On December 1st HGSAC held a workshop on how to make an effective ppt presentation. The workshop was led by Dr. Michael Alley. Dr. Alley is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State and has published a plethora of books and articles discussing what makes an effective science presentation. Dr. Alley is a proponent of the assertion-evidence approach, which has presenters center their talks around the message not the topic. To begin the workshop he asked attendees what presentation impressed them the most and why. Two attributes were consistently mentioned, the presentation was well organized with a strong introduction and the speaker showed excitement about the topic. Alley emphasized the main goal of a scientific ppt presentation is to be “understood, remembered, and believed”. Keeping that goal in mind he used the analogy that a presentation is like climbing a mountain. The presenter needs to successfully guide the audience through the material, or in this analogy up the mountain. Alley provided examples of effective presentations and explained how to incorporate those techniques into one’s own presentation.
For more information about Dr. Alley, his publications, and presenting resources please follow the links below: