CE113Structural Laboratory Presentation Guidelines These - - PDF document

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CE113—Structural Laboratory Presentation Guidelines

These presentation guidelines and grading criteria are intended to assist you in preparing your

• presentation. Presentations consist of: 1) an oral team presentation, and 2) a project handout.
• 1. Oral Presentation (65%)

PowerPoint presentations of projects will take place during lab. Sometimes a special classroom will be reserved for presentations. After your cover slide and overview slide, the main contents of your presentation should be: introduction and background, technical analysis of your data, applications of your topic to civil/structural engineering practice, and lessons learned/conclusions. The total time for each team will be determined by the instructor, but will usually not exceed: (5 minutes/person) x (number of persons). Presentations that exceed the time limit will be penalized at the rate of 10% of presentation grade/extra minute (or part thereof). All team members are required to speak approximately the same duration (+/- 1 minute), although the team leader can use an extra minute. The first team presenting will also be allotted 4 extra minutes to provide an overview of the steel beam experiment including a brief explanation of the overall objectives, test setup and 3 sets of gages, on behalf of all teams. Presentations are considered formal and will be evaluated by the instructor in 7 categories on a scale of 1 to 10: overall impression, team preparation, organization, technical content, slides, professionalism, and handouts. All teams will be required to ask and answer questions after the presentation. See the attached handout for further explanation of these criteria. Dress is business casual. Adequate preparation is crucial for a successful presentation. Your in-class oral presentation should not be the first time you present your project! Students are strongly encouraged to practice individually and as a group. The flow of the presentation should be smooth, gradually “painting a picture” that delivers your main message (background, objectives, process, key results, practical applications and conclusions; see tips for additional information

• n slides). Have your teammates evaluate and constructively criticize the concepts and the
• verall flow of the presentation. This preparation will help you refine your presentation,

ensure your presentation is effective and within the time limit, and give you much confidence.

• 2. Project Handouts (35%)

Project handouts will be passed out to each member of the class the day of your presentation. These handouts should provide other students a synopsis of your project. Handouts are not handouts of your PowerPoint slides, but must include the following:

• 1. Cover page, including: Name of institution and college; course number and title;

section/day of the week (e.g., CE113W); project title (make it meaningful); group name; names of team members with roles listed; instructor's name; date of presentation, and a picture of your topic/team. (1 page)

• 2. Executive summary, including: 1) summary of topic; 2) statement of objectives and

tasks; 3) key results of your project; 4) practical applications; and 5) lessons learned. (≤1.5 pages)

• 3. Tabulation of key results and plots/charts. (≤2 pages)

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• 4. Labeled figures and/or photos illustrating your project, key concepts, and
• applications. (≤2 pages)
• 5. List of key references in proper format (See website for format).

(≤1 page)

• 6. For Instructor’s handout (only), include representative calculations required as part of

the data analysis from Assignment 2. (no page limit) For this executive summary, you are permitted to reference the attached figures and tables. Handouts may not exceed 7 pages total, including everything. Exception: Representative calculations (given only to Instructor) are additionally required. Line spacing must be 1.5 spaces and font size must be 11 point. Show page numbers centered at the bottom of each page. Give the instructor an original copy (color is acceptable), including the representative calculations.

• 3. Grading and Feedback: The project score will be divided as follows: handouts—35% and
• ral presentation—65%. The attached sheet shows an example evaluation form, including

the weight of all components. Class grading and comments may be used in grading.

• 4. Tips for Presentation

a) Prepare high quality visual aids. Visual aids will greatly impact your effectiveness in communicating key ideas. Some experts say ¾ of what we learn is by sight, and a small fraction of that by hearing. Be sure to make your slides uncluttered, concise, and visually

• appealing. This will require careful preparation. You must decide what is really crucial.

Also, design your visual aids to guide your talk and to focus the audience. Remember that a clear picture (or sketch) is worth a 1000 words! Do not try to present too many details of your calculations! Be sure to: 1) use 28-point font or larger on slides, 2) limit your slide to no more than eight lines of text per slide, 3) include only important phrases and concepts (complete sentences for most slides should not be used), and 4) use plenty

• f photos and figures. Typically, one slide per minute on average works reasonably well,

but the only way to know is by practice and refinement. b) Make your presentation flow. Imagine you are describing a story. Your goal is to share this “story” with the audience in a logical and interesting way. You should have an introduction, body, and conclusion, together with appropriate transitions between

• speakers. The cover slide should have a meaningful title (representing entire effort), full

names of teammates, date, location, affiliation, and representative picture(s) of your

• effort. The second slide should be an “overview” slide, stating what you will cover

during your presentation (an outline or roadmap!). In addition, you should consider how to tell your “story” in a way that keeps the attention of the audience and imparts your main points effectively. The presentation should end with conclusions and references. c) Repetition is a good way to drive home your main points. Repeat the key concepts more than once and in various ways. Throughout the presentation, you should reinforce the main points and theme. d) Do not memorize your talk. If you memorize every word, your presentation will not flow naturally, especially the moment you forget one word or idea! e) Do not use note cards. Use your visual aids to guide your talk and to focus the audience. It is not recommended to hold or use note cards. However, use your notes to prepare before speaking. f) Maintain eye contact with your audience. Make sure the audience knows you are personally addressing them. This will enable you to communicate effectively.

3 g) Be serious but try to relax. Take your presentation seriously enough, as your topic is important and worthy of discussion. However, through your preparation, learn also to relax, enjoy the presentation, and even interject a lighter note occasionally. But do not become so relaxed that you put your hands in your pockets, lean on furniture or talk unprofessionally! This is a professional presentation.

• 5. Practical Matters

a) PowerPoint is required for all presentations, although other media may supplement

• presentations. Teams must have their presentation on a memory stick and load it onto a

PC (classroom PC is preferred, but student PC is acceptable if coordinated with the Instructor). Teams will be given a remote that will forward slides and act as a laser pointer. b) Teams must provide the instructor an electronic copy of their presentation and all related electronic files (including calculations) on a CD by Week 15. Submit this as part of your binder submission.

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CE113 Oral Presentation Evaluation Form

Score: 10=Excellent; 9=V. Good; 8=Good 7=Fair; 6=Poor; <6=Unacceptable

• 1. Overall Impression (impact)
• 2. Team Preparation/Coordination (rehearsed/fluid)
• 3. Organization (clear, logical presentation flow)
• 4. Technical Content (sound, appropriate concepts)
• 5. Slides (legibility, clarity, attractiveness)
• 6. Professionalism/Mannerisms (demeanor; eye contact, voice, gestures, enthusiasm)
• 7. Handouts (content, organization, usefulness)

Topic Team __; Members 1 (15%) 2 (10%) 3 (10%) 4 (15%) 5 (10%) 6 (5%) 8 (35%) TOTAL Overall Team Org Tech Slides Prof Handout Students: Average: Comments