What is a 15 minute presentation? The 15-minute research - - PDF document

What is a 15 minute presentation? The 15-minute research presentations provide the opportunity for participants to share highlights of their research with convention attendees. These presentations are grouped by the TOPHC program committee on similar topics, with four presentations being presented in one session. There is a five minute question and answer period after each presentation. Key features:

• 1. What do you have to say?

Have an effective ratio of the following: introduction - methods/body - results/technicalities - conclusion slides

• Allocate 2-3 minutes per slide, which gives max. 5-7 slides including the envelope (the "title" and the "end and

questions? slides). There are about 4 real content slides of which for introduction, motivation & context, and 1 to problem definition. The body gets whatever it needs, but shouldn't exceed 3 slides, with at least a single one dedicated to a sketch of a worked example.

• 2. How will your audience understand you?
• Communicate the key ideas
• Don’t get bogged down in details
• Structure your talk & use a top-down approach
• Know your audience

Be confident and prepared, this means you will focus on the big picture. What did you do, how and why did you do it, and what have you/we learned from it? The audience isn’t interested about all the details. Remember, if you can’t summarize it in a few sentences, it’s too complicated. Key features of effective presentations:

• 1. Know your audience
• a. Who is in your audience?
• i. Consider: positions/jobs/roles; demographics; learning styles; knowledge level.
• b. Why is this topic relevant to them?
• i. Target and select information that will be most useful for your audience.
• 2. Identify your objectives
• a. Why are you presenting?
• i. Are you pitching something? Teaching something? Reporting back? Trying to spur action?
• ii. What are you hoping your audience will gain from (or do after) your presentation?
• b. How does audience impact your objectives?
• i. Ensure that your objectives match your audience’s needs, capacities, level of background

knowledge, and interests.

• c. Prioritize your objectives

Prepared by Elisabeth Marks January, 2015 1

• i. One presentation cannot cover everything.
• ii. Are there other ways or opportunities to convey important information to your audience?
• 3. Frame your content
• a. How will you make your presentation matter to your audience?
• i. Give your audience a reason to listen and to care about what you are presenting.
• b. How can you engage your audience?
• i. Frame your presentation to tell a story.
• 4. Plan your presentation
• a. Structure: how should you organize your presentation?
• i. Background/context;  objectives  information/content  conclusion.
• ii. Provide signposts for where you are in the presentation.
• b. Content: what do you need to include in your presentation?
• i. Prioritize the information you present based on your audience and your objectives.
• ii. Make sure content is at an appropriate level and depth for your audience.
• iii. Consider using handouts for additional information.
• iv. Be careful of trying to squeeze too much information in one presentation.
• c. Tools/multimedia: what can help you deliver your presentation and convey the information to your

audience?

• i. Use slides or visuals to enhance what you’re saying; slides are for the audience, not for the

presenter 5. Practice a. Know your content i. Make sure you fully understand what you are presenting. b. Know your presentation ii. Practice, practice, practice. Out loud. Several times. iii. Your goal is to be able to focus on the delivery—not the content—when you give your presentation. c. Check your timing iv. Time yourself and adjust your presentation as needed. v. Do not spend too much time on the background or objectives. vi. Leave time for questions. 6. Deliver a great presentation

• a. Body language
• ii. Maintain an open stance and upright posture. Do not cross your arms or legs.
• iii. Smile.
• iv. Use hand gestures for emphasis, but try to minimize fidgeting or excessive use of props (e.g., laser

pointer, pen).

• b. Tone
• v. Speak clearly with a confident voice.
• vi. Avoid upspeak/uptalk, monotone, and low volume.
• vii. Try to minimize verbal crutches (e.g., um, ah, basically, you know).
• c. Engagement
• viii. It is okay to be nervous – try to use it to bring energy into your presentation.
• ix. Deliver your presentation in a natural, relatable way. Use humour if it comes naturally.
• x. Maintain energy throughout your presentation.
• xi. Make eye contact and shift that eye contact to different people in your audience.
• xii. Think about ways your audience can participate (if appropriate).
• d. Be yourself
• xiii. Speak naturally, in your personal style; don’t become someone else.
• xiv. Draw from your own experiences to illustrate/enhance your talk.
• e. Pacing
• xv. Slow down! Most people speak too quickly when nervous.
• xvi. If you run out of time: do not rush through the rest of your presentation; tell your audience you will

“leave it there, but can provide more information to anybody who is interested”.

• f. Thank people
• xvii. Don’t forget to thank: your team and collaborators; anybody who contributed to the presentation;

event organizers; audience for listening/participating.

• g. Taking questions
• xviii. Listen openly to the question and do not get defensive.
• xix. It may be helpful to jot down key words to help frame an answer.
• xx. Take a few seconds to collect your thoughts before you respond.

Sample 15 minute presentation (just for consideration) Time from the start Activity Educational objective 0-1 minutes Introduction and outline of the session. Orientation and sets the stage. 1-4 minutes Background on the topic, why it is important, relevant literature, local context. All this should build to the research question or definition of the phenomenon under study Provides audience with background context and question 4-7 minutes Description of data/information collection and methods of

• analysis. This can include use of

theory and/or perspective as appropriate. Description of methods 7 – 10 minutes Description of the results. Results. 10-12 minutes Interpretation of results. This should link back to the background and contextual information provided earlier. Answer the so-what question and provide relevant interpretations and comments. 13-15 minutes Conclusions and answering the question or description of the

• phenomenon. Ideally, include a

take-home message. If you are fast and have a minute left, do a quick recap based on the

• utline.

Interactive portion. Allow for questions of clarification first to make sure the audience understands the points. Then move

• n to discussion. You do not want a discussion based on

misunderstandings. 15 minutes Session moderator will stop you 15-20 minutes Discussion time. Time for discussion and comments. If you are expecting 1-2 questions, you can prepare a slide or two in reserve to address them. If you have comments or questions, please send them to tophc@oahpp.ca