Giving Conference Presentations

Kevin Eric De Pew

February 15, 2004

ODU English

Presentation Overview

• Why Present?

• The Presentation Texts

• Giving the Presentation

• Designing the Presentation

Why Present?

• Opportunity to go to Conferences exposure to current scholarship meet new people start collaborations

• Develop professional identity

• Get feedback

Presentation Texts

• The call for papers (CFP)

• Your response to the CFP

• The conference paper

• Handouts (optional)

• PowerPoint (optional)

The Call For Papers

• Read it carefully

• Identify the theme

• Highlight buzz words

• Pay attention to the due date and word lengths

Your Response to the CFP

• The Genre state problem explain response (mini-literature review) describe presentation (briefly)

• Determine media of submission snail mail Electronic

The Conference Paper

• 20 minutes 8 pages, double-spaced; 10 - 15 slides

• Genre Problem: purpose of presentation Frame: connection to conversation Response: solution to problem, examples

• Focus determined by audience

• Save some details for Q&A

Handouts• Gives your audience an artifact of your

presentation; can include… your contact information your abstract references Illustrations or examples suggestions space for notes

• Use CRAP for design

PowerPoint Presentation

• Helps you to present extemporaneously, but maintain focus

• Organization structured loose

• Effect orientation distraction

• More on PPT later…

Giving Presentations

• Conference Presentation Etiquette

• Reading vs. Speaking

• The Physical Presentation

Presentation Etiquette• DO NOT…

exceed your time limit give a different paper be unorganized

• DO… show confidence in your work know your material be respectful

Reading vs. Speaking

• Know the culture

• Reading A: helps to keep you organized, on-task D: often prevents eye contact, loss of ethos

• Speaking A: demonstrates knowledge in material D: can appear unorganized

Physical Presentation

• Pay attention to your location; especially if using a screen for PPT

• Make eye contact Do not talk to the screen or paper; point to

text when appropriate If using PPT; do not read slides, but use

them to organize your talk

Designing PPT Presentations • The way that each slide looks affects

how the audience receives information

• Therefore, pay attention to Fonts Color Special Effects Images Repetition

Fonts

• Make slide titles stand with a larger font and/or different color

• Use large font size for text; it should be large enough to fit six to eight words across the screen

• Use sans serif font (Arial); if text heavy, use serif (Times)

Color

• Make a strong contrast between background and text Use a dark text with a light background Use a light text with a dark background

• Use a color scheme that coordinates

• If possible, check color projection prior to presentation

Special Effects

• Power Point allows you to include special effects

• Use appropriately and rhetorically You are not making the next Star Wars

movie

Images• Use images to help make

your point• You can import images

from other sources • Adjust the size and

placement of image box and text box

• Clip Art can be considered unprofessional

Use CRAP

• Different types of Contrast

• Repeat slide design throughout the entire presentation

• Create hierarchies with Alignment

• Place similar elements in the same Proximity

• This will orient your listener

Appropriateness

• Use appropriate backgrounds, images, and special effects for your presentation

• Discuss one issue per slide

• Use as little text as possible long passages

• do not place entire quote on slides• excerpt, verbalize, or place in handout

Giving Presentations

• Why Present?

• The Presentation Texts

• Giving the Presentation

• Designing the Presentation