Presentation Techniques Course units accompanying Bachelor-, Master- and Seminar-Projects at the ICG Markus Oberweger oberweger@icg.tugraz.at Slide credits to V. Lepetit, S. Hauswiesner, M. Streit, H. Grabner, D. Schmalstieg 1
Agenda Organizational issues Planning a presentation: Topic, audience, structure Preparing a presentation: Text and slides Giving a presentation: Skills, style, Q&A 2
Schedule Scientific working Presentation techniques Part I: Mon, 02.05.2016 (10:00-12:00) in the ICG Seminar room Part II: Mon, 09.05.2016 (10:00-12:00) in the ICG Seminar room Final talks Computer Vision: 20./21.06.2016 Computer Graphics: 20./21.06.2016 See: http://www.icg.tugraz.at/courses/project Email me to register (after OK from supervisor): oberweger@icg.tugraz.at These units are mandatory! Attendance list please remind me :) 3
Task for Presentation Techniques II Prepare short presentation Max. 3 min Introduce your project English Test talk for final presentation Feedback afterward Bring USB-stick or send me the slides 4
Grading Final Presentation Evaluation criteria Content (!) Presentation style Slides Enthusiasm Audience Colleagues Project supervisor Professors 5
Planning a Presentation 6
Purpose of a Presentation Optimal communication of information and scientific results 7
Planning a Presentation Focus on the topic (What?) Analyze the audience (Who?) Structure the talk (How?) 8
What: Focus on the Topic Main idea or message of the presentation continuous chain of reasoning Should be possible to formulate as sentence Which sub-items should be covered? Which information is essential, and what can be omitted? 9
Who: Analyze the Audience Who is my audience? 10
Who: Analyze the Audience Job, education, motivation (!) What is the general background knowledge of the audience? What is the specific knowledge about the topic? What language does the audience speak? 11
How: Stages of Planning 1/2 Idea First decisions Concept Analyze the audience, aim of talk, choice of media Collect material, visualizations, structure Production Write text and notes, conduct experiments (in time!), create slides, (handouts) 12
How: Stages of Planning 2/2 Check Room, projector, where to stand Personal preparation Train critical phrases, check length Turn nervousness into positive energy Know how to handle media Practice with projector Strategy for interaction Think about possible questions and answers 13
Time Management Rule of thumb: Plan 30 minutes preparation time for each minute of presentation! 14
Structure of a Presentation Classical formula Tell the audience what you want to tell Tell them Tell them what you told Structure similar to a scientific work Introduction (context, questions answered) Related work Main part / method Results Conclusion 15
Outline Content, Agenda, Overview, No must have matter of taste, but if your talk is straight forward, I do not recommend it Do not discuss in detail! As guidance for the talk (over ~20 minutes) 16
Introduction/Motivation Put the presentation in context to problems or needs of the audience Raise the attention (now or never) Address the curiosity, tell some surprising facts, tell an anecdote Give an interesting example Show an interesting image related to topic Start with good results 17
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Related Work Can be useful to show that problem is important (many related works) or problem is new/exotic (not many references) Do not waste time here, your talk is about your work! 21
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Main Part of the Presentation Main part contains the main idea and its sub-items Important: Make connection between individual items Transitions should be logical Create thread, i.e. Roter Faden Use words as signposts: So far..., Now concerning the third item... 23
End the Presentation Prepare the audience for the end Short conclusion of the main idea Last sentence should have a positive statement and should be remembered end with a smile Thanks for your attention! Important: Do not exceed time limit! 24
Preparing a Presentation 25
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words Computer Graphics & Vision no problem 26
Slides General Notes 1/2 Slides are only an aid to support the talk No full sentences Text should be self-explanatory (Almost) every slide has a short and concise title Do not overload slides: One idea per slide 27
Slides General Notes 2/2 Proof-read slides, use spell-checker Put references where they are used E.g. [Doe/Smith ICCV'15], [Smith et al. CVPR'16] Use animations wisely, e.g. for sequences or algorithms 28
Formulas Mathematical formulas only if Absolutely necessary Really explained in detail Introduce all terms, which are known/unknown Use symbols consistently over slides, reintroduce them if used later 29
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Graphs Describe axes Bold lines Distinguishable colors Make sure audience can identify the curves 31
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Font Sans-serif for text Serif for math symbols Mono-spaced for code parts Minimal text size 18pt, title 32pt Examples The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. a²+b²=c² 33
Colors Important: High contrast! Max. 3 colors per slide Be consistent The quick brown fox... The quick brown fox... The quick brown fox... The quick brown fox... The quick brown fox... 34
Colors Important: High contrast! Max. 3 colors per slide Be consistent The quick brown fox... The quick brown fox... The quick brown fox... The quick brown fox... The quick brown fox... 35
Number of Slides Depends on Experience of speaker Content of the slide Guideline Lower boundary: ½ minute per slide More realistic: ~2 minutes per slide Keep slides hidden in reserve 36
Common Mistakes Too much information Too much text, long sentences, too much numbers, too much slides Too small font No more than 15 lines per slide Too thin lines in plots No color or too much colors Only a 1:1 copy from the scientific work E.g. huge tables with results 37
Advice Use MS PowerPoint or OO Impress, unless you have lots of math Easily draw figures Do last-minute changes See the script during presentation Do not use fancy effects Constructing slides progressively can be helpful 38
Giving a Presentation 39
Giving a Presentation 1/2 Familiarize yourself with the environment Choose position, be familiar with equipment, do not block view on slides Use your voice to transport the message Talk to whole room in a loud voice Emphasize important parts Use voice to structure sentences, separate thoughts by pauses Speak more slowly than usually (stage fright) Avoid fillers (ehm, äh, well) 40
Giving a Presentation 2/2 Use body language to transport the message Avoid nervous behavior Use supportive gestures Hands out of the pockets Keep eye contact Do not pace up and down or stand tight Speak as freely as possible Practice! Friends / family Video camera 41
What makes a good speaker? Experienced speaker talk freely, only peer on the notes sometimes Inexperienced speakers learn phrases by heart Sounds unnatural and hard to understand Weak speakers read from the paper or slides Strenuous for the audience Full audience feels concerned Be careful with jokes: Cultural differences 42
Handling Slides Show slides long enough Coordinate the transitions (Content of next slide) Render content in your own words Use laser-pointer to highlight certain parts (do not overuse) Do not talk to the slides, but to the audience! 43
Personal Well-being Why not nervous? Everybody is... Audience most likely does not notice Too much self-confidence appears arrogant Flow of words reduces stage fright Script first sentences; or if timing is very strict, script everything Clothing Important to feel well Formal attire: Only for Diploma/Master/PhD defense 44
What to do in case of a disaster? Only 15 instead of 45 minutes time Remove slides Better: Hierarchically structured talk Someone asks question for a topic which will be covered later Shortly answer question and refer to later Lose the plot in middle of sentence Excuse and restart sentence Continue (audience most likely does not register) Several persons start a collateral discussion Ask if there are any questions Make a short break 45
Q&A Usually at the end of a talk: 2 10 min., fill time slot Reasons Clarify: Second chance to explain a point Give additional information Possibility for interaction with audience Listen to full question attentively Repeat question (Compliment question and questioner) Highlight positive aspects for difficult or controversial questions Reformulate uncomfortable questions 46
Questioner Normal Short question Short answer But (observation Prof. Schmalstieg) The nerd The rival The fool 47
Chairman Welcomes the audience Introduces the speaker and the topic Thanks for the introduction. Checks the time limit Asks the audience to ask questions Leads the discussion (and stops if necessary) 48
Summary Prepare the presentation in good times Practice the talk, check setup Time the talk Successfully complete your final talks 49
Further Dates Presentation Techniques II: Next week, 09.05.2016 50
Questions? ISBN 0-387-95555-0 ISBN 0-123-69452-3 Good luck for your presentation! Attendance list! 51