PHOP 6160

Physiological Optics & Vision Science

Instructors: Dr. Lisa Ostrin & Dr. Vijay Raghunathan

Dr. Nimesh Patel

https://www.opt.uh.edu/onlinecoursematerials/PHOP6160/

Agenda

• Course objectives

• Purpose

• Course requirements

• Presentation schedule

• Tips on giving an effective presentation

Course Objectives

• Write an ARVO-style abstract on the research to be

presented

• Develop a scientific power-point presentation

• Deliver scientific presentations to an audience of

scientists with a variety of backgrounds

• Formulate and ask questions for the speaker

• Critically evaluate presentations and offer constructive

feedback

Why Bother Giving a Good Talk

• First impressions matter!

• It’s important to tell others about your work and its

significance

– Advertises you & your lab

– Builds reputation

– Helps promote your career

Communication during your Career

Why Bother Giving a Good Talk

• Good practice for any career

• Can serve as a tool to help you organize your ideas

and work

What they have in common:

• Focus on a clear message

• All of them are a reflection of you!

Course Requirements: When you are presenting!

1. Identify a research topic/paper for presentation

2. Write an independent abstract

3. Submit by Noon on the Friday before your presentation:

• Finalized independent abstract

• Complementary research article

• NIH style Biosketch

4. Seminar Length

>2nd year students: ~40 minutes

1st year students: ~25 minutes

Abstract

Requirements:

1. Use ARVO format headings of Purpose, Methods, Results,

Conclusions and Support

2. The maximum abstract length is 2500 characters,

including title and the abstract body

3. Do not copy the abstract from a paper you are presenting.

Please write your own

Be personable taking questions

• First, repeat the question

• If you don’t know the answer say “I don’t know, I will have to look into that.”

• If the questioner disagrees with you and it looks like there will be an argument, defuse the situation (Moderator can help)

• Never insult the questioner

Course Requirements: when NOT presenting

1. Before the seminar, submit a written question that you

could ask the speaker

2. End of the seminar, complete/submit an evaluation form

3. Ask at least two questions of any speaker in each semester

of seminar

The Moderator’s Job

• Introduce the speaker

– Purpose: prepare the audience and heighten their anticipation

• Control the question period at the conclusion of the talk

– Sequence: Begin by soliciting questions from the students, and then the faculty

– Be prepared to ask the first question

– Be prepared to move the questioning along if necessary

• Thank the speaker at the conclusion of their talk and at the end of the question period

How to Introduce a Speaker

• Resist relying on memory

– Gather information from the speaker (biosketch and informal interview)

– Draft your remarks in bullet form and talk from them

• Incorporate 3 elements

– Speaker’s name, credentials, topic and its importance to the audience

• Keep it brief and complementary

– Give the audience some information that will make them want to listen to the speaker

How to Introduce a Speaker

• Humanize the speaker

– Tell the audience something interesting about the speaker that you’ve learned (from the biosketch or informal interview)

• Resist clichés

– “Without further ado.....” OR “A speaker who needs no introduction....”

– Instead use: “It gives me great pleasure to present.....” OR “Please join me in welcoming.....”

Finally, what to do if you are being introduced

• Appear interested and attentive

– Don’t study your fingernails or seem engrossed in your notes

– Be sure to look happy to be there

Attendance is Mandatory

What happens if you get an excused absence?

1. Attend another lecture series

2. Complete a 500 word summary of the presentation

3. Complete seminar evaluation form

FALL Semester 2016

SPRING Semester 2017

Nervous???

Preparation is key!

Preparation is key!

Questions?

Powerpoint basics:

1. What font to use

AVOID USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

BECAUSE IT’S REALLY HARD TO READ!

Powerpoint basics:

2. Color

Dark letters against a light background work.

Powerpoint basics:

2. Color

Light letters against a dark background also work.

Powerpoint basics:

2. Color

Many experts feel that a dark blue or black background

works best for talks in a large room.

Powerpoint basics:

2. Color

Avoid red-green combinations because a significant fraction of

the human population is red-green colorblind.

Powerpoint basics:

2. Color

Avoid red-green combinations because a large fraction of the human population is red-green colorblind.

Lots of people can’t read this –

and even if they could, it makes your eyes hurt.

Powerpoint basics:

2. Color

Other color combinations can be equally bad:

Powerpoint basics:

2. Color

View your slides in grayscale to ensure that there is adequate

color contrast in each slide (View > Color/Grayscale) .

Powerpoint basics:

3. Layout

Keep the layout and style as consistent as possible.

Every slide should have a heading.

Powerpoint basics:

3. Layout

Limit text blocks to no more than

two lines each.

The structure of a good talk: start broad, get specific,

and end broad

The structure of a good talk: start broad, get specific,

and end broad

Start with the biggest questions and get progressively more specific. State your Hypothesisand Specific Aims or Purpose.

The structure of a good talk: start broad, get specific,

and end broad

The middle is the meat of the talk…

The structure of a good talk: start broad, get specific,

and end broad

The middle is also the time at which the audience tends to zone out

…but talks are delivered to audiences

with limited attention spans

Audience attention curve

The structure of a good talk: start broad, get specific,

and end broad

Nontechnical

Generaltechnical

Specialist

After going into depth, come back to your home slide to make transitions

Organizing a great talk

Remember this mantra:

1) Tell them what you are going to tell them

2) Tell them

3) Tell them what you told them

Organizing a great talk

At the end of your talk:

It is always a good idea to acknowledge people who helped you

and thank the people who invited you to give a talk

Acknowledge your grant support – include any CORE grant

modules (and people) that you used

There is more to giving a good talk than showing

good slides

Do face the audience and make eye contact

Do vary the tone of your voice and show enthusiasm

Don’t pace up and down but also don’t stand rigid!

Don’t wave your pointer all over the slide

Avoid making distracting sounds (e.g., Ummmm, Ahhhhh) or

jingling your keys while you talk

There is more to giving a good talk than showing

good slides

Do practice beforehand, preferably using a timer

Do ask your friends for feedback

Don’t use too many gimmicks

Here are some of the things many listeners

want from a talk:

CONTENT

Conveys new information

Poses an interesting question

Conveys how people in other fields think

Describes important ideas

Novel discovery

CLARITY AND ORGANIZATION

Understandable

Avoids jargon

Uses clear and simple visual aids

Well organized

Enables me to catch up if I space out

Doesn’t run over time

STYLE AND DELIVERY

Keeps me awake

Varies voice

Conveys enthusiasm

Doesn’t stay in one place

Friendly and approachable

EXPERTISE

Credible

Inspires trust and confidence

Answers questions clearly