Questions To Be Answered by A Scientific Presentation
Questions To Be Answered by A Scientific Presentation
October 8, 2002 Department of Computer Science, Graduate Seminar Facilitator: Jason Harrison <[email protected]> As a graduate student in Computer Science you will have many opportunities to give a presentation on your, or others, work to your peers and faculty. Your presentation may be given in your research lab, a graduate course, an undergraduate tutorial or lab session, a conference presentation or a poster presentation. The goal of this seminar is to provide you with some tools to help you design and deliver your presentation.
This next set of questions from Barbara Loms reading guidelines at www.bio.davidson.edu/Biology/balom/362/362jclub.html
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Next set of questions from Journal of Graphics Tools reviewer guidelines. October 8, 2002 1
Purposes of presentations
At the same time you consider the specific purpose of your presentation, you may want to pick a generic presentation purpose to help you guide the design of your presentation. These are the main presentation purposes. 1. Informative An informative presentation is brief and to the point. Present the facts and avoid complicated information. Present the information using either a logical, temporal, geographical or cause and effect structure. 2. Instructional An instructional presentation leaves the participants with a new skill. You may have to cover the topic thoroughly and design activities for the participants to attempt to use their new knowledge and new skills. 3. Arousing An arousing presentation makes people think about a problem or situation. You may be trying to get their active support or just their understanding. Arousing presentations use vivid language and visuals, they are often emotional and a bit manipulative. But never cold hearted 4. Persuasive A persuasive presentation attempts to convince the audience to accept your proposal or solution to a controversy, dispute, or problem. You must convince the audience that you have fully examined the problem and all solutions, and have selected or produced the best solution possible. You may need to directly address alternative solutions. You may need to use logic, evidence and emotion. 5. Decision-making As with persuasive presentations, in a decision-making presentation you have a suggested action that you want your audience to take. However, they could decide to do nothing. You must convince them to carry out your requests, and how to do so. You should also tell them the consequences of doing nothing. While scientific presentations tend to be either informative or instructional, they often include elements of the arousing, persuasive and decision-making presentation purposes. For example, why is the problem (and solution) you are presenting interesting? Why should your audience accept your solution? Given two alternatives, which should they choose to solve problem X? Scientific Presentation Planning October 8, 2002 2
Opening/Hook/Bridge
Pre-assessment of Audience
Time
Presenter
Media
Audience/Participants
Closing
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From UBCs Presentation Skills Workshop manual, December 1998 October 8, 2002 6
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October 8, 2002