PHYS 510 - Oral Presentation Format

Latest Modification: January 21, 2008

Oral presentations for PHYS 510 should be guided by the following restrictions and suggestions. An important point is that the presentation should adhere to a reasonable level of professional decorum.

Restrictions to be observed are as follows:

  1. It is not necessary for all members of a team to participate in a given presentation. However, every member of the team should participate in approximately the same number of presentations over the semester.
  2. The first speaker should always introduce themselves, identify the team making the presentation, and give the title or subject of the talk.
  3. The talk should be organized and structured so as to cover the relevant points without rambling. Be concise and do not try to cover too much material in the allotted time.
  4. The talk should be accompanied by overhead slides or PowerPoint presentations. The slides should be a summary of points being discussed or results being presented.
  5. Minimize the use of the black board during the presentation with the exception of responding to a question that could not have been anticipated.
  6. Accept questions from the audience during and after the presentation.

Suggestions for maximizing information conveyed in your presentation.

  1. If more than one person is speaking, know exactly where one portion of the talk ends and the next begins. Make the transition from one speaker to the next smoothly by having the first speaker introduce the second speaker.
  2. Do not try to move through the material too fast. Cut down the amount of material to be covered if necessary.
  3. The presentation slides should not be clustered with words or equations. They should be in outline form and each one should have a title on the top. One should spend at least two to three minutes on each slides. Go slow.
  4. Although one may show complex mathematical equations, do not attempt to explain them in detail unless their explanation is the pivotal point of the talk. In general, a good diagram provides a more concise and understandable explanation of an equation's behavior than does consideration of the equation by itself.
  5. Terminate the talk by asking for addition questions.