PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

Thesis presentations are currently scheduled for week 11.

place to be confirmed.

Date, time and

Ten minutes will be devoted to your presentation and 3 minutes will be spent
on questions from the audience, plus 2 minutes for change-over (total 15
minutes per student). Keep the following tips in mind:
Dress professionally. This thesis presentation is an important occasion, so
dress in an appropriate and professional manner. You indicate that seriousness
of purpose by your personal appearance. Finally, it is very important to create
a favourable first impression in any public appearance.
Know what you are going to say and how you're going to say it. Prepare an
outline of the main talking points, as hesitation or searching for words suggests
that you don't fully understand the thesis topic. Practice your talk several
times, until you can deliver it smoothly without any obvious problems.
Begin your talk by drawing from the Introduction and Discussion sections of
your thesis. Be concise and include only the information necessary to make the
main points of your thesis.
Summarize the major findings of your research at the end of your talk. You
may decide to end your talk by discussing how your study could have been
improved or how it might be expanded in the future. End on a positive note!
During the question and answer session, ask for clarification if you don't
understand the question. Your advisor will be present to assist you if you get a
question you can't answer, but it is your responsibility to field the questions.
Don't exceed the allotted time. Twelve minutes will pass very quickly. Make
certain that you can cover the main points of your thesis in that time. If you
exceed the time allowed, your presentation will be down-marked accordingly.
Use visuals effectively. PowerPoint, overheads, or slides are a good idea,
but don't read from them. Keep good eye contact with your audience and take
the time to speak to each audience member.
Make certain that your audience can understand your slides. If it is written
in scientific terms, explain the main concepts in terms that everyone can
understand. Use familiar analogies to explain difficult concepts.
Have a professional demeanour. If you want your audience to take you and
your work seriously, you should be earnest during your delivery. Any
unnecessary use of sarcasm or jokes will diminish your credibility.