BIOL3144L Presentation guidelines

For the final test in this class, you as a team will need to make a 20 min  PowerPoint presentation on the results of your research in this lab. Your team will be assigned one of the content modules, and you will present the results of your research on this module. I expect every team member to do a part of the presentation and to answer questions; it's up to you how you want to split the presentation up.

Outline
1. Presentation structure
2. Grading criteria
3. Tips for effective PowerPoint presentations

Presentation structure:
Overall, the structure of your presentation will follow the same general outline as your module paper.
1. Introduction
Start with a 3-5 min introduction describing the general ecological problem(s) you were studying, the goals of the research module and the hypotheses you've tested. Don't forget the title slide with the title of your presentation and names of all team members.

2. Materials and methods
Describe experimental design and specific methods of the study in a brief and concise manner (not more than 3-5 min). Don't forget about statistics. Focus on those methods that are important for understanding the results that you will be presenting. if you choose to omit some results from the presentation, there is no need to explain methods that were used to obtain those results.

3. Results and discussion
Describe results of your study and their interpretation. Select the most important results for the presentation; don't try to squeeze everything in. Make your results into a cohesive story; logical flow is just as important for a presentation as it is for a written paper. Indicate whether the results of your study support or reject your hypotheses. Explain why. Suggest improvements for the future studies. It is crucial that you offer your critical analysis of the results and interpretations. "Critical" does not always mean "negative"; it means thinking about your material and offering plausible explanations for the fact as opposed to merely recounting them.

4. Answering the questions.
Following the presentation, you will answer the questions from other students and the instructor related to your research. Be ready to answer all questions to the best of your knowledge and with the respect to your peers (by the way, when it will be your turn to ask questions after someone else's presentation, those should be asked politely and respectfully as well). It's OK to say "I don't know" if you don't know; just make sure you don't answer all the questions with this phrase.

Know your material cold! "Cold" means you can tell the story without looking at your slides. Practice your presentation at home and with your teammates. Keep eye contact with the audience; don't read from slides. And make sure you keep to the allotted time! If you go more than 2 min over, I will need to stop you, and this means you may not be able to present us with the most important part of all - your conclusions and criticism.

Grading criteria
Grading form in MS Word format which I use to grade your presentation.
It lists criteria taken into account when grading your presentation

List of criteria (for those who don't have MS Word):

Oral presentation (150 points total):

All evaluation items are graded on scale 4-1 (excellent to poor)

1.     Organization and Clarity  

2.     Use of Visual Aids   

3.     Avoidance of Annoying Mannerisms                       

4.    Critical Analysis of Topic                          

5.    Ability to Answer Questions    

6.    Ability to formulate and present message orally in such a way that appropriately addresses/assesses both the topic and the audience     

7.     Ability to communicate using proper grammar, syntax and vocabulary.      

8.     Ability to communicate using clear vocal techniques—especially volume, inflection, & diction     

9.    Ability to communicate by using appropriate nonverbal communication, cues that enhance the spoken message  (eye contact, posture, hand gestures, and facial expressions)    

Tips for Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentation

PPT basics in examples (highly recommended)
Creating effective visuals in PowerPoint
General Tips for an Effective PowerPoint Presentation
 

Last updated by I. Sokolova 08/21/2006

Help offered to the particularly nervous and novices J

If you feel nervous and overwhelmed with the presentation, you can send me a proposed detailed plan of your talk at least a week before presentation. The plan should be 1-1.5 pages long. Indicate which topics in which sequence you want to cover, and how much time you plan to spend on each topic. I will then go over the plan and suggest improvements to the structure of the talk (if appropriate) within 24 h. You can also schedule an appointment for me to briefly go over your slides with you and suggest improvements; this appointment also needs to be scheduled for a date at least a week in advance of your actual presentation.