DELIVERING YOUR CONVENTION PRESENTATION AT AECT '91 By Steven M. Ross and Gary R. Morrison

C ongratulations! Your convention proposal for AECT '91 in Or-

lando was one of those accepted out of the more than 750 submitted for consideration by the convention pro- gram planners. You have gained the opportunity to discuss your work before your peers. And now that the holidays are over and your income tax returns are in the mail, you have some time to start planning your presentation. After all, the conven- tion is less than a month away. You know your subject matter inside out, and you want to avoid being dull and boring. Where do you begin to pre- pare? In this article, we offer some suggestions and techniques that you can use to increase the chances that your presentation will be interesting and informative. Those of you famil- iar with instructional design will note the similarity of these strategies to those you might recommend for vir- tually any type of didactic presenta- tion, such as a course lecture. The goal is the same--combine good content with an effective delivery style. We begin with initial planning.

Planning What To Say As a first step, plan and organize

your presentation by constructing an outline of the major topics. If you

Steven M. Ross, Professor of Edu- cational Foundations and Gary R. Morrison, Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, are on the faculty of Memphis State University in Mem- phis, Tennessee.

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have a full paper written (as is re- quired for most types of sessions), its major sections should provide a good basis for deciding what to include. But there is no need to wait until you've written a paper; your AECT proposal should do as well (after all, the reviewers liked it!). Check the information that you received from the convention office regarding your session and plan your outline accord- ingly. You will probably have only I0-I5 minutes to present. There will be little time to discuss minor points or to elaborate on details of your procedures or results.

Also be sure to keep your audience in mind. Many will be there to hear a presentation other than yours (noth- ing personal; remember, there will be

four or five other presenters). Al- though typical audience members will haved an interest in the general topic being presented (CAI, uses of HyperCard, etc.), they may not be very knowledgeable about the spe- cifics of your focus. Therefore, try to maintain a balance between scholarly (or technical) rigor and understand- ability to general audiences. Anyone who is interested in the details may request that you send them a com- plete paper.

Typically, the type of presentation will dictate the general format used. Table 1 and the discussion below provide suggestions for three catego- ries: (1) Development projects, (2) Literature reviews and analytical pa- pers, and (3) Research papers. These

Table 1: Three Typical Presentations

DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

I. Purpose a. What problem or need is addressed?

2. Background Information a. Literature b. Assessment Data

3. Description of Product a. Key components b. How they differ from others

4. Application a. How to apply b. Where to apply

5. Strengths and Weaknesses a. Best application b. Least preferred application

6. Summary a. Needed improvements or extensions b. Implications for research or new development

ANALYTICAL PAPERS/LITERATURE REVIEW

I. Purpose a. Topic area b. Significance of topic c. Rationale

2. Related Literature a. Relevant theories b. Key research or research areas

3. Methods (if relevant) a. Analysis method b. Article selection criteria

4. Results/Conclusions a. Findings b. Differences w/prior conclusions 5. Implications/Applications

a. How can results be applied? b. Predicted outcomes c. Area of greatest impact/utilization

RESEARCH

1. Clear statement of the problem a. Topic area b. Significance of study c. Hypotheses/questions

2. Brief review of literature findings a. How does this study replicate or extend prior research?

3. Description of research methods a. Subjects and basic design b. Important materials c. Procedure

4. Findings a. Major results b. Relation to hypotheses

5. Conclusions/discussion a. Interpretations b. Implications c. Suggestions for further research

2.5 min.

2.5 min.

2.5 min.

1.5 min.

1.0 min.

1.0 min.

2.5 min.

1.0 min.

3.5 min.

2.0 min.

1.5 min.

1.0 min.

2.5 min.

2.5 min.

2.5 min.

listings are not intended to be exhaus- tive or to apply to all papers in these categories; use them according to their fit with your subject and objec- tives. When you have constructed your final list of major topics, add subordinate descriptors to note the important points under each.

For development projects in which the purpose is to describe or demon- strate a new technological applica- tion, major emphasis should be given to conveying (a) the purposes of the project; (b) the nature of the new application, model, or product that resulted; (c) how the application or product should be used; and (d) what its strengths and limitations are compared to existing alternatives.

For analytical papers and literature reviews, you should stress (a) what the topic area is and why it is impor- tant; (b) what the existing theories, beliefs, and/or practices are; (c) what new ideas are suggested from your analysis of existing work; and (d) the implications of that analysis for re- searchers and practitioners. Time limitations will prevent you from pro- viding a detailed discussion of the literature. Instead, you should focus on a few of the key issues that will be of interest to your audience.

Research presentations are generally patterned on the traditional format of the written research report. Accord- ingly, main sections will consist of (a) an introduction that describes the topic area, literature base, current re- search interest, and hypotheses or re- search questions; (b) a methodology part that describes participants (sub- jects), design, materials, and proce- dures; and (c) a description of results and a final discussion. Obviously, in a 10-15 minute research presentation, there will not be sufficient time t o discuss each of these areas in detail. Limit your treatment of incidental or background information (e.g., details involving prior studies or present anal- yses), while emphasizing four essen- tial concerns: what is unique (or im- portant) about your study, what was done, what was found, and what the findings imply for future research and practice.

Identifying Media Needs Given the identification of AECT

with expertise in instructional tech- nology, there is the natural expect- ancy that its presenters will use me- dia effectively. Aside from implying

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skills in designing and displaying au- dio visual materials, "effective" me- dia utilization also means "selec- tive" media usage. Simply put, don't employ such aids where they are not needed. Carefully examine your content outline and consider how each part can best be conveyed. Are there places where media support could make an idea clearer, more salient, or more interesting to your audience? If so, decide what type of support would be best given that content. Also consider the room size and layout and any practical con- straints (i.e., do you really want to lug a lot of equipment through air- ports and hotels?).

The key consideration is that the media support enhance the presenta- tion, not detract from it. Overheads that are legible, attractively designed and used to highlight important points can be quite effective. They will not work well, however, for conveying details, as in a complex figure or table of numbers. For those purposes, pre- pare a handout or consider orienting the discussion to "the big picture" instead. If your presentation is cen- tered around a product or application (such as a CBI interactive video les- son or desktop publishing), carefully weigh the advantages of demonstrat- ing the actual materials versus dis- cussing them using visual aids. Trans- porting bulky equipment (we will always remember the Macintosh com- puter that we couldn't dislodge from an overhead luggage compartment) may not be worth the effort. Also, uncertainties about audience size, the positioning and availability of electri- cal outlets, and room conditions in general leave much to chance regard- ing how visible and effective the dem- onstration will be. If your equipment needs are quite complex, you need to determine if it is even feasible to make an adequate presentation in the allot- ted time. (W.C. Fields would have probably much preferred performing with kids over using a complicated hardware setup that might not work.)

Rehearsing Your Presentation Once you have drafted your pre-

sentation outline and made your me- dia selections, it is time to prepare for the actual talk. Regardless of your experience and skill as a lec- turer, this remains one of the most important steps toward ensuring an

effective presentation. There is an old story about a well- known orator who was asked how much time he would need to prepare for giving a ten minute speech. His reply was "one week." When asked next about his preparation needs for a 30- minute talk, he surprised the inter- viewer by asking for only one day. "Well, in that case," the interviewer asked, "what would a three-hour talk require?" The confident reply: " I 'm ready for that now."

The point is that making a brief presentation is in many ways much more difficult than giving a "full-pe- riod" lecture. During a short presen- tation, there is little opportunity to expand, shift direction, interact with the audience, or share personal anec- dotes. The "simple" task is to de- scribe your work in an interesting, clear and informative way using only about ten minutes time? Your content outline should handle the informa- tional part of your talk while rehears- als will help you to strengthen its flow and pacing. Make your final few re- hearsals "dress" ones incorporating your media and perhaps a few col- leagues as an audience. A reassuring thought here is that rehearsing a ten minute talk only takes about ten min- utes--a very small time investment for such a large return.

When You Get There Convention time is here! You

have designed and prepared your presentation as described above, and are ready to deliver it. When you arrive at the convention site, take the first opportunity to check the room in which you will be pre- senting. The room layout and seating capacity may differ from what you expected. If this occurs, you will have time to consider any adjust- ments that might be needed in your presentation.

Before you leave your hotel room for your session, be sure to collect all needed materials: (a) notes/note- cards, (b) handouts, (c) overheads or other display materials, and (d) sev- eral copies of your complete paper. Having the complete paper with you can be valuable should you need to look up some information in re- sponse to a question. We do not suggest, however, routinely distrib- uting copies to all audience members since only a small percentage will be genuinely interested in reading the

full report. By taking a few extra copies (5-10) to the session, you probably can accommodate most of those who ask; any remaining re- quests can be mailed.

Arrive at the room 15 minutes early. This will give you time to set up your equipment, arrange your materials, relax if you are feeling a little nervous, and meet the session chairman and other presenters.

During your presentation, concen- trate on keeping the audience's at- tention. The same rules that apply to effective teaching apply here, too. Clear enunciation, appropriate pac- ing, and interest or enthusiasm are three important qualities. Look at the audience as much as possible and not down at your notes. If you feel comfortable spending extra time on something that seems to interest them, by all means do so---it will enhance your presentation. But be careful about longer digressions. The usual result is running out of time before getting to your main findings or conclusions. Regardless of how well you are pacing yourself, the chairman will probably signal you when there are about two min- utes remaining. If it looks like you are running a little behind, speed up the pace by omitting less important information. In a real pinch, proceed directly to your conclusions; they provide the summary and integration that the audience will most want to hear. Do not talk past your time limit; it is unfair to the chairman and the other presenters.

Speaking of limits, we are proba- bly getting close to exceeding ours in this article. Thus, as is desirable in a presentation, a brief concluding statement is in order. Ours is that preparing to give a presentation at a professional meeting does not re- quire a great deal of effort in view of what stands to be gained. Long be- fore you arrive at the convention you will have spent considerable time working on your study or proj- ect, and additional time writing the convention proposal. The reward is being able to discuss and promote your work before a professional au- dience, and receive feedback and recognition in return. An enthusias- tic and prepared presentation takes advantage of this opportunity, while an uninspired, sloppy one wastes it. And, as we have discovered, giving a good presentation makes us feel better about ourselves and our work as well. �9

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