INTRODUCTION
Good visual aids can greatly enhance the effect your
presentation has on the audience. Experience at past conferences
has shown that many of the oral presentations have not been adequately
prepared. Often an attempt was made to present too much material
and too much detail. Visual aids, the primary means to hold audience
attention, were often poorly conceived and inadequately prepared.
It is our hope that these guidelines will help you prepare a better
visual presentation.
At most SCS Conferences, the plans call for the nominal
session to run 1 1/2 to 2 hours without a break and to include
three or four papers. This leaves 30 minutes (short paper) or
45 minutes (long paper) per presentation, of which 2-3 minutes
will be consumed by introductions. As 8 minutes are desired for
questions and discussion, then 19 minutes (short) or 34 minutes
(long) will remain for actual presentation.
REMEMBER, your entire
paper is published in the Proceedings. Your objective in the oral
presentation should be to describe the highlights of your paper,
progress since the paper was written, and future plans. Do NOT
plan to present the paper in its entirety in 19 minutes, or to
read it!
PREPARATION OF PRESENTATION
BASIC ORGANIZATION
The most significant constraint facing you as a speaker
is the time limit for your presentation. As described above, presentations
are nominally allotted 19 minutes, followed by questions and a
brief discussion. You can probably speak about 2000 words during
this time period; far less than the size of your paper.
This time limit also restricts the number of concepts
or major technical points that you can make and expect your audience
to absorb. As a guideline, it is suggested that you limit yourself
to no more than 10 technical points.
Logically linked by the theme of your paper, each
of these technical points can be expressed as a declarative statement,
substantiated with supporting material. Though the selection of
no more than 10 significant points may seem like a great hardship,
it will enhance the audience appreciation of your paper by focusing
on the most significant information.
VISUAL AIDS
The best way to present material in a limited time
period is to use well-conceived visual aids that support each
of the points to be made. As a first approximation, the speaker
should PLAN FOR Overhead Foils or ONE SLIDE OR "VIEWING
FRAME" FOR EACH OF THE 10 TECHNICAL POINTS that he plans
to present.
Visual aids significantly simplify the presentation
task. They simultaneously focus the audience attention and cue
you as the speaker. You should plan to speak to all the material
on a slide (or it shouldn't be there) before amplifying a single
item.
In general, you should plan to include no more than six supporting concepts on each slide presenting one of your technical points. If there are more, simply select the most pertinent. Remember once again, your visual aids are not a complete reconstruction of your manuscript. The full story appears in the Proceedings and visual aids are only attention-focusing cues for the most interesting highlights.
TIMING
You can expect to speak about SIX SENTENCES PER
SLIDE, WHICH NORMALLY RUNS ABOUT 120 WORDS OR ONE SPOKEN MINUTE.
Since you have ten slides, your basic presentation will run ten
minutes. This provides you with 8 minutes to title, identify,
and summarize your basic material, recognizing that audience receptiveness
peaks at the beginning and conclusion of each talk.
SPEAKER ATTITUDE AND SPONTANEITY
The primary advantage for the speaker who organizes
his presentation in this manner is that he can approach his audience
with the assurance that HE/SHE CAN EASILY AND EFFECTIVELY PRESENT
THE SALIENT POINT IN HIS/HER PAPER.
Since the speaker is cued by his/her slides, and
since he/she certainly can speak on any of the technical points
he has selected for at least one minute, he/she no longer needs
a written speech or even prepared notes. Thus, a measure of spontaneity
can enter our technical presentations.
DEVIATIONS FROM GUIDELINES
The final decision-maker on timing of presentations
is the Session Chairman, subject to the constraint that he MUST
complete all papers in the session within the time allotted. Any
deviations from these guidelines should be approved by the chair.
Projectors. Each
meeting room will be equipped with a 35mm slide projector and
an overhead unit for 8 1/2 x 11 or A4 transparencies. Glass slides
are not permitted because they tend to jam carousel projectors.
Video Equipment.
Video presentations can be arranged for. Participants who wish
to make avail of the opportunity must notify the conference organizers
at least TWO MONTHS before the actual event.
Microphones/Amplification Equipment.
This will be available for every meeting room whenever necessary.
Computers. Speakers
bringing microcomputers for demonstration during their session
should notify the conference organizers at least TWO MONTHS
in advance of the meeting so that a table and power will be available.
Speakers are responsible for their computer systems. SCS accepts
no liability for them.
Phone Hookups.
Please contact the organizers at least THREE WEEKS before
the conference. We suggest you bring your own handset. If you
don't you must make separate arrangements for them.