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Oral Presentations On Technical Topics

The document provides guidance for creating effective oral presentations on technical topics. It recommends spending 20-60 minutes preparing for each minute of speaking time. The key steps include analyzing the audience, assessing the purpose, budgeting time, preparing an outline, considering media limitations, and using graphics judiciously. Graphics can aid understanding if used properly, but overuse of PowerPoint risks the presenter simply reading slides. Simplicity, clarity, and brevity are important principles for on-screen text and graphics.

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rajashekarpula
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388 views24 pages

Oral Presentations On Technical Topics

The document provides guidance for creating effective oral presentations on technical topics. It recommends spending 20-60 minutes preparing for each minute of speaking time. The key steps include analyzing the audience, assessing the purpose, budgeting time, preparing an outline, considering media limitations, and using graphics judiciously. Graphics can aid understanding if used properly, but overuse of PowerPoint risks the presenter simply reading slides. Simplicity, clarity, and brevity are important principles for on-screen text and graphics.

Uploaded by

rajashekarpula
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Oral Presentations on Technical

Topics
Good Presentations
Take Time
• Professional speakers spend, on average, 20-
60 minutes preparing for each minute of
speaking.
• Average: it takes 13 hours to prepare a 20
minute talk.
First Step: Analyze
Audience
• Who are they?
• What do they know?
• What is level of education?
• Do they know the vocabulary?
• Do they already know the basic concepts?
• Why are they there?
• What do they want to
accomplish by hearing you?
• Will they be neutral,
enthusiastic, or maybe hostile to
your ideas?
Second Step: Assess YOUR
Purpose
• What are you
attempting to do?
– Persuade?
– Inform?

Knowing this
information helps you
to organize,
understand what to
emphasize, and so on.
Step Three: Budget Your Time

• You have a max of 7 minutes


Typical Time Table,
7 min
• Intro • 1 min
• Body
– First Major Point – 1.5 min
– Second Major Point – 1.5 min
– Third Major Point – 1.5 min
• Conclusion • 1 min
• Questions
Step Four:
Preparing Materials for
Yourself
• Prepare an outline for yourself that will help
you stay on track.
• Outline is for your use.
• Use sentences or fragments…whatever works
best for you.
Outline, cont.

• Helps re-vision material and help make a


PPT (if using PPT).
• No need to give outline to audience.
Step Five: Consider
Media and Its
Limitations

• Oral presentations simpler than written work


• Minimum stats and equations
• Review the sheet that is handed out called
“Basic Media for Oral Presentations.”
The Basics

• Don’t be afraid to move in the space


• Don’t be overly formal
• Be yourself
• Know your topic, but don’t memorize
• Be able to “talk” your speech, not give it
PowerPoint…Advantages
and Disadvantages
Advantages

• Presents visuals
• Aids understanding, if done well
• Gives audience template to follow
Disadvantages

• Too much reliance on it


• Speaker reads the slides
• Visuals can be poorly presented
• System may fail; file may fail
• Following this slide is an all-too common of
over-the-top PPT use…
Driving on a Wet Road
• There is a hazard in
effect when you drive
on a wet road. This
should be avoided.
• Crashes kill 15,000
people a year.
Graphics

• Clarify or highlight
important ideas/facts
• Stats lend themselves
well to graphics
• Descriptions are aided
by graphics
Why use graphics?

Research proves that presentations with


transparencies or PPT are deemed
– more professional
– more credible
– more persuasive
than presentations without.
Retention After

3 hrs 3 days

Without Graphics 70% 10%

With Graphics 85% 65%


On-Screen Writing

• At least 24 pt font
• Serif or Sans Serif…general pref is Sans
• Use brief phrases
Document Screen
The current system has • Three Problems:
three problems: • Expensive maintenance
• It is expensive to • Nonstandard
maintain. Components
• It requires nonstandard • Noncompliant with
components. MILSPEC
• It is not compliant to
the new MILSPEC.
Legibility On-Screen

• Clear, legible lines for drawings and


diagrams
• Black-and-white vs. color
Simplicity is Key
• Use simple text and
graphics
• Present only one idea
• Know that audience
has not seen it before
and has no time to
linger over it
How many graphics?

• For every 30 seconds, a graphic (generally).


• Better to have a series of simple graphics
than one complicated graphic.

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