Effective Mechanical Engineering Presentations

Denny Coon Feb. 20, 2002

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Effective Mechanical Engineering Presentations

On-line Resources Important? Characteristics 10 Commandments Summary Visuals Mechanics

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Why Give an Effective Presentation?

Good Oral Presentation Skills
Can be learned by anyone Will reflect positively on speaker

UW ME Educational Objective
Solve open ended problems Effectively communicate the solution

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Important Presentation Characteristics

Purpose Audience

o Message?
o Their level and interests o Make it interesting!

Approach Time Limit

o Agree with message

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Important Presentation Characteristics

Purpose Audience

o Message?
o Their level and interests o Make it interesting!

Approach Time Limit

o Agree with message

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Key Elements of Visuals

Organization Background & Color Font Amount of Information Graphics

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Key Elements of Visuals Organization

The rule of Tellem

o Tellem what youre going to tellem o Tellem o Tellem what you just toldem

Logical flow
o o o o Title Outline & Intro Details Summary

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Key Elements of Visuals Background & Color

Contrasting Colors

Clear and clean text Dark background with light text Avoid nauseating combinations Avoid pastels wash out on projection
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Nauseating Combination!

Key Elements of Visuals Font

No more than 2 font types Use bold and Italic strategically Able to read from back row Font size proportional to importance
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Key Elements of Visuals Amount of Information

KISS

No faster than 1 minute per slide

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No more than 7 lines per slide No more than 7 words per line Bullets and Keywords

Key Elements of Visuals Amount of Information

Keep it Simple Stupid! KISS

If audience is concentrating too hard on the visuals, they sometimes miss the message that you are trying to convey To many lines in the visual cause the audience to experience confusion no more than 7 lines per slide Long strings of text can cause visual overload - No more than 7 words per line Generally, text elements can be simplified dramatically. If
you combine verbal discussion with visual elements, this simplification does not result in loss of message - Bullets and Keywords

Rapidly progressing through the visuals can result in delayed processing of your message. It is always preferred to keep the audience in sync with your discussion - No faster than 1 minute per slide

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Key Elements of Visuals Graphics

Dont assume the audience understands graphic Explain key elements (symbols, axes, etc.) Explain the significance PowerPoint effects
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Presentation Mechanics

Dress Mannerisms You are the expert!

o Dont read slides o Dont read notes

Eye Contact Avoid Laser Light Shows! Learn to mask nerves

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On-Line Resources
Important Design Concepts (Psychology Department Columbia University) Creating Effective Presentations (University of South Dakota) Effective Presentations (Office of Sponsored Research UCLA) Guidelines for Presentations (American Water Works Association) Guidelines for Presentations (American Society of Primatologists)

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On-Line Resources
Presentation Tips (Physics Department Rice University) Effective Oral Presentations (Business Administration Northeastern University Making Effective Presentations (Western Association for Art Conservation Stanford University) How to Give a Bad Talk! (Computer Science Department University of Wisconsin)

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10 Commandments of a Bad Talk

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Thou shalt not be neat Thou shalt not waste space Thou shalt not covet brevity Thou shalt cover thy naked slides Thou shalt not write large

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10 Commandments of a Bad Talk

6) Thou shalt not use color 7) Thou shalt not illustrate 8) Thou shalt not make eye contact 9) Thou shalt not skip slides 10) Thou shalt not practice

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Effective Presentations Summary

Importance Mechanics Characteristics On-line Resources 10 Commandments Visuals

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