Oral Presentation Outline for Engineering 324
Environmental Monitoring and Data Analysis

The oral presentation of your Engr 324 project is a course requirement.  If you do not do the
presentation, you cannot pass the course.  Otherwise, the presentation will not be graded but
will be evaluated by your peers.

Your presentation is limited to 10-15 min (depending on enrollment), including questions from the audience.  The order of
the presentations will be determined in lab (by volunteering and/or random assignment) at
about the time of the Midterm Exam.  The presentations will be made during the lab and lecture periods.

An overhead projector and screen will be available.  The expense of preparing the 
transparencies is your responsibility.  If you require a slide projector or other
equipment, please request it in writing several weeks in advance.

The quality and effectiveness of your presentation depends on:

1. Planning
          -  Have good work to present.  
             (A great presentation canŐt make up for a lack of content.)
          -  What do you intend to present?  What points are you trying to make?
          -  How do you intend to present it?  Prepare an outline. (See below.)
               (Note that the "tell 'em three times" rule applies here, too.)
          -  What figures and tables will you need?  

2. Preparation 
            -  Allow enough time to carefully prepare the figures and tables you need.
            -  Make the figures and tables clear.
            -  Use a font size large enough to read.(14 pt)
            -  Label the plot axes, column headings, and other elements clearly.
            -  Avoid large tables and complicated figures.  Keep it simple.

3. Practice 
            -  Practice your presentation several times.  
            -  If possible, present it to your friends and listen to their feedback.
            -  Allow enough time to present each transparency without rushing.
            -  Speak clearly and use sentences.  Avoid "and uh".
            -  Look at the members of the audience when you are speaking instead
               of looking at your notes.


Typical Presentation Outline:

     Introductory/Title Slide  [ What problem have you worked on?]
     Outline/Organization of Presentation  [Tell them what you are going to tell them.]
     One or more slides showing your approach  ---------|
     One or more slides showing your results            |-----Tell them.
     One or more slides showing your discussion  -------|
     Conclusions slide  [Remind them what you told them.]




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Last Updated: January 16, 2000
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