Guidelines on Seminar Presentations

Your main goal in presenting this seminar is to communicate your topic to an audience of mixed backgrounds and interests. This should not be a technical paper such as would be presented at a professional meeting. Your seminar should tell a scientific story in a way that everyone present can understand and go home with some lesson learned. Purpose of Seminar: A presentation concentrates on teaching something to the audience. A good presentation means that the audience understood the message. The first rule is to place yourself in the mind of your audience. The second rule is to provide the minimum amount of information to the audience; this helps overcome the temptation to fill presentations with details meant to impress the audience. So, make sure to: Try not to cover so many ideas, stick instead to a major theme. Focus on what the audience needs to know about the subject and not on what you want to tell them. Don’t give too many experimental details unless the method is the main point of the talk. For each set of data, explain the significance of the findings, don’t just only show it. Don’t assume that the audience will know what you mean. Make transitions from one topic to another logical and smooth: “now I’d like to tell you…” Unlike a written report, the audience must be able to immediately grasp the information. So, keep it simple. Use repetition as a tool to help the audience remember important points. Audience Analysis: Remember that your audience will be scientifically literate but will not automatically understand terms, jargon, abbreviations, and methods used in all fields. When planning your seminar, put yourself in their shoes. Explain all terms and concepts that are important for understanding your topic and will be used throughout your presentation. Ask yourself: What do they know? What do they want to know? What do they need to know in order to understand my presentation? Use the answers to these questions to guide how you present your seminar