Information
for Students Making Oral Presentations
We
plan to distribute a CD containing each student’s Powerpoint
Presentation at the beginning of the meeting. In order for you
to have your presentation included, it must be emailed to us NO
LATER THAN MONDAY, JUNE 20th. We need this time in order to review
the presentations and produce the CDs. We will not be able to
accommodate late submissions, and we very much would like to include
all presentations in the CD. This is in the interest of all students
participating as well as yourself.
Specific
Directions: Please email your presentation (by June 20th)
to Renee
Robins with “Graduate consortium presentation”
as the subject line of the email. Please name your Powerpoint
file as follows: lastname.ppt
Oral
Presentations Guidelines and Information
Oral
presentations are 15 minutes each with 5 additional minutes for
faculty and student questions. The time limit will be strictly
adhered to.
Powerpoint
is the standard software for the visuals. We plan to distribute
a CD containing each student’s Powerpoint presentation at
the beginning of the meeting. (No written paper is required though.)
In order for you to have your presentation included, it must be
emailed to us NO LATER THAN MONDAY, JUNE 20th. We need
this time in order to review the presentations and produce the
CDs. We will not be able to accommodate late submissions, and
we very much would like to include all presentation in the CD.
This is in the interest of all students participating as well
as your own.
PLEASE
FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS:
• |
Email
your presentation to Renee
Robins <rrobins *at* mit.edu> by June 20th
|
• |
Put
“Graduate consortium presentation” as the subject
line of the email.
|
• |
Name
your Powerpoint file as follows: "lastname.ppt"
(e.g. cohen.ppt or banerjee.ppt)
|
The
bullets below includes helpful suggestions to make a good presentation
and other important information. Please read through them.
Tips
for Oral Presentations
| Content |
• |
Realize
that the audience is very mixed in terms of participants'
technical and industry areas. Make sure you aim the level
of your talk (background info, technical details) for someone
outside of your specialty area, especially if your presentation
is technology-heavy or deals with a specific sector that
others may not be familiar with (e.g. electricity networks,
telecommunications). Don’t use acronyms or technical
terms without first explaining them.
|
• |
In
your presentation you should clearly state your problem
area and research question or hypothesis, explain your methodology
and sources of data, discuss your analysis and conclusions,
and explain their applicability. Explain your problem area
and research question with sufficient background information
to be informative to the mixed audience.
|
• |
Keep
in mind that this is the Technology, Management, and Policy
Consortium. Please make sure to address the policy implications
or relevance of your research.
|
Organization |
• |
Organize
your presentation. Be clear about your topic and the main
points you want to make. Outline your presentation and make
sure your ideas flow appropriately.
|
• |
With
five presentations in each session, it's a lot for the audience
to listen to. Help them follow your presentation and remember
your subject matter by giving a concise overview at the beginning
and summing up by repeating your major points at the end.
|
Visuals |
• |
Keep
your Powerpoint slides clear and on point. If you put a table
or graph on a slide, be prepared to explain it. Otherwise
don't use it. If you do use any tables or graphs, make sure
they have a title and are labeled clearly.
|
• |
An
appropriate title on each slide helps the audience follow
your presentation.
|
• |
To
avoid problems going from one machine to another, use standard
fonts (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Courier).
|
• |
Keep
special effects and animation to a minimum. They can be distracting
and they also make your ppt files very large.
|
• |
Proofread
everything for typos.
|
Presentation |
• |
Practice
is key to a good presentation. Do a few practice runs of your
talk to be comfortable with the material, preferably with
a small audience (a fellow student, advisor, roommate...).
|
• |
Time
a dry run and make sure you can deliver your presentation
within the 15 minute limit. This is critical! Moderators will
ask students to end their talk if they exceed their allotted
time.
|
• |
Be
aware of your delivery style as you are presenting. Speak
clearly, don't rush, don't pace or make distracting movements
while you are talking.
|
• |
Make
eye contact with your audience.
|
• |
Ideally,
speak extemporaneously from prepared notes. The audience will
find this more engaging than if you just read from your slides
or notes.
|
• |
Speak
loudly and speak clearly. If English is not your first language,
take extra care in speaking clearly. Mumbling your way through
your presentation will make you appear nervous and unsure
of your material, and the audience may not follow parts of
your presentation. |
|
