The quality
of the oral presentations is a prime factor in the success of the Symposium.
It is essential that you prepare early and well for the presentation of your
paper. The requirements for this presentation are high-quality, well-organized
slides; organization of the material to be presented (not the entire content
of the written paper); and sufficient practice to ensure a smooth, polished
presentation.
A maximum
of 25 minutes will be allowed for presentation of each paper followed by 5 minutes
of questions, so plan your slide count to accommodate this time restraint. (Poster
paper presentations are 10 minutes with no question/answer period). Limit
your presentation to highlight the major themes and significant points of your
paper. Lesser details usually distract the listener and are covered in your
paper. Few people will use your mechanism directly in their application this
is not a design review. Find something new, innovative or different about your
mechanism that other people can learn from and tell us about that. Presentations
are NOT to include company propaganda, history or product line information
keep these for hallway discussions. If the president of your company came
into your presentation and had 15 seconds of time, what would you tell him about
this work those are the points on which you want to focus.
Please begin
your preparations early to ensure
that you are comfortable with your talk. Practicing your presentation to colleagues
is often a big help. Not only does this help you practice your timing and delivery,
but you can also use it to solicit constructive criticism regarding the presentation's
technical content and flow.
Multiple speakers for a paper, while allowed, is discouraged because of the time required to switch lapel microphones and move people about the room. In addition, it breaks up the continuity of the presentation.
Remember that
the audience will be people with similar backgrounds and interests to your own.
Do not read your paper, as the audience has a copy of the proceedings
and can read it as well as you. Use your slides as cue cards.
Hardware,
models, films, and videotapes are very effective and appealing. Try to work
them into your presentation, but keep them short (under 5 minutes).
Give the audience information that will cause them to swamp you with questions after the presentation and during the breaks. The audience wants to hear information and experiences that will help them to develop mechanisms, not vague generalities and tributes to company competence. The content of your presentation should emphasize the why rather than the what that was done.
Better to
use two simple slides rather than one that is busy. Color helps bring out key
features on parts drawings and cross-sections. Do not simply use your figures
from the paper. Be sure the slides can be read in a room that is 30 meters long.
Presentation
slides should be prepared in accordance with the following requirements to be
compatible with the projection facilities:
Slides must have a high visual contrast between
the information and the background. Some color combinations have very poor light
transmission and contrast. Red lettering often fades. White letters against
a dark blue background or vice versa are usually effective. Make sure your slides
can be read; try them out on a large-room projector.
The presentation material should be typed or computer
generated.
The following letter sizes and line weights are
recommended:
-
Use 24-point type for all lettering
-
All Greek letters and other symbol sizes equivalent to the 24-point type.
-
Line weights for primary lines, such as curves, should be wider than line weights
for grid scales. We recommend that grid scales be omitted.
Do not overload the slides with words, lines or
shapes. Consider the rule of maximum of 6 lines per slide, each line with a
maximum of 6 words. Use phrases, not sentences.
Make sure viewfoils are marked with sequence numbers
that are large enough for the audiovisual person to read them in a dark room.
Make sure that the up orientation is clear.
If using slides on two screens, please bring two copies of a script that says which slide (or none at all) is to be on which screen at the same time. This will be a cue card for the persons displaying the slides for you.
The following
equipment is available (2 screens):
Viewfoil
projector
Mac/PC LCD
overhead projector (bring viewfoils
as a backup)
For those that have Poster Papers, the plan is to have you give your short presentation, and then set up your poster. The poster board should be a foam core board and be able to be set on a table (you provide the poster). The posters are set out during the reception for attendees to see and ask questions. Do not simply glue your paper onto a poster board! The poster is intended to present additional information, photos, etc. The material is then put away to your rooms after the reception.