Scientific Writing and Communication - 8

Scientific Presentation

Communication Skills: The Real Story

Scientific Achievements Scientific Impact =

x
Communication Skills

(Not a good thing if this term is ~ 0)

Situation
Consider the audience carefully How big? Who? Level of knowledge? Level of interest? Resistance? Time?

Timing
Do not ramble on during a presentation Remember:

One Minute per Slide as Guideline

Our Messages
55% : Body Language 38% : Tone 7% : Words

Personal Approach

Personal features of the presenter can make or break presentation

Gesture Voice Eye Contact Breathing

Gesture

Important in non-verbal communication

Emphasize points Highlights Audience attention Vary gesture Important

position

of speaker position of projector not to much movement

Voice

Critical part of a verbal presentation

Volume - speak to be heard Modulation vary the voice Pause make emphasis with pause

Eye Contact

Look at each member of your audience

Involvement Trust/support Interest Spontaneous reaction

Breathing
Breathing during presentation is different from normal breathing Breathing deeper for

volume control emphasis

Don't lose your breath or you will drown in mid-air

Content

Purpose
Complement speaker Talk technical report

Density
7 lines/page 7 words/line

Speaker Interprets Slides

Slides dominate

Provide all content Hold audiences attention Faces slides Helps audience understand

Speaker supports

Good Illustration > Complicated Derivation

Memory needed per processor
Scales poorly

Memory Size

Scales well

Number of processors

Mixing Important/ Unimportant Words

The isoefficiency and the scalability metrics of a parallel algorithm are crucial The typical parallel computers of the future will have thousands of CPUs and terabytes of RAM

Important Words Only

Crucial metrics
Isoefficiency Scalability function

Future systems
Thousands of CPUs Terabytes of RAM

Unbalanced Lists

Speedup
Sequential time Parallel time

Parallel

computations Parallel overhead

Efficiency

Balanced Lists

Speedup
Expresses time reduction Sequential time, parallel time, overhead

Efficiency
Expresses processor utilization Speedup, number of processors

Red/Blue Conflict

Red letters on blue background creates flicker effect

Blue letters on red background just as bad

Handling Q&A Session

1.
2. 3. 4. 5.

Prepare : anticipate the possible questions Structure: define the parameters Listen carefully to the question Body language and tone are still evaluated Repeat question: paraphrase

Handling Q&A Session

6.
7.

8. 9.

Look at the questioner Respond: simply and directly. Restate the key points of your presentation where applicable Difficult question can be part answered Wrap up the session

The Key Elements of a Scientific Presentation

Clear Statement of the Problem Summary of the State of the Art Scientific Approach Uniqueness of the Problem and Approach Key Results Conclusions Generalizable Future Research Directions

Summary
Guide audience gently Design slides carefully

Use pauses effectively

Answer questions inclusively