Thanks John (s) for the excellent advice. 

Maybe someone should volunteer a similarly useful do's and don'ts list for
pulp fiction writers and members of society awards committees.


alan

-----Original Message-----
From: Tectonics & structural geology discussion list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Whalley
Sent: 24 February 2006 15:17
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: (Fwd) Power Point presentations

Dear all

I've been sent the following from John Ramsay with the request that it
should be posted to Geo-tectonics. I would hope that all of us could find
some useful advice in this from the doyen of our subject.

John 
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POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS
I was at an excellent recent meeting of the Tectonics Studies Group of the
UK. The presentations were mostly good, but some of the those by students,
academic staff and commercial geologists left much to be desired. This got
me thinking how people use Power Point and especially what should be avoided
in such presentations. So I have prepared a list of comments based on my
experience that I hope might improve speaker's communication skills.
1. Most spoken presentations today are to be fitted into a 15 or 20 minute
slot which generally includes audience discussion time. It is very annoying
for the audience if this discussion time is eaten into by the speaker, and a
period of 5 minutes must be allowed for audience discussion. This means that
the picture frames to illustrate your talk must not exceed a certain number.
There is no absolute rule, but if the number of frames exceeds the number of
minutes that you will talk, you are in the danger zone.
2. In planning your talk think about the principal points that you want to
make and avoid extra "asides" that do not relate directly to the principal
ideas even though you think that they might be of interest. Such "asides"
always waste valuable time.
3. On no account try to get more visuals into each frame by packing the
overall frame with small boxes (eg showing several field exposures,
interpretations, stereo-nets etc. in the same frame) because these will not
be large enough for most of the audience to see and you might be tempted to
refer to each one individually and so infringe the idea behind point 1. This
is a particular failing of many who use Power Point.
4. Keep the information in each frame simple: avoid complicated maps,
complex groups of stereo- or equal-area nets (no matter how beautiful the
colours look!) and complicated graphical diagrams. 
Question yourself "Is it necessary to show several stereo-projections when
one would do?" and, "are projection techniques the best way of presenting
your data anyway? perhaps a simple map or block diagram might be better?"
5. Never show poor field photographs. I am often amazed that presenters
sometimes show out of focus pictures, outcrops with little or no colour
contrast, outcrops partially covered with vegetation etc. You may think that
your photograph captures reality, but be hypercritical and make sure that it
really is worthy of being shown. Poor photographic material is guaranteed to
put off an audience. 
Remember that Power Point presentations can be used to effectively overlay
an interpretation on to a photograph (axial planes of folds, fold hinge
lines, fracture patterns, movement senses on faults etc) and that white
lines on colour are usually more effective than are black lines on colour. 
6. Avoid making your points with long written sentences. There is nothing
more tedious for an audience to be expected to read line after line of small
text while those at the back of the room will have difficulty of reading any
extensive text anyway. Even if you read it yourself to the audience, you are
wasting valuable presentation time; the spoken word is much more informative
than the written word. I realise that speakers presenting talks in a
language in which they are unfamiliar may like to have the comfort of a
text, but text-laden diagrams are always a mistake. If you find it necessary
to have some text words make sure that they are big enough for the people at
the back of the room to be able to read and remember that white letters on a
black background are always easier to read that are black on white in most
darkened lecture rooms.
7. Do avoid the "Logo" background for both text and diagrams. 
Coloured logo backgrounds (no matter how "artistic" you think they might be)
detract from the material you are trying to show. I find such use of
thematic background logos one of the most infuriating features of many
current presentations. You might think it necessary at the start of a talk
to have a logo list of financial supporters etc, but in my opinion
University crests and all that junk should be definitely scrapped. And, if
you show a corporate logo then just once please and not throughout the rest
of the frames. Don't show "funny" pictures of your co-authors to try and
lighten the serious nature of your talk, you will be wasting time and such
photos often fall flat. Don't show scenic pictures unless they have a
scientific place in your discussion and do avoid those sunset pictures to
conclude your talk.
8. Before your talk find some time to understand the particular frame
changing device in the lecture room and any special features of the lighting
system that the speaker is expected to control. Avoid complex
radio-communication switching systems unless you are really used to them.
Try out any available laser-pointer device before your talk. 
Before your talk make sure that you are clipped-on to any microphone system.
Do not ever assume that your voice is sufficiently strong to carry to the
back of the lecture room without the microphone. If you only have a static
microphone system on the speaker's table remember that you must speak
directly to it, and that if you turn to face the projection screen your
voice will become inaudible or distorted.
9. Remember that the Power Point technique is ideal for running short film
sequences of actual or modelling experiments, but do keep them short, and
possibly allow time for a repeat run because a second run- through is often
very valuable for the audience.
10. Try out your talk before the meeting at a seminar-type presentation to
your colleagues and research group, keeping exactly to the timing of the
meeting to come. Get your colleagues to comment on your presentation and
listen carefully to what they suggest are good and bad points. In fact the
leader of any research group should always insist on such a pre-presentation
no matter how experienced are the speakers. It would be a good idea for the
leader himself to present a similar seminar if he plans to make a public
presentation. It is my experience that many professors and research team
leaders are complacent about their speaking talents and consequently give
some of the worst presentations at public meetings. 

John Ramsay, <[log in to unmask]>, 24 February 2006
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John Whalley
Geoscience Pathways Programme Manager
List owner - geo-tectonics 
		(http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/geo-tectonics.html)
Tel +44 23 9284 2247                                Fax +44 23 9284 2244
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences                              
University of Portsmouth
Portsmouth, PO1 3QL, UK                Email- [log in to unmask] 
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