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Presenting a paper at a club meeting
or regional or national convention can be fun. But do
not feel obliged to present a talk just because you
are asked or an organization calls for papers. If you
do decide to present a paper, the following guidelines
may help you in your effort.
Preparation
Select your subject carefully. Not
only must it be one on which you can speak authoritatively,
it must be on in which the expected audience has an
interest as well. Keep the intended audience in mind
throughout your preparation and gear the technical level
within their grasp. Remember, you are trying to pass
on information and stimulate interest, not impress the
audience with the depth of your knowledge.
Plan to talk for five minutes less
than the allowed time. Decide how many points you can
cover within this reduced time. Make an outline with
those points as the major headings. Rearrange them until
they follow in a logical order. Only then should you
begin to write the connecting material which will make
up the bulk of your presentation. Research any details
of which you are not absolutely certain (and even to
check some of the details of which you are certain!).
Prepare a 100-200 word abstract of
your planned talk. The abstract should cover the major
points and conclusions that you plan to present. If
prepared before writing your paper, the abstract, together
with your outline, will help you keep to the themes
you want to discuss. The program and publicity chairs
will find your abstract helpful when they publicize
the event, too.
Remember the teacher's rule-of-thumb,
"Start by telling them what you're going to tell them.
Then tell them. End by telling them what you've just
told them." This technique is proven effective and the
audience will come away secure in the knowledge they
have gained.
Illustrations
Always prepare your illustrations
ahead of time. Unless you are very proficient, you will
not be able to talk effectively with your back to the
audience while you attempt to draw your concepts on
a board. Your illustrations may be pre-drawn on poster
board, copied onto 35mm slides or onto overhead projection
transparencies.
Photographic slides must be of highest
quality. A slide that is too dark or too light does
more harm than good as the audience struggles to make
out the details.
Color can emphasize key areas, but
do not over use colors or they will become distracting.
Avoid colors far apart in the spectrum, e.g., red and
blue, together. Near- and far-sighted members of the
audience will have difficulty focusing on both of them.
If your illustrations include tables
of data, avoid presenting too much information in a
single table. The data will run together and your audience
will lose interest rather than try to hunt for the key
information. Highlight the key data and include only
a few other examples.
Presentation
Speak loudly and clearly. Continually
scan the room so you appear to be speaking directly
to each member of the audience. If you are using a microphone,
find the proper position for your head and try to stay
as close as possible. Be particularly careful when turning
away toward your illustrations: don't talk while you
are facing away from the microphone.
If you use a projection pointer, rest
your elbow on the podium or table or press your forearm
to your side. This will help keep the pointer steady.
If using an overhead projector, lay a pencil directly
on the transparency to point out information. A constantly
jiggling pointer distracts your audience and makes them
think you are nervous and uncertain of your topic.
Unless it is absolutely necessary,
minimize the development of mathematical formulae. The
steps are not before the audience long enough to be
copied or memorized and the development will detract
from the main point: your conclusion. It is better to
prepare the development in hard copy, either to hand
out or to include in a published form of the paper.
If your paper is prepared completely
in advance and you plan to read it, be sure to type
it double spaced with clear, black letters. If you use
a word processor, choose a font that is easy for you
to read. Have extra copies available for interested
individuals or the editor of the proceedings, if one
is to be published. You may elect to have two written
versions: one from which you read your presentation,
and one for hand-out or publication which contains more
technical detail or mathematical development.
If you speak extemporaneously, have
a well-arranged outline or notes to be certain that
you do not miss important points. Stick to your notes
and avoid the temptation to ramble on about a few points
and then fail to cover others as your time runs out.
After your presentation, ask yourself
how you could have improved the talk. Make a few notes
and refer to them the next time you are asked to speak.
Soon, you'll be speaking like a pro.
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