78 IEEE PULSE ▼ MAY/JUNE 2014 CONTINUING EDUCATION M any readers browsing this article have communicated effectively for years, while others may be seeking successful tips here on how to make their next presentation an out- standing performance. Whichever the case, please bear in mind that this arti- cle is not intended to “teach” how one becomes a great presenter but rather to provide helpful tips on presentation design and delivery, hoping that some of them will trigger old knowledge and per- haps provide a few new ideas. A focused and understandable com- munication of ideas directly reflects upon one’s choice of appropriate visual aids that maximize impact and make a strik- ing difference in the strength and clarity of the presentation. While most people appear comfortable standing in front of an audience, an exciting and effective presentation entails a thorough organi- zation of thoughts, slides, and visual aids carefully prepared ahead of time. Regard- less of its technical content or the field of expertise, there are a few simple steps that should be followed when preparing a successful presentation. Plan Ahead Before putting together your presentation, it is most appropriate to inquire about the size and composition of the audience, what they expect to achieve by attending your presentation, and how much time you have been allotted. These details will help you identify the key messages and focus your presentation to cater to the audience. One common instinct to overcome is squeezing all the work done during a four- year degree into that one presentation. Nothing is more frustrating than a speaker switching through slides beyond the allot- ted time, while the audience is packing up and rushing for the coffee break. Remem- ber, less is more—don’t overwhelm your audience! Think “subtract”—not “add!” Structure Your Presentation: Tell’em What You Are Gonna Tell’em → Tell ’em → Tell’em What You’ve Told’em! Think about the central message—what is it that you want to say? What key message is your audience to take home? Once you have decided on the message you want to convey, organize your ideas logically to avoid confusion. Imagine tell- ing a story to a large audi- ence who may not be very familiar your work but want to know more about it. Catch their interest and attention from the start— avoid “filler” and techni- cal jargon. Use an outline slide to build a road map of your presentation—just don’t make it a dull (and uninformative) “Intro, Methods, Results, and Conclu- sion” sequence. Devote the first few minutes to the introduction of the topic and touch on the background information required to set the stage for what you will be dis- cussing. Also try to avoid cliché state- ments such as “Disease X is the number one killer in …” the audience most likely knows it. Think transition: lead the audience to the hypothesis and objectives for your research. Wrap up the introduction by pointing out outstanding issues regarding the topic and how your work will address them without putting down the work performed by other researchers (who may well be sitting in the audience). Develop the ideas you outlined in your introduction in the main body of your presentation. Avoid unnecessary text and use good visual aids to convey your mes- sage, and help the audience understand and embrace your new findings. Break the monotony by choosing title slides that emphasize your work, and aim to order your material in a nontraditional fashion to keep the audience interested. To maintain your own interest in the topic and deliver a fresh and exciting seminar, create a few new slides and include some new material in each presentation—don’t just redeliver previous presentations. Your audience will take home no more than five key points. Use the rule of fives: strategically choose five key concepts that best describe your work, keeping in mind your summary slide to help you identify your key messages, and emphasize them throughout your presentation. If the audi- ence can list the five key concepts that you have stressed, then you were successful. Also, since most of us learn best by exam- ples, use analogies to facilitate the under- standing of difficult concepts and help eliminate confusion. Signal the beginning of the summary and conclusion, but don’t summarize too soon. You don’t want the audience to leave the room and miss the punch line. Summa- rize your data, comment on the significance of your findings, and always put your work back into the context of the challenges you outlined in the beginning. Finally, reiterate the main points in the context of a recom- mendation for future work. Improve Your Next Presentation: Tips on Effective Presentation Design and Delivery By Christopher J. James and Cristian A. Linte Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPUL.2014.2309222 Date of publication: 14 May 2014 One of the most important aspects of your presentation is the actual delivery and how you project yourself in front of your audience.