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- | ====== Checklist for Presentation Speakers ====== | ||
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- | These are some guidelines on giving a presentation. | ||
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- | - Be knowledgeable about the subject you are speaking on. | ||
- | * Be comfortable talking about it | ||
- | * Be prepared to answer tough questions. | ||
- | * People may challenge you on technical details. | ||
- | - Know your audience. | ||
- | * The topic should be relevant to a technical audience. | ||
- | * The audience expects a technical presentation, not a sales pitch. | ||
- | * Audience members vary from hobbyists to professionals. | ||
- | * Some will be new to UNIX and your topic. | ||
- | * Some may be experts and know more than you do. | ||
- | - Figure out what you want to talk about. | ||
- | * Come up with a high-level outline, about 4 to 6 bullet points. | ||
- | - Submit the presentation title, an abstract, and a bio promptly. | ||
- | * This info is needed about 2 months before your presentation. | ||
- | * So we can get it into the print media and newsletter. | ||
- | * The abstract briefly says what you will talk about. | ||
- | * A paragraph to introduce the topic. | ||
- | * Some bullet points of what will be covered. | ||
- | * Why the topic is relevant. | ||
- | * Your bio should tell a little about who you are. | ||
- | * How do you know about and/or use what you are presenting? | ||
- | * Where do you work, what do you do there? Previous jobs? | ||
- | * Where did you go to school? | ||
- | * How do you use UNIX, Linux, Open Source, etc.? | ||
- | * The MC may use parts of your bio to introduce you. | ||
- | * Email: presentations AT sluug.org, editor AT sluug.org | ||
- | - Keep in touch with your contact(s). | ||
- | * They can help you develop your presentation. | ||
- | * They can make arrangements to get equipment. | ||
- | * Let them know of your progress and any problems. | ||
- | * Have them review the presentation if possible. | ||
- | - Arrange to make sure you will have the equipment you need. | ||
- | * We may or may not have access to a VGA projector - please ask. | ||
- | * Bring a power strip. | ||
- | * External mouse and keyboard are handy if you use a notebook. | ||
- | - Prepare your presentation. | ||
- | * Structured presentations are preferred, but not required. | ||
- | * Slide presentations with bullet-points work very well. | ||
- | * Figure on about 5 minutes per slide. | ||
- | * Content is more important than appearance. | ||
- | * But use some nice (simple) colors and fonts. | ||
- | * Can use overhead projector or LCD projector. | ||
- | * Demoing how to use an application can also work well. | ||
- | * Show relevant real-world usage. | ||
- | * Don't dwell on minutiae - concentrate on the big picture. | ||
- | * Have a good plan of what you are going to show. | ||
- | - Test in the same environment you will have at the presentation. | ||
- | * Make sure you undo the effects of any practice runs. | ||
- | * Test with the same versions that you will demo. | ||
- | * Disconnect any network connections when testing. | ||
- | * You probably won't have any network at the presentation. | ||
- | - Arrive early enough to set up and test any equipment. | ||
- | * UNIX (Wednesday) meetings start at 6:30 pm. | ||
- | * Arrive before 6:15 for tutorial, 6:50 for presentation. | ||
- | * Tutorial runs from 6:30 to 7:00. | ||
- | * Presentation runs from about 7:30 to 8:45. | ||
- | * Linux (Thursday) meetings start at 7:00 pm. | ||
- | * Arrive before 6:50. | ||
- | * Presentation runs from about 7:30 to 8:45. | ||
- | * Be sure you know how to get to the venue. | ||
- | * UNIX meeting: http://www.sluug.org/info/map_sunnen.html | ||
- | * Linux meeting: http://www.stllinux.org/directions/ | ||
- | - Be prepared for equipment failures -- they can and do happen. | ||
- | * Live demos are good, but are more prone to these problems. | ||
- | - Hand-outs of the presentation and other resources can be useful. | ||
- | * Make sure you have enough for the entire audience. | ||
- | * Attendance usually varies from about 20 to 50. | ||
- | * Multiple hand-outs can be bad. | ||
- | * Flipping between 2 hand-outs gets confusing. | ||
- | * Order the hand-out to flow with your presentation. | ||
- | - Don't be nervous. | ||
- | * The best cure for nervousness is to be prepared. | ||
- | * Practice the presentation. | ||
- | * Be confident that you know what you're talking about. | ||
- | * Bring a bottle of water to drink to cure dry mouth. | ||
- | * Remember that the audience members are interested in what you say. | ||
- | * They are just technical people like yourself. | ||
- | - Introduce yourself at the beginning of the presentation. | ||
- | * Tell where you work and what you do. | ||
- | * List your relevant experience. | ||
- | - Stay focused on the topic. | ||
- | * Don't go off on long detours or tangents. | ||
- | - Accept and encourage questions and comments during the presentation. | ||
- | * Be prepared for tough or off-the-wall questions. | ||
- | * Don't be afraid to admit that you don't know an answer. | ||
- | * Ask if other audience members might know the answer. | ||
- | - Be prepared to shorten (or lengthen) the presentation. | ||
- | * Put some optional stuff at the end. | ||
- | - Credit sources of information used in creating your presentation. | ||
- | * URLs, books, magazine articles. | ||
- | * Great for inclusion in hand-outs. | ||
- | - Be prepared to stay afterward to answer more questions. | ||
- | * Some people prefer to ask their questions one-on-one. | ||
- | * There is usually an unofficial social event after the meeting. | ||
- | - If possible, submit your presentation to put on our web site. | ||
- | * Submit HTML and native format if possible. (Any format is OK.) | ||
- | * Email: presentations AT sluug.org, web AT sluug.org | ||