Presentation

The aim of the presentation is to present a paper to the class in such a manner that the essential points of the paper are conveyed. The presentation should be completed within 30 minutes, including time for questions. When giving a good presentation, the following are usually considered important:

Clarity

• Is your presentation understandable by everyone in the audience?
• Have you given enough background for anybody in the class to understand?
• Are you explaining subtle concepts at a sufficiently high level for everyone to undertand the big picture?
Is good use made of examples to illustrate the problem, definitions, important concepts, and solutions?

Content

• Have you clearly defined the problem that is being tackled?
• Have you given enough background for everyone to understand the problem?
• Have you described the main results by others in the area?
• When describing your paper, are you making clear what the big picture is for everyone, while providing enough details for those more technically inclined?
• Have you summarized the contributions?

Structure

• Is there a clear introduction, body and conclusion?
• Does the introduction make clear what the presentation is about and why the topic is important?
• Are the ideas in the body organized in a logical sequence?
• Does the conclusion summarize the important ideas/results?
• Have you budgeted some time for questions at the end of your talk?

Mechanics

• Are your slides easy to read and not overcrowded?
• Are you speaking loud enough?
• Are you avoiding any distractive gestures?

Practice

• Have you shown your slides to others to get feedback before giving your talk?
• Have you practiced your talk?

Additional advice

• S. L. Peyton-Jones, J. Hughes, and J. Launchbury. How to give a good research talk.
• Checklist and marking scheme for presentations.