How to Give a Talk

Amy Bruckman

Start with a Story

• Not a joke• If you can’t think of a good one, don’t use

one• Should be evocative of broader themes

Outline

– Next, give an outline of the rest of the talk• I’ll give general advice for giving a talk

– Not all of this is relevant for this class

– Outline:• Preparation

– Considering the audience– Making good slides– Practice talk

• Delivery– Answering questions

• Demos

Consider Your Audience

• Different talks for different people– Level of knowledge

– Reason for being interested

• Humanities vs. engineering

Structure

• This is what I’m going to say– Introduce the problem

– Why the problem is important

• This is what I’m saying– What you did

– What results you got

• This is what I just said– Remember to summarize the main point

Beware of Technical Problems

• Bring paper printout of slides– Review privately before talk starts– May need to look at paper instead of screen as you talk– Use in emergency

• If you use their machine, how will you get your file onto it?– USB flash drive is best option (or CD)– Putting a copy online is a good backup

• Getting a local Internet connection often won’t work

• Do technological setup in advance!

Slide Preparation

• Don’t use lots of fancy PowerPoint effects

• Use consistent capitalization

• Check spelling

• Don’t cram too much on each slide– Include general talking points, not complete content

• Beware of using non-standard fonts– Fine if you’re presenting from your own machine

Use a Big Font

• This is 24 point. I almost never use smaller than this.• This is 18 point. You can get away with it sometimes, but don’t go any smaller.• This is 14 point—way too small.

• Why put it up if no one can see it?

Do a Practice Talk

• Ask your friends to be critical• Check your timing

– Two minutes/overhead is usually right

– Don’t try to cram in too much

• Videotape yourself

Delivery Don’ts

• Don’t read your overheads verbatim– Your audience can read

• Don’t block the projector/sight lines• Don’t fumble with your paper copy

– Check for a comfortable place to put it down

Answering Questions

• Make sure you understand the question• Pause before answering• Don’t know?

– Suggest how you would investigate– Ask questioner his/her ideas

• Too complicated?– Suggest the beginning part of an answer

• Put slides back up to help answer

Dealing with Hostile Questions

• Don’t pick up on their tone– Don’t be intimidated

– Don’t barbecue them

Demos

• Set up in advance, on the actual hardware to be used

• Have backup slides of screen shots• Rehearse

– Check timing

• Narrate what people can’t see

Acknowledgments

• Summarize the main point• Thank appropriate people

– People at practice talk

– Users

– Collaborators