Individual Industry/ Research Project

Preparing for your Oral Presentation

Sample Presentations
 Start by watching this video that gives
examples of SOME common points of good
and bad presentations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8eLdbKXG
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 This doesn’t cover everything!

 Before going ahead with these slides, think
about some bad presentations (hopefully not
lectures…) that you have seen
 Make a list of the negative things you can
think of about bad presentations
Negative Points
These are all things I have seen in previous project
presentations
1. Unnecessary transitions 11. Abbreviations not
2. Dark background explained
3. Too much text 12. Repeated text
4. Reading from slides 13. Poor quality images
5. Small text 14. Back to audience
6. Spelling mistakes 15. No eye contact
7. Inconsistent layout 16. No introduction
8. Changing topics 17. No passion
9. Lacking flow 18. No clear message
10. Pitched at wrong level 19. Self-deprecation
(assumptions about audience 20. Missing overview
knowledge)
Before moving on, think about how we can solve these
issue
Addressing Negative Points
Think about how we can address these
Issue Solution
1. Unnecessary Keep slide transitions simple, fancy transitions
transitions get annoying very quickly!
Keep the slide backgrounds light – for
2. Dark background
inclusivity ideally it should NOT be white)
Stick to short bullet points, typically no more
3. Too much text
than 6 per slide (more details)
Try to memorise the content of the slides and
4. Reading from slides stick to the order of the points – Don’t try to
memorise the exact words
Typically the minimum font size should be 20 –
5. Small text including a similar size for graph axis and any
figure labels
Addressing Negative Points
Think about how we can address these
Issue Solution

6. Spelling mistakes Always proof-read your presentation!

Stick to default slide layouts in PowerPoint
7. Inconsistent layout
where possible
Avoid jumping between different topics within
8. Changing topics your presentation

Think about a logical order for your

9. Lacking flow presentation and transition smoothly between
content
10. Pitched at wrong Think about your audience – what can you
level (assumptions expect them to know? Don’t patronise your
about audience audience by explaining basic concepts that
knowledge) they should already be familiar with
Addressing Negative Points
Think about how we can address these
Issue Solution
11. Abbreviations not Like your reports, the first use of any
explained abbreviations should be explained in full
Sometimes when editing or moving content
between slides you can end up repeating the
12. Repeated text
same text on different slides – make sure to
check for issues like this
Poor quality images can really detract from a
13. Poor quality
presentation, try to sharpen images where
images
possible and avoid poor quality scans
Use the computer screen to check where you
14. Back to audience are in a presentation – avoid looking at the
main screen
Try to include everyone and look around the
15. No eye contact room – it’s a good way to make sure the
audience is paying attention!
Addressing Negative Points
Think about how we can address these
Issue Solution
Always introduce yourself and your topic – A
16. No introduction
warm welcome can make a big difference!
Be enthusiastic and passionate – if you don’t
17. No passion care about the topic, don’t expect the audience
to!
What are the key points from the presentation
(normally no more than three) – what do you
18. No clear message
want the audience to takeaway from your
presentation?
Be positive and never put yourself down! If you
19. Self-deprecation must include a negative point for any reason,
always mitigate this and finish on a high
Always begin with an overview (similar to a
20. Missing overview contents list) of your presentation – it makes it
much easier for the audience to follow!
Points to Consider
 The Prototype demonstration & Presentation is
worth 40% of the module
 It is a required aspect of the module and you may
fail the module if you do not present your work
 Because of the submission requirements you
must use Microsoft PowerPoint for your
presentation
 If you don’t have access to PowerPoint, you can use
Google Slides (can be used in any browser) and
download this as a .pptx file
 You should also prepare a poster for your work
 This year all the presentations will be in person
Marking Scheme
 This has been slightly adapted for a
presentation:
Assessment
Criteria
Aspect
• Was the speaker confident, enthusiastic, and
persuasive?
Oral Presentation
• Was the overall purpose of the project explained
Quality
(35%) clearly, including a clear statement of the aim
and objectives?
• Was the information delivered clearly?
• Were the slides and other visual aids clear?
Visual • Were they readable and highlighted the main
Presentation
Quality
points?
(35%) • Were the figures and images shown clear and
useful?
• Was the material presented of significant
Quantity?
• Did the content include sufficient critical
Value of Content
(30%)
analysis? Was the project a success?
• Are there any plans to exploit the information
PowerPoint Presentations
 How many slides?
 As a rule of thumb you should aim for around 1 slide
per minute
 So for a 10-minute presentation no more than 8-10
slides
 Should include:
 Overview of presentation
 Introduction
 Outline of the work undertaken
 Conclusions

 General rule:
 Say what you are going to say
 Say it
 Say what you just said
Generating Material – Where to Start
 Gather all the diagrams, tables, graphs, pictures that
you want to present beforehand:
 Can help decide what to include rather than trying to find
images to fill gaps
 Note the key points that you intend to convey:
 Try to identify around three main points that everyone
listening should know (and hopefully remember!) at the end
of your talk
 Now generate a list of the slide titles, keeping to
approximately one slides page per minute, excluding
title page
 Logical structure and order is essential
 Number all the slides in case you get the order muddled
up
 Also makes it easier for audience to refer to a slide
Content of Presentation
 The presentation doesn’t need to cover every aspect from
your project
 Try to focus on the following:
 What the project was aiming to achieve: Overall project aim, don’t
need to specify each individual objective
 Context/background: Some relevant background information,
including justification, doesn’t need to include full literature review
 Methodology: How did you achieve your aim
 Results/discussion: Should be a summary and critical analysis of the
results
 Conclusions/Summary: What do you want the audience to ‘take-
away’ from your project/presentation?

 References should be included, but you don’t need to provide

a separate reference list – just include a reference on each
slide where relevant like thisa
a
Pahl, G. and Beitz, W., 2013. Engineering design: a systematic approach. Springer Science & Business
Media.
Style and Formatting
 Use bullet format, not paragraphs of text – easier
for the audience to read
 Avoid having too much information on the page
 Don’t make the margins too small
 Use sans-serif fonts
(‘without ornaments’) to
make it easier to read
 e.g. Arial NOT Times New
Roman Font size – aim for:
 Minimum font size of 28 for
headings
 Minimum font size of 20 for
bullet points
Style and Formatting
 Slide transitions and text animations might be
a nice touch but are generally distracting
 Use sparingly if you are trying to make a point
 Avoid having individual bullet points
appearing one at a time – you will get fed up
of clicking constantly!
 Conversely having lots of text appear at once
means the audience will simply be reading the
slide for the first 20-30 seconds and won’t be
listening to you!
Style and Formatting
 It is okay to use some colour but be wary that
some colours are not easy to see/read under
all lighting conditions!
 Don’t use elaborate or picture backgrounds
 Can distract from the message and are likely to
annoy the audience
 Spelling mistrakkes are imbrassing!
 use a spell checker and proofread!
Figures and Graphs
 Use a good balance of graphs, tables and text
 Ensure all figures are clear and readable
 Some images lose quality when pasted due to
compression
 Can sometimes be avoided by pasting as a Bitmap
rather than default format
 Avoid having long or multiple equations on a
slide – are the audience really expected to be
able to follow/understand them?
Figures and Graphs
Blurry and Unreadable Sharp and Clear

Core
Services network
MSC
SGSN server MGW
CBC

UTRAN
RNS
RNC
RNS RNC

Node B

Node B Node B
Node B
Font too Small, Axes not labelled, No
title
60

50

40
Total Head

Efficiency

Series Head
30
Series Efficiency

Parallel Head

Parallel Efficiency
20

10

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Better…
Giving Presentations in Person

The following slides are more

applicable to giving a normal
presentation (in person)

I have left them in as general advice,

but not all the points included will be
applicable to a ‘virtual presentation’
Videos within a Presentation
It can be a useful aid to have a video or
animation within a presentation
BUT…
 Many times the video won’t play properly
 Can disrupt your flow
 Check on the computer you are using beforehand
 If it is too long, you lose the connection with
the audience
 Keep it short (no more than 30 seconds), perhaps
as a loop
 Make sure you are narrating it, not just watching it
with the audience!
Delivering the Presentation
 Your voice is the key to a good presentation
 Make sure you know your subject – this will
give you confidence to deal with almost any
eventuality
 Time is always limited – Prepare and practice
to finish within the allotted time
 Remember your presentation should be 10
minutes – you are pre-preparing this, so there
is no excuse for not sticking to this
Coping with Nerves
 It is perfectly normal to feel anxious before
giving a presentation and nervous during the
presentation
 Fear of an anonymous audience?
 Fear that the audience knows more than you?
 Fear of forgetting something important?
 Fear of not being able to answer questioned?

 This is your project. You know it better than

anyone else in the room.
 People want to hear what you have to say. You
have the power
Body Language
 A presenter is judged by the audience – the author’s
credibility is not just a matter of science
 Body language is a key to success
 show confidence, charisma, energy, ability to answer technical
questions
 If you aren’t excited about what you are presenting, how can
you expect the audience to be??
 Personal look - look smart, audience will think you are
smart
 Posture - stand up, don’t slouch
 What should you do with your hands?
 Hands in pockets? – too casual!
 Folded arms? – too defensive!
 Base position – clasp hands in front and make use of gestures
for emphasis
Where to Stand
 Don't stand so your head or shoulder obscures
the projected image
 Consider standing to the side of the screen
image and point to the screen either by hand
or with a pointer
 only those with very steady hands can use a laser
pointer without appearing excessively shaky!

 Never turn your back on the audience!

Audience Attention
 Varied use of the volume, pitch and pace of
your speech
 Can be used to capture and retain the audience’s
attention
 Using hand gestures can help too – but don’t over
do it!
 Don’t be afraid of silence!
 Don’t feel you have to be saying something all
the time
 Suitable pauses can be very effective in re-
capturing attention
Audience Attention
 Speak to the audience, not the screen, let
them see your lips
 The objective is to communicate clearly
 Try to make eye contact regularly with ‘everyone’

 Take care not to say something entirely

different from the material that you are
displaying
 This is so confusing for the audience; they don't
know whether to listen to you or study the screen
 Conversely don’t simply read from the screen!
Handling and Answering Questions
 Take your time during questions
 Ask for a question to be repeated or clarified if
you want more time to consider your answer
 even if you heard it clearly the first time it was
asked, it gives you time to think about your answer!
 It is tempting to waffle but this will be very
obvious to everyone there, especially you!
 If you really don’t know the answer be honest
 Remember, there’s no way you can disguise lack of
knowledge!
 Never say: “Because my supervisor told me
to…” – this is your project; own it!
Conclusions
 Key things to remember:
 You know your topic better than anyone else;
make sure you read through your report
beforehand so that comes across
 Take care to prepare a good set of slides
 Practice your delivery and remember the rules for
good presentation (body language, quality slides,
timing)