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This document has been formulated to assist the authors in
preparing an interesting and comprehensible presentation of their
works at technical conferences and workshops. All authors are
advised to read it carefully before organising their presentation
and preparing their visual aids. We seek your close cooperation in
following the guidelines provided in this document, so that this
results in presentations having the quality that all of us will be
delighted to follow.
1. Basic organisation
The most significant constraint common to every technical
conference and workshop is the time limit for your presentation.
Depending on what type of conference or what type of session,
the available time for presentation and discussion is between 15
and 30 minutes. This time limit restricts the number of concepts
or major technical points that you can make and expect your
audience to absorb. As a guideline, it is suggested that you limit
yourself to no more than three or four technical points. Although
the selection of just a few significant points may seem like a great
hardship, it will enhance the audience appreciation of your paper
by focusing on the most significant information.
Suggested time-frame for a paper presentation:
Introduction (~ 5 %).
Title of presentation and introduction of author(s) and
speaker; outline of the presentation.
Proposal (~ 15 %).
Description of problem and idea of the work; already
realised solutions and applications; drawbacks,
disadvantages, and problems of existing solutions;
proposal of the new solution.
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Theoretical basis, results and evaluation (~ 45 %).
Theoretical basis of the new solution; experimental
environment, assumptions and restrictions; results of
the experiment (respectively simulation); differences
and improvements against other methods.
Conclusion (~ 15 %).
Recapitulation of the objective, the proposal, and the
main positive results; future works outlook.
Discussion (~ 20 %).
2. Visual Aids
Good visual aids can greatly enhance the effect your presentation
has on the audience. They simultaneously focus the audience
attention and cue you as a speaker. Experience at past conferences
has shown that visual aids were often poorly conceived and
inadequately prepared. Very often, for example, somebody tries to
take a shortcut by photocopying a typewritten document onto a
transparency, which hardly ever works: if the photocopy is the
same size as the original the print is too small to read, and if the
copy is larger, any slight faults in the type are also magnified and
may become distracting. It is our hope that these guidelines will
help you prepare a better visual presentation.
There are different kinds of visual aids - overhead projectors,
slide projector, PC with presentation software and video projector
- available at most of the conferences. Regardless of which kind
of visual aid you want to use during the talk, there are some
guidelines that apply to any visual aid:
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Text:
Text must be brief, possibly only keywords. A long text diverts
the attention of the audience from oral presentation. The
recommended size of text on the transparencies is 18 point
minimum. When formulae and mathematical equations are used
they should be limited to a few lines. Indices in mathematical
expressions should be written at nearly the same size as the main
characters.
Graphics and Illustrations:
Good illustrations are an effective tool in holding the audiences
attention in clarifying and amplifying the verbal message. Graphs
are better than tables for understanding. Several simple
illustrations are more effective than one complicated illustration.
Also it is usually advantageous to simplify all tables, graphs,
diagrams and drawings. Supplementary information may be
presented orally.
The availability of particular visual aids, such as slide projectors
and especially PCs with presentation software and video
projectors, should be clarified with the local organisers before
starting the preparation of the presentation tools! If you have the
choice between several forms of visual aids, keep in mind some
of the advantages, disadvantages, and specific requirement of
each type:
Overhead Transparencies:
Used properly, the overhead projector is one of the most useful
and flexible instruments available to a speaker. The large, bright
picture on the wall automatically attracts the audiences attention,
and there is practically no limit to what you can put on a
transparency - handwriting, print, (computer) graphics. The
overhead projector can be misused, too, of course; because it is so
easy to operate, people often do not give enough thought to the
audiences viewpoint. For a good result when preparing your
transparencies, please use the following guidelines:
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Transparencies must be readable for all audiences. If you are
young and fit, do not assume that the audiences eyesight
will be as good as yours. Lower case letters are easier to
read than capitals. Illegible handwriting and too small letters
kill the advantages of transparencies. As a rule of thumb, the
(original) transparency must be readable from a distance of
1,5 m.
Most overhead projectors have a table with a transparent
area having dimensions 250*250 mm. The area used for the
transparency should be restricted to 250*200 mm - the
transparency can be used in the horizontal ("landscape") or
in the vertical ("portrait") position. However, landscape
format is more advisable.
If you are using colour transparencies use bright colours -
but do not use more than 4 different colours for one
transparency.
Use titles (e.g. 28 pt size, bold letters) and borders.
Personalise your transparencies with company logo,
department and others.
Slides:
Slides (35 mm) are not only easier to transport but can produce
much better images than transparencies (especially for larger
conference rooms). Colours, for example, can be used on slides to
greater effect than with the overhead projector. You can use one
colour (blue for example) as the background, and another that
stands out well against it (perhaps white or orange) for the most
important parts of the visual.
Screen Presentation:
Another important visual aid is a screen presentation using a PC
and a presentation software such as Power Point of Harvard
Graphics. Here, the "slides" with all their hidden text elements
and graphs are displayed on the full screen - programme menus
and other control elements are hidden. Combined with a video
projector (e.g. LCD panels for overhead projectors), this solution
combines the advantages of transparencies and slides. Screen
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presentations are easy to create (like transparencies) but you can
use the whole colour range of your computer system (like slides).
Other advantages are:
Using special effects (animation, fading, etc.) the
presentation may become more appealing;
The presentation can be combined with short video/sound
sequences;
Each single "slide" can be accompanied by additional
remarks during the presentation.
Of course there is also a combination of the disadvantages of
transparency and slide. The most important difficulty is that most
conference rooms are not equipped with a video projection unit or
at least a unit providing the resolution which makes all details of
the slide readable. Please contact the conference organiser about
the availability of such devices. Please also note that even if you
clarify all the details beforehand, the lack of special cables or the
right version of the software can defeat your presentation!.
3. Presentation Technique
Please keep in mind the following "rules" for a successful
presentation:
Posture, position: stand up straight; face the audience.
Hands, gesticulation: use gestures, but not in a too excessive
way.
Eye contact: make positive eye contact, one person at a
time; hold for 3-5 seconds ("one thought long"); make sure
that your audience, including those at the back and on your
far right and left, have the feeling that you DUH VSHDNLQJ
GLUHFWO\ to them from time to time.
Voice, speech: speak slowly, clearly and not too fast; make
effective use of pauses; use short sentences; vary the speed
and the volume to emphasise particular parts of your talk;
tell the audience what you are JRLQJ WR WHOO WKHP, then WHOO
WKHP, tell them what you KDYH WROG WKHP, and VWRS
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Media, handling: master your technical aids with
confidence, do not play about with pens, pointers or coins in
your pockets; use pens or transparent pointers to direct
attention to the transparencies; leave each chart long enough
on view.
Make visual items in a consistent style with a view to
publication.
Label the axes of graphs.
Give each slide a heading and a number.
Try to avoid local slang in your presentation; your audience
will be from different laboratories in different countries and
cultures.
Use a pointer - laser or metal - to point to the slides and the
information on them; if you are right-handed stand with the slides
on \RXU right.
Copyright 2000, International Federation of Automatic Control
- All rights reserved. Updated on May 3, 2000
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The 2002 IFAC 15 th World Congress, b02, will have 12 Poster
Sessions, one in each technical niche of the Congress and in
parallel to the Oral Sessions.
The authors of papers to be presented as a poster are expected to
prepare the posters, mount them on the posters board provided by
the Congress and be present during the corresponding two-hour
sessions in order to answer questions from the attendees.
The poster boards support poster size DIN A0 portrait (i.e.: high =
1189 mm and wide = 841 mm). There are no specific constraints
in the layout of the poster other than that the title and the authors
names should be prominently displayed and the character size of
lettering should be large enough to allow reading from a distance
of 1 meter. Poster sessions will not have tables and power outlets.
Authors will have access to the poster room 30 minutes before
session time. A map with he exact location in the room of each
assigned poster board will be available. Posters must be removed
immediately after the session ends.
Poster authors should be aware that there will be a Best Poster
Award at the 2002 FAC 15 th World Congress.