Structure of a 10-minute Oral Scientific Presentation, Lecture notes of Microbiology

Download Structure of a 10-minute Oral Scientific Presentation and more Lecture notes Microbiology in PDF only on Docsity! Structure of a 10-minute Oral Scientific Presentation •  Title •  Background •  Methods •  Results •  Discussion •  Acknowledgments •  Question and answer period Title Slide (10-15 sec) •  Title should include – Subject – Location – Time period •  Your name •  Your affiliation •  Appropriate logos •  Say “Good morning / afternoon / evening” Methods (1-2 min) •  Usually a few slides •  Describe study design(s) •  Describe study groups and why selected •  Say what laboratory tests were used Results (3-4 min) •  Usually several slides •  Emphasize most important findings •  Describe characteristics of study participants, animal cohort, etc •  Include descriptive results and analytic results •  Use mixture of text, tables, figures, photos as appropriate to your data Discussion (2-3 min) •  Interpretation of findings –  Don’t repeat results –  Prioritize findings from most to least important –  Link findings to study objectives –  Put findings into context with previous studies •  Limitations slide (only the important ones) •  Conclusions slide(s) based on your findings •  Recommendations slide(s) –  Directions for future studies Effective Slides… •  Are uncluttered, clear, visible •  Don’t distract the audience •  Use informative titles – “Characteristics of Study Participants” – “Risk Factors for Illness” –  Not “Results 1, “Results 2” •  Use bolded, sans serif font (Arial, Tahoma) •  Have simple, high-contrast, consistent color schemes Color-Blind “Friendly” Presentations •  Avoid red-green color combinations •  If must use red, use yellowish red (R=255 / G=82 / B=0) instead of pure red •  Avoid red characters / lines on dark background •  Make text and lines as big or thick as practical •  Use high-contrast color scheme Recommended Fonts and Sizes •  Sans serif font, all titles and text bolded •  For Arial (bolded): –  Titles 36 pt –  Main bullets 28 pt –  Sub-bullets 28 pt if room, otherwise 24 pt –  Avoid sub-sub bullets (re-format) •  Keep text / title size consistent across slides –  Stop PowerPoint from changing text size as you type –  Go to Tools, AutoCorrect –  Uncheck “Autofit body/title text to placeholder” Photos and Clip Art — Tips •  Should serve a purpose •  No copyrighted materials without permission •  No photos of identifiable people unless release •  No photos of your kids or your pets •  Clip art cautions – Simplest is most effective – Check in Slide Show to make sure it is not animated Tips on Delivering Oral Presentations Preparation Tips •  Use script, flesh out bullet pts into sentences •  Practice is the key to making sure it doesn’t sound scripted •  Print your script in large enough type (14-16 pt) –  Check script size in Notes Master or Notes view –  Print one slide and accompanying script per page •  Time your presentation •  If you used “Rehearse slide timings” feature, go to Slide Show, Set Up Show, and uncheck “Advance slides using timings if present” Question & Answer Period: Don’ts •  Don’t fumble for extra slides •  Don’t be defensive even if question hostile •  Don’t ask “Did that answer your question?” •  Don’t thank the questioner for the question •  Don’t rate the question •  Don’t back away from the podium as if poison •  Don’t hang on to podium as if life-preserver Take-Home Messages •  Decide type of data and the point you want to convey, then choose the visual accordingly (text, table, graph, chart, etc.) •  Well organized, practiced presentation with clear, effective slides (when used) reinforces your message and helps you communicate effectively •  Good science is more important than glitz THANK YOU!