This course teaches students
to teach, and give seminars, colloquia, and conference presentations. Each
student will give a talk on any physics topic of his/her choice. We will then
dissect and critique the talk. Here are some guidelines on how to make your
presentation most effective:
Make sure the laser pointer has fresh batteries
and casts a conspicuous spot. Sometimes a solid old fashioned pointer, if
available, can be better.
Test the computer and projector combination.
Ensure well in advance that all the technology is working.
Consider the location of the projector and screen
and plan where you will be standing or walking during the talk—avoid
blocking the view or casting a shadow on the screen.
Speak slowly and clearly, don’t mumble to yourself.
Make eye contact with the audience when you speak so that people can see
your facial expressions (also hearing impaired individuals need to see
your lip movements). Look at all the people in the audience, not just your
host or your friends.
Text on slides should be large and clear. Keep
the slides uncluttered and simple. Make sure figure symbols and labels are
It is sometimes appropriate to give an outline at
the beginning of the talk, especially for a very short (e.g., conference)
talk. But for longer talks, don’t give a “table-of-contents” at the
beginning of the talk. A suspense novel or thriller movie doesn’t give you
a list of people who will be murdered and at what times. Similarly your
talk should have some drama and suspense. The plot should propel itself –
each new concept should be necessitated and motivated by its preceding
Include a generous introduction. Don’t jump into
the details of your own work before ample groundwork has been laid. Don’t
use terms that have not been adequately defined earlier.
Keep the message simple. You want to get across a
few key points, not tell them about your entire life’s work. People’s
attention span and patience are lower than speakers often assume.
Connect with the audience. Try to gauge their
level (in advance, to the extent possible). During the talk itself try to
judge whether the audience is following what you are saying and adapt to
them, i.e., change your agenda of what your are going to show depending on
how the audience is digesting the material.
Avoid long detailed calculations and technical
minutia. You are not trying to prove that you can do math, nor provide a
detailed recipe for some experimental procedure. Interested members of the
audience can ask about details at the end of the talk. Tedious details can
make the talk boring, so get to the punch line.
Leave the conclusions/summary on the screen after
you are done—this gives people a chance to continue reading it while you
are answering questions.
Don’t go over time (unless it is an informal
gathering of collaborators). Remember that the people in the audience have
a life and other appointments.
reading: “A Ph.D. is not enough: A guide to survival in science” by Peter J.Feibelman