Effective Mechanical Engineering Presentations

1
Effective Mechanical Engineering Presentations

• Denny Coon
• Feb. 20, 2002

9 words
2
Effective Mechanical Engineering Presentations

• On-line Resources
• 10 Commandments
• Summary

• Important?
• Characteristics
• Visuals
• Mechanics

28 words
3
Why Give an Effective Presentation?

• Good Oral Presentation Skills
• Can be learned by anyone
• Will reflect positively on speaker
• UW ME Educational Objective
• Solve open ended problems
• Effectively communicate the solution

31 words
4
Important Presentation Characteristics

• Purpose
• Message?
• Audience
• Their level and interests
• Make it interesting!

• Approach
• Agree with message
• Time Limit

34 words
5
Important Presentation Characteristics

• Purpose
• Message?
• Audience
• Their level and interests
• Make it interesting!

• Approach
• Agree with message
• Time Limit

34 words
6
Key Elements of Visuals

• Organization
• Background Color
• Font
• Amount of Information
• Graphics

12 words
7
Key Elements of VisualsOrganization

• The rule of Tellem
• Tellem what youre going to tellem
• Tellem
• Tellem what you just toldem

• Logical flow
• Title
• Outline Intro
• Details
• Summary

29 words
8
Key Elements of VisualsBackground Color

• Contrasting Colors
• Clear and clean text
• Dark background with light text
• Avoid nauseating combinations
• Avoid pastels wash out on projection

26 words
9
Nauseating Combination!
10
Key Elements of VisualsFont

• No more than 2 font types
• Use bold and Italic strategically
• Able to read from back row
• Font size proportional to importance

27 words
11
Key Elements of VisualsAmount of Information

• KISS
• No more than 7 lines per slide
• No more than 7 words per line
• Bullets and Keywords
• No faster than 1 minute per slide

32 words
12
Key Elements of VisualsAmount of Information

• Keep it Simple Stupid! KISS
• If audience is concentrating too hard on the
  visuals, they sometimes miss the message that you
  are trying to convey
• To many lines in the visual cause the audience to
  experience confusion no more than 7 lines per
  slide
• Long strings of text can cause visual overload -
  No more than 7 words per line
• Generally, text elements can be simplified
  dramatically. If you combine verbal discussion
  with visual elements, this simplification does
  not result in loss of message - Bullets and
  Keywords
• Rapidly progressing through the visuals can
  result in delayed processing of your message. It
  is always preferred to keep the audience in sync
  with your discussion - No faster than 1 minute
  per slide

126 words
13
Key Elements of VisualsGraphics

• Dont assume the audience understands graphic
• Explain key elements (symbols, axes, etc.)
• Explain the significance
• PowerPoint effects

22 words
14
Presentation Mechanics

• Dress
• Mannerisms
• You are the expert!
• Dont read slides
• Dont read notes

• Eye Contact
• Avoid Laser Light Shows!
• Learn to mask nerves

22 words
15
On-Line Resources

• Important Design Concepts (Psychology Department
  Columbia University)
• Creating Effective Presentations (University of
  South Dakota)
• Effective Presentations (Office of Sponsored
  Research UCLA)
• Guidelines for Presentations (American Water
  Works Association)
• Guidelines for Presentations (American Society of
  Primatologists)

37 words
16
On-Line Resources

• Presentation Tips (Physics Department Rice
  University)
• Effective Oral Presentations (Business
  Administration Northeastern University
• Making Effective Presentations (Western
  Association for Art Conservation Stanford
  University)
• How to Give a Bad Talk! (Computer Science
  Department University of Wisconsin)

38 words
17
10 Commandments of a Bad Talk

• Thou shalt not be neat
• Thou shalt not waste space
• Thou shalt not covet brevity
• Thou shalt cover thy naked slides
• Thou shalt not write large

32 words
18
10 Commandments of a Bad Talk

• 6) Thou shalt not use color
• 7) Thou shalt not illustrate
• 8) Thou shalt not make eye contact
• 9) Thou shalt not skip slides
• 10) Thou shalt not practice

30 words
19
Effective PresentationsSummary

• Mechanics
• On-line Resources
• 10 Commandments

• Importance
• Characteristics
• Visuals

28 words