For the MSP Symposium, you should prepare a 10-12
min. oral presentation and leave about 3-5 min. for questions. You are required
to use visual aids (overheads, slides or computer presentation). You are
required to present AT LEAST ONE visual aid for each of the following parts of
your presentation:
Introduction (rational to conduct the research and definition of
terms)
Materials and Methods (if possible, use schematic representations)
Results (tables and figures)
Once
you have prepared your oral presentation, PRACTICE, first with your family
and/or friends, and then with your lab members. If the audience does not
understand your presentation it is your fault (the customer is always right).
GUIDELINES
FOR VISUAL AIDS
Visual
aids are texts, figures (graphs, schematic representations, etc.), tables and
photographs that help to communicate your research. Preparing visual aids is a
creative process that requires a synthesis of the information presented. Also
remember that in an oral presentation,unlike a paper or a poster, the audience
can not go back to examine a visual aid that was presented previously. The
first few minutes of your oral presentation are critical to keep the attention
of the audience.
The
following are general guidelines to prepare your visual aids:
The
number of visual aids presented depends on the presentation time and the amount
of information presented in each visual aid. A photograph of an object (device,
organism, etc.) may not require much explanation, however, a graph needs to be
explained in detail (axes, units and information presented). In general, a
10-12 min. presentation should have about 10-15 visual aids.
Visual
aids should be easy to understand. You should explain everything that appears
on a visual aid. If you have a visual aid containing much information, you
should be creative and summarize it into a less complex visual aid or break it
into several visual aids (smaller pieces of information). If the audience can
not read/understand all the information presented in a visual aid during the
time you present it (for
example
a long text or a table), then you should prepare a summarized version (a
summary of the text or a figure of the data in a table).
As
a general rule, visual aids containing text should have a maximum of 6
sentences and a maximum of 6 words per sentence in each visual aid (known as
the 6 X 6 rule). Tables should also contain a maximum of 6 columns and 6 rows.
Use
visual aid headings to guide you and the audience about the research part you
are presenting.
Use
schematic representations and/or flow charts to describe the methods.
The
most important visual aids are the ones describing your results. They should be
clear and understandable by the audience in a few seconds.
Use
large, easy to read fonts and character sizes. If you present black and white
overheads, use bold type with a minimum character size of about 18, that is, it
should be easy to read from the back of an auditorium.
Again,
practice, get feedback and modify those visual aids that the audience do not
understand in a short period of time. Preparing a scientific communication is a
learning process that requires analysis, synthesis and much creativity.
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