CSE 788 - Summer 2008
Instructions for Oral Presentations
We will typically cover three papers in each 150
minute session. With around 15 minutes for any announcements,
one break, and the time between the presentations,
we have 45 minutes for each presentation.
This time will be divided as follows:
- Presentation, which, w/o any interruptions should last
30 minutes.
- Questions, discussion points etc, which should last
10-15 minutes. Part of these may be interspersed in the
talk, and other may be after the talk. It is expected that each
student will ask at least one question or raise a point
for discussion. If you do not ask a question, I will ask you a
question !
- 1.
- Read through the paper to be presented several times, taking notes
on the following aspects:
- What problem did the researchers investigate?
- What was their motivation?
- What approach did they take?
- How does their contribution compare with the related work?
- How did they evaluate their efforts?
- What conclusions did they make based on their evaluation?
- What limitations do they admit their approach has?
- Any other limitations that you can see?
- What do the authors see as future directions based on their work?
- Any other future directions that you can see?
- 2.
- Create an outline for a 30 minute talk on paper, focusing on
the items above.
- 3.
- Create overheads.
- 4.
- Practice your talk aloud at least twice before presenting it on your
scheduled presentation date.
- 5.
- If possible, spend 10-30 minutes going over your talk to yourself
as close to your presentation time as possible to refamiliarize yourself
with what you want to say.
- 6.
- Give your presentation to the class.
The presentation should be conducted much like the model used at a conference.
If you follow the guidelines in slide formatting, you should use no more than
20 slides for the presentation. Over 20 is too many slides.
A typical organization of a conference talk, and your presentation is:
- 1.
- Motivation of the general problem with an example or description of the
current way things are done and the limitations/problems with the current
situation. This often requires some background information to set the context.
(The general problem and motivation)
This is typically 1-2 slides.
- 2.
- Clear statement of the particular problem addressed by the authors.
(The problem statement)
This is typically 1 slide.
- 3.
- The current state of the art in addressing this particular problem:
what have other researchers done toward solving this problem? What limitations
and drawbacks do their techniques have?
(Related Work - Note: This could come later before conclusions.)
This should be no more than 2 slides.
- 4.
- A description of the approach taken by this paper or set of papers.
This can often be done by going through an example to show the techniques
developed. This should take the most slides.
(Approach)
- 5.
- A description of the experimental setup and results, if they did
experimental work.
This can be 2-4 slides depending on how much experimental work they did.
(Evaluation)
- 6.
- Conclusions based on the results, limitations of the work.
Typically, this is 1 slide.
(Discussion)
- 7.
- Future research directions.
Typically, this is 1 slide.
You can also make up one slide with discussion questions to prompt
discussion after the talk.
The most enjoyable presentations are those in which the speaker appears
to be confident and have a casual, conversation-like style, as opposed
to a speaker who is reading from the slides, screen, or notes. This comes
with practice!! If you only put phrases on the slides, and practice what
you want to say about each phrase or figure, your presentation is most likely
to be in this style. If you put full sentences on the slides, and do not
practice, it is only natural to read from the slide, and lead the audience
into naptime!
Take on the challenge of capturing the audience's attention with your
introduction, keeping them interested through your slides and
possibly some
light humor, avoiding burial in a pile of details, and teaching them the
most important points/issues about your topic.
You can do this by examples and thoughtful planning to make your
talk flow nicely from slide to slide and keep the audience always wondering
what is coming next.
- 1.
- Eye contact: You should glance around the room, making eye contact with
various people. The talk should not be directed to the ceiling, floor,
the slide projector, or only a small portion of
the class. If you do not want to look at anyone,
just look over their heads.
- 2.
- Voice: Be sure to talk at a pace that the audience can follow. Most
of us tend to talk very quickly when we are nervous. You need to consciously
be aware of how fast you are talking. Be sure to talk loud and clear enough
that people in the back of the room can hear and understand you.
If you think people are going to have trouble understanding your English,
talk slower than normal.
Each student in the class will fill out an evaluation form for each
presentation. These evaluations will be anonymous, and given to the
students as feedback at the final exam. The professor will independently
grade each oral presentation. Both the student evaluation and the
grade will be based on: the speaker's perceived understanding of the topic,
organization of the material, presentation of the material, quality of
visual aids, treatment of questions, enjoyment level of talk, and overall
effectiveness of the presentation.