Presentation Tips

Before the presentation:

• • Identify the main results and main ideas in your thesis. Focus on them.
  • Try to put across a few main ideas to give the “flavour” of your project.
  • Prepare and organize presentation aids in advance.
  • Make sure your notation is consistent throughout the presentation.
  • Draw diagrams, give tables and plots to help bring across the ideas to the audience.
  • Have a practice presentation with a friend (not your supervisor).
  • Time yourself, allowing the audience plenty of time to read each OHP slide.

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During the presentation:

• • Give an outline for the presentation.
  • Highlight the main results. Give motivation as to why you think they are interesting.
  • Give some applications and/or connections with other topics you know of.
  • Speak clearly and maintain eye contact with the audience.
  • Be enthusiastic about your presentation.
  • Work out some examples during the presentation to illustrate definitions, theorems, etc.
  • Make sure the audience can follow the presentation to some extent; be prepared to pause and clarify if the audience looks puzzled.
  • Use only 35 minutes for presentation and leave some time for questions.
  • Give a brief summary before concluding the talk.

• • Write up a set of notes and read them out loud word for word.
  • Introduce lots of definitions and notation.
  • Carry out proofs in full detail.
  • State a long list of Theorems and Lemmas.
  • Stand right in front of the overhead projector all the time.
  • Give excessive details of proofs without the main idea.
  • Cram everything in the thesis into the presentation.
  • Go over time.
  • Rush.
  • Try to say in 35 minutes everything you have learnt in the previous 6 months.
  • Pretend to know everything.

• • Chapter 3 of “Handbook on Teaching” by Daphne Pan et al, printed by NUS
  • “Effective Presentation” by Pat Levy, Longman
  • “The Art of Lecturing: Some Practical Suggestions” by Clark and Clark, Cambridge, Heffer
  • “Handbook of Writing for Mathematical Science” by N.J. Higham, SIAM