Effective Mechanical

Engineering Presentations

Denny Coon
Feb. 20, 2002

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Effective Mechanical Engineering
Presentations

• Important? • On-line Resources

• Characteristics • 10 Commandments
• Visuals • Summary
• Mechanics

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Why Give an Effective Presentation?
Good Oral Presentation Skills
• Can be learned by anyone
• Will reflect positively on speaker

UW ME Educational Objective
• Solve open ended problems
• Effectively communicate the solution

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Important Presentation Characteristics

• Purpose • Approach
o Message? o Agree with message
• Audience • Time Limit
o Their level and interests
o Make it interesting!

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 Important Presentation Characteristics

• Purpose • Approach
o Message? o Agree with message
• Audience • Time Limit
o Their level and interests
o Make it interesting!

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Key Elements of Visuals

• Organization
• Background & Color
• Font
• Amount of Information
• Graphics

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 Key Elements of Visuals
Organization
• The rule of Tell’em • Logical flow
o Tell’em what you’re o Title
going to tell’em o Outline & Intro
o Tell’em o Details
o Tell’em what you just o Summary
told’em

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Key Elements of Visuals
Background & Color

Contrasting Colors
• Clear and clean text
• Dark background with light text
• Avoid nauseating combinations
• Avoid pastels – wash out on projection

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Nauseating Combination!
Key Elements of Visuals
Font
• No more than 2 font types
• Use bold and Italic strategically
• Able to read from back row
• Font size proportional to importance

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 Key Elements of Visuals
Amount of Information

• KISS
• No more than 7 lines per slide
• No more than 7 words per line
• Bullets and Keywords
• No faster than 1 minute per slide

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 Key Elements of Visuals
Amount of Information
• Keep it Simple Stupid! – KISS
• If audience is concentrating too hard on the visuals, they sometimes miss the
message that you are trying to convey
• To many lines in the visual cause the audience to experience confusion – no
more than 7 lines per slide
• Long strings of text can cause visual overload - No more than 7 words per line
• Generally, text elements can be simplified dramatically. If you combine verbal
discussion with visual elements, this simplification does not result in loss of
message - Bullets and Keywords
• Rapidly progressing through the visuals can result in delayed
processing of your message. It is always preferred to keep the audience
in sync with your discussion - No faster than 1 minute per slide

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 Key Elements of Visuals
Graphics
• Don’t assume the audience understands
graphic
• Explain key elements (symbols, axes, etc.)
• Explain the significance
• PowerPoint effects

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 Presentation Mechanics

• Dress • Eye Contact

• Mannerisms • Avoid Laser Light Shows!
• You are the expert! • Learn to mask nerves
o Don’t read slides
o Don’t read notes

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 On-Line Resources
 Important Design Concepts (Psychology Department –
Columbia University)
 Creating Effective Presentations (University of South
Dakota)
 Effective Presentations (Office of Sponsored Research –
UCLA)
 Guidelines for Presentations (American Water Works
Association)
 Guidelines for Presentations (American Society of
Primatologists)
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 On-Line Resources
 Presentation Tips (Physics Department – Rice University)
 Effective Oral Presentations (Business Administration –
Northeastern University
 Making Effective Presentations (Western Association for
Art Conservation – Stanford University)
 How to Give a Bad Talk! (Computer Science Department
– University of Wisconsin)

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10 Commandments of a Bad Talk

1) Thou shalt not be neat

2) Thou shalt not waste space
3) Thou shalt not covet brevity
4) Thou shalt cover thy naked slides
5) Thou shalt not write large

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10 Commandments of a Bad Talk

6) Thou shalt not use color

7) Thou shalt not illustrate
8) Thou shalt not make eye contact
9) Thou shalt not skip slides
10) Thou shalt not practice

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 Effective Presentations
Summary

• Importance • Mechanics
• Characteristics • On-line Resources
• Visuals • 10 Commandments

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