colors separated by
another color are
contrasting colors
(complementary)
• Adjacent colors harmonize
with one another (Green
and Yellow)
• Colors directly opposite one
another are said to CLASH
• Clashing colors provide
readability
– OrangeOrange on BlueBlue
Do !

44. This is a good mix of
colors. Readable!
BackgroundBackground CCoolloorrss
Remember: Readability! Readability! Readability!
This is a bad mix of
colors. Low contrast.
Unreadable!
This is a good mix of
colors. Readable!
This is a bad mix of
colors. Avoid bright
colors on white.
Unreadable!

45. Use Color ConsistentlyUse Color Consistently
• Decide on a color for each unit (country, group, treatment…).
• Explain it in the first slide.
• Keep the same throughout.
• Have a key that shows it visually for every slide.

46. Graphs and ChartsGraphs and Charts
Make sure the audience can
read them!

47. 8
Don’t !
Unreadable, busy graphsUnreadable, busy graphs

48. This graph contains too much information in an
unreadable format.
10
Don’t !

49. (This may require you to re-create
text in PowerPoint)

50. Check outCheck out
“Search by“Search by
image”!image”!
Low res
Higher res

51. Don’t !

52. Don’t !

53. Do !

54. Do !

55. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

56. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

57. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

58. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

59. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

60. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

61. From Todd Reubold, UMinn

62. Limit AnimationLimit Animation
• Use the same animation throughout
the entire presentation
• Using more than one can be very
distracting
– The audience will only see the
animation and not the message you’re
trying to get across
!!
Bam!
Don’t

63. Limit AnimationLimit Animation
• Use the same animation throughout
the entire presentation
• Using more than one can be very
distracting
– The audience will only see the
animation and not the message you’re
trying to get across
!!
Do !

64. Key PointsKey Points
A. Content
- Meet the requirements
- Focus on what’s important
A. Presentation Skills
- Addressing your audience
A. Slide Design
- Clear, consistent slides

65. YOUYOU
• Do not use the media to hide you
• The audience came to SEE you
• The media should ENHANCE the
presentation, not BE the presentation
• If you’re only going to read from the slides,
then just send them the slides!
• Remember, only you can prevent
“Death by PowerPoint”

66. This is My Final SlideThis is My Final Slide
• End with a Final Slide
• Make the last words you say “Thank
You” so the audience knows when to
clap!
Image: ferdyonfilms.com