1. Tools: Laser pointer
1.1. Don't use it
1.2. No eye contact
1.2.1. Can't use it without turning your head away
1.2.2. No engagement
1.2.3. "We could all leave and he wouldn't know"
1.3. Use Arrow instead
2. Special case: Inspiration
2.1. How do you inspire?
2.1.1. Person: Some high school teacher inspired it
2.1.2. Idea: Someone showed them a new way of doing it
2.1.3. Passion: Someone exhibited passion in what they were doing
2.2. How to teach people how to think?
2.2.1. Use stories: We are story telling animals
2.2.2. Map coloring program
2.2.2.1. Slight adjustment makes the program finish
2.2.2.2. Demo!
3. How to stop: Final words
3.1. Tell a joke, perhaps
3.1.1. Doug anecdote
3.1.1.1. "Doug, you're a fantastic speaker: what's your secret?"
3.1.1.2. "I always end with a joke and people think they had fun the whole time"
3.2. Don't say "Thank you"
3.2.1. It's a weak move
3.2.2. Makes people feel weak
3.3. "Ite Missa Est"
3.3.1. "The mass is now over, you can go home"
3.4. Salute the audience
3.4.1. "It's been great fun being here" "I've been much stimulated and look forward to coming back"
4. How to stop: Final slide
4.1. Don't show a list of collaborators
4.1.1. That should have been at the beginning, not the end
4.2. "Questions?"
4.2.1. WORST possible way to end a talk
4.2.2. Can be up there for 20 min
4.2.3. Squanders real estate
4.2.4. Squanders opportunity to say who you are
4.3. For details see: <URL>
4.3.1. Wasted opportunity
4.4. "THE END", "THANK YOU"
4.4.1. Even worse
4.5. Conclusions
4.5.1. Might seem like a good one
4.6. Contributions
4.6.1. YES! This should be your last slide
4.6.2. Wait for people to read it
5. Special case: Becoming famous
5.1. Julia Child anecdote
5.1.1. "Miss Child is it fun to be famous?"
5.1.2. "You get used to it"
5.1.3. "You never get used to getting ignored" -PHW
5.1.4. Your ideas are like your children. You don't want them to go to rags.
5.2. How do you make your audience remember your ideas?
5.2.1. Have a symbol to associate with your work
5.2.2. Have a slogan to provide a handle
5.2.2.1. "One shot learning"
5.2.3. You need a surprise
5.2.4. A salient idea
5.2.4.1. Sticks out
5.2.4.2. Not necessarily "important"
5.2.4.3. Some theses have too many good ideas!
5.2.5. A near miss
5.2.6. Tell a story of how you did it, why it works, why it's important
5.2.6.1. Ensure your work is recognized
6. Special case: Job talks
6.1. Show vision
6.1.1. Problem that someone cares about
6.1.2. Something new in your approach
6.2. Show that you've done something
6.2.1. Constraints
6.2.2. List out steps you had to take
6.2.3. Enumerate your contributions
6.3. You have only 5 min to communicate!
7. Special case: Oral exams
7.1. Failure to situate
7.1.1. This has been going on for X years
7.1.2. This has been going on with Y people
7.2. Failure to practise
7.2.1. Your faculty supervisor is not a good person to practise your talk
7.2.1.1. Use a friend who has no idea about it
7.2.1.2. Tell him: "If you can't make me cry, I won't value you as a friend any more"
7.2.2. Examining committee of people with grey hair is what you want
7.2.2.1. Older people know their place in the world
7.2.2.2. Younger folks are too eager to prove themselves
8. Tools: Slides
8.1. Slides: good for exposing ideas
8.2. Logan airport anecdote
8.2.1. "Are you Prof foo?" "Seems like it"
8.2.2. "Can you review my slides?"
8.2.2.1. Too many slides, too many words
8.3. Wordy slides
8.3.1. Remove background junk
8.3.2. Get rid of the logos
8.3.3. Use animation and your mouth instead of words
8.3.4. Use very little text
8.3.4.1. Remember: only one language processor
8.3.4.2. Can't read and listen at the same time
8.3.4.3. Don't read slides
8.3.4.3.1. Audience already knows how to read
8.3.4.4. Worst outcome: audience remembers slides
8.3.5. Font size: 40pt or 50pt is about right
8.4. Heavy presentations
8.4.1. Print and lay it out on the table
8.4.1.1. Too heavy, too much text, not much imagery
8.4.1.2. Counter-example: mostly pictures, people can read text
8.4.1.3. Complexity slide: use only once in a presentation
8.5. Speaker should be close to slide
8.5.1. Otherwise tennis
8.6. These crimes happen a lot
8.6.1. Hands in pockets
8.6.2. "Theater": not a good place
8.6.3. Note the reaction: that's the sponsor of the meeting
8.6.3.1. Speaker is far away from slides, using laser pointer
8.6.3.2. BTW it's 80th slide
8.6.3.2.1. 1st of 10 conclusion slides
9. In surveys, students say more chalk less powerpoint
9.1. Why?
9.1.1. Empathetic mirroring
9.1.1.1. When you see me writing, mirror neurons become activated
9.1.1.2. You can feel as if you were me
9.1.1.3. Can't do this with a slide
9.1.1.4. This is why chalk and props are better
10. Tools: Props
10.1. Manuscript going into the stove embers
10.2. Another example: rotating bicycle wheel
10.2.1. Rotate
10.2.2. Put some duct tape
10.2.3. Makes right-hand rule easy to remember
10.3. Conservation of energy
10.3.1. Let go of a heavy ball
10.3.1.1. Shouldn't push
10.3.2. "Many seconds to think this guy really believes in conservation of energy"
11. Tools: Board
11.1. Chalk: good when informing
11.1.1. Speed at which you write: speed at which people can absorb
11.2. Lets you keep your hands open
11.2.1. Hands in pockets insulting in some parts of the world
11.2.1.1. Concealing weapon!
11.3. Has graphic quality
11.4. Can be a target
11.4.1. You can point at the board
12. Heuristics
12.1. Cycle on the subject
12.1.1. Tell them
12.1.2. Tell them again
12.1.3. Tell them a third time
12.1.4. About 20% of the audience will be tuned out at any given time
12.1.4.1. To increase probability, say it 3 times
12.2. Build a fence around your idea
12.2.1. so as not to confuse with someone else's idea
12.3. Verbal punctuation
12.3.1. People will occasionally fog out
12.3.1.1. Provide some landmark for people to get back on
12.3.2. Enumerating, outline can help
12.3.3. Ask a question
12.3.3.1. 7 seconds is good
12.3.3.2. Question has to be carefully chosen
12.3.3.2.1. Users would be too embarrased if too easy
12.3.3.2.2. If too hard, nobody will answer
13. Students shouldn't go out into life without ability to communicate
13.1. Army doesn't let soldiers go to a battle without weaponry
13.2. 1. Speak
13.3. 2. Write
13.4. 3. Quality of ideas
13.5. In that order
14. Quality of talk
14.1. integ(K, P, t)
14.1.1. Knowledge
14.1.1.1. Most important
14.1.2. Practice
14.1.2.1. Second
14.1.3. Talent
14.1.3.1. skiing example
14.1.3.2. Least important
14.2. Nonlinear process
15. Rule: No laptops, cellphones during talk
15.1. Because humans have only one language processor
16. How to start
16.1. Joke?
16.1.1. No, not recommended!
16.1.1.1. People are still putting things away
16.1.1.2. Becoming adjusted
16.1.1.3. Not ready for a joke!
16.2. Make an empowerment promise
16.2.1. What will the audience know at the end of hour
16.2.2. Compared to the beginning
17. Time and place
17.1. Good time to have a lecture?
17.1.1. 11am is a great time
17.1.2. Sleep, meals won't affect
17.2. Place must be well lit
17.2.1. If light goes down, we go to sleep
17.2.2. It's extremely hard to see slides from closed eyelids
17.3. Place must be cased
17.3.1. So that you can deal with weirdnesses
17.3.2. Imagine all seats were filled with disinterested farm animals
17.4. Must be reasonably populated
17.4.1. Get the right-sized place