five things you can do right now to make your presentation a little bit better
DESCRIPTION
I used these slides as part of a webinar aimed at improving presentations at scientific conferences and workshops. I'll post a link to the video once it's available! _______________ The ability to deliver effective and engaging oral presentations is a critical skill for scientists in all disciplines. Unfortunately, despite the importance of clear communication, too many presentations at conferences and workshops are confusing, abstract and boring. In this seminar, Scott St. George (University of Minnesota) and Andy Frassetto (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) will share a few tips that could make your professional presentations just a little bit better. In less than 30 minutes, Scott and Andy will talk s presentation planning, the differences between a good and bad visual aid, and point you towards several outstanding online resources. Become a presentation superstar!TRANSCRIPT
Five things you can do right now to make your presentations a li!le bit be!er.
Sco! St. George, University of Minnesota
16 JANUARY 2003
Source: NASA
Source: NASA
... it is easy to understand how a senior manager might read this PowerPoint slide and not realize that it addresses a life-threatening situation. “ ”
Columbia Accident Investigation BoardAugust 2003
THIRTY MILLION
ACCORDING TO MICROSOFT, AT LEAST
POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS ARE MADE EVERY DAY.
Source: Ian Parker, The New Yorker, May 28, 2001
THE USE OF THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION HAS BEEN A DISASTER.
Prof. John SwellerUniversity of New South Wales
IT SHOULD BE DITCHED.“ ”
??
? ?
5THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO MAKE YOUR PRESENTATIONS A LITTLE BIT BETTER
?Someone just asked you
to deliver a presentation.
DO FIRST?WHAT DO YOU
We don’t know where we get our ideas from. We do know that we do not get them from our laptops.“ ”
John Cleese
TIP ONEUnplug.
Source: Kurt Groetsch
TIP TWOMove your notes off-screen
Concluding Remarks
• Slow-axis anisotropy trends approximately NE-SW at the base of the crust.
• These findings are consistent with model for C-S fabric imparted by bottom to the SW shear
• Receiver functions show trademark signs of significant crustal anisotropy adjacent to the Central Sierra Nevada.
• Does lithosphere-scale deformation and removal leave an imprint on the crust? Can we detect these “delamination scars”?
Yes
“ ”WORDSWORDSWORDS
HamletAct 2, Scene 2
.
?What is the average reading speed for a literate adult (words per minute?)
Anatomical signatures from riparian trees can be used to extend flood records by several hundred years.
Flood hazards and tree rings
In the Red River basin, shifts in annual precipitation of roughly ten percent altered flood risks significantly during the last 350 years. Geological processes are not affecting flood hazards at relevant timescales.
The current design flood for the Red River valley was produced by an exceptional combination of extensive flooding in the northeastern Great Plains and unusual spring weather across central North America.
Paleoflood Records for the
Red River, Manitoba, Canada
Pictures beat text... because reading is so ine!cient for us. We have to identify certain features in the le"ers to be able to read them. That takes time.“ ”
Dr. John MedinaBrain Rules
Source: Amy Luxbacher
Source: Amy Luxbacher
3Do climate-sensitive trees (and other proxies) transform climate signals in predictable ways?
TIP THREEDesign for the back row.
“ ”I KNOW YOU
BUT...CAN’T SEE THIS,
MAKE IT BIG
MAKE IT BIG
Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada• Lake Winnipeg is the 11th largest
freshwater lake in the world
• The lake’s watershed includes territory in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Minnesota and North Dakota
• Its tributaries include the Saskatchewan, Red, Winnipeg and Assiniboine Rivers.
• The lake drains northward into the Nelson River and contributes to Hudson Bay.
Drowned stumps along the foreshore of Lake Winnipeg
April 10, 2013IRIS Presentation Webinar
Depth StacksA) BR low elevations
B) BR core complexes (high elevation, highly deformed)
C) ATZ/CP (high elevation, mostly undeformed)
D) Volcanic fields (high elevation, recent activity)
Major changes in crust, upper mantle seismic character from BR to CP
A Live View
TIP FOURBe design-ful
Source: Buzz Anderson
0
2500
5000
7500
10000
Texa
s
Iow
a
Cali
forn
ia
Was
hing
ton
Min
neso
ta
Ore
gon
Illin
ois
New
York
Col
orad
o
Nor
th D
akot
a
1,2031,2441,2741,5571,7581,8101,8492,798
3,604
9,403
Win
d en
ergy
cap
acit
y (M
W)
State
Installed wind capacity in the United States
IRIS Presentation Webinar, April 10, 2013
Source: American Wind Energy Association
0
2,500
5,000
7,500
10,000
Texas Iowa California Washington Minnesota Oregon Illinois New York Colorado North Dakota
Installed wind capacity (megawa!s)
really decadalnot that
decadal
St. George and Ault, Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, 2011
FONTSWHICH
SHOULD YOU
CHOOSE?
I hear Comic Sans
is a classy font.
?When should you use Comic Sans?
Never never never never never never nevernever never never never never never nevernever never never never never never nevernever never never never never never nevernever never never never never never nevernever never never never never never nevernever never never never never never nevernever never never never never never nevernever never never never use Comic Sans.
Hel
h"p://bestphotoshoptutorials.net/2009/03/19/40-examples-of-beautiful-typography-in-advertising-design/
SMOKING REDUCES WEIGHT(one lung at a time)
THROUGH THE TREESTHE STORY OF PRAIRIE DROUGHT TOLD BY TREE RINGS
http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/NaturalFlow/current.html
0
12,500,000
25,000,000
37,500,000
50,000,000
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Population Growth of Colorado River Basin 1900-2000
CaliforniaOther 6 Basin States Combined
Population
Golf course in Las Vegas photo: K.Dewey, High Plains Climate Center
Low flow conditions since 2000 have coincided with increased consumption from a rapidly growing population and new demands for water for ecosystem health and recreation. Increases in consumptive use are projected to continue.
Slides are free!
SIMPLICITY IS THE
ULTIMATE SOPHISTICATION
“ ”Leonardo da Vinci
TIP FIVEGet to the point
?How long can you expect to keep your audience’s attention?
The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.“Voltaire
”
YOUR PROCESS OF DISCOVERY!DON’T DRAG ME THROUGH
In rock music, you have to burn from the first bar.“ ”Sting
??
? ?
You must unlearn what you have learned.Yoda
“ ”
Plan your talk on paper first.
Move your notes o# the screen.
Create visual aids that work for the back row.
Be mindful of basic design principles.
Get to the point.
5THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO MAKE YOUR PRESENTATIONS A LITTLE BIT BETTER
David Montgomery University of Washington
h"p://www.slideshare.net/treubold
The A!of Scientific Presentationspractical lessons for talking to your peers and the public
h"p://umn.edu/~stgeorge
