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Oral Presentation Guidelines

• Mary Westervelt
• Technical Communication Program

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Slide Layout

• Penn logo top left
• Course team numbers, top right
• Date page number, bottom right

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Slide design

• View
• ? Master
• ?Slide Master

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General principles

• 1. Oral ? Written!
• 2. Nerves complicate things
• 3. PowerPoint isnt All

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1a. Oral isnt written

• Listeners
• Cant go back to review
• Might not catch every word
• Cant go get a cup of coffee

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1b. Oral isnt written

• Your responsibility
• Engage listeners
• Speak to listener needs
• Make organization explicit verbally
• Simplify material

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Organize, Simplify

• Use voice to highlight
• Use words to organize
• Pause appropriately
• Keep sentences short
• Use examples, paraphrase

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Example Written

• Modern science had its genesis in the study of
  motion. The classic conflict between the
  Ptolemaic and Copernican concepts of the solar
  system brought into clear focus the relative
  nature of motion, while Galileos observations on
  moving bodies, which contradicted ancient but
  unfounded beliefs, showed the power and primacy
  of measurement in the exploration of nature.
• Source Beiser, A Krauskopf, K (1964)
  Introduction to Physics and Chemistry. P.2
  Quoted in Dauer, R. (1994) Accurate English.
  P.115. Prentice-Hall Regents, USA

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Example Oral

• Early studies of motion
• Copernicus, Ptolemy movement of celestial
  bodies
• Motion is relative
• Simplest explanation probably best
• Galileo falling bodies
• Observation is key

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Body language

• Dress
• Do you feel professional?
• Wheres the audience focus?
• Voice
• Inflection great. Hysterics not great.
• Pauses help the listener sort/store information.
• Movement
• Keep breathing!
• Communicate dont distract.

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General principles

• 1. Oral ? Written!
• 2. Nerves complicate things
• 3. PowerPoint isnt All

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2. Nerves complicate things

• Helps
• Take time to prepare.
• Practice with a critical audience.

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Nerves More Helps

• Check out the space beforehand.
• Practice in that space.

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Nerves The Big Day

• Remember that youre ready.
• Breathe!
• Focus on a face or two.

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Back to the outline

• Oral ? Written
• Nerves complicate things
• Powerpoint isnt All

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3. Powerpoint isnt All

• Great slides lousy delivery disaster!

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More About Slides

• ESE Sr. Des. Website Links
• Dos and Donts of Presentation Graphics
• Sample viewgraph presentation

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Ppt vehicle You driver!

• Dont
• Read slides
• Use complex slides
• Use irrelevant or distracting slides
• Rush through slides

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Youre in charge!

• Tell listeners how each slide fits into overall
  presentation
• Text slides Use as outline
• Graphics Interpret, dont just read
• Use the b key

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Practice Slide
Source Making PowerPoint Slides, ESE Senior
Design Website
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Sample slides from 2007

• Topics
• 1. Accelerometer sensor suite
• 2. Personal memory device
• 3. Inkless color blackboard with memory

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Final Helps

• Powerpoint tips website
• Presentation Guidelines Good/bad examples
• Rubric
• TCP Communication Fellows
• http//www.seas.upenn.edu/tcp

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