ESS'98

SPEAKER'S INSTRUCTIONS
SHORT PAPERS
after Stewart Schlesinger

1. INTRODUCTION

Good visual aids can greatly enhance the effect your presentation has on the audience. Experience at past conferences has shown that many of the oral presentations have not been adequately prepared. Often an attempt was made to present too much material and too much detail. Visual aids, the primary means to hold audience attention, were often poorly conceived and inadequately prepared. It is our hope that these guidelines will help you prepare a better visual presentation.

For short papers, a presentation time of 10-15 minutes is available. Your objective in the oral presentation should be to describe the rough highlights of your paper, progress since the paper was written, and future plans. Do NOT plan to present the short paper in its entirety in 10-15 minutes, or to read it!

2. PREPARATION OF PRESENTATION

a. Basic organization

The most significant constraint facing you as a speaker is the time limit for your presentation. As described above, presentations are allotted 10-15 minutes, followed by one or two questions.

This time limit also restricts the number of concepts or major technical points that you can make and expect your audience to absorb considerably. As a guideline, it is suggested that you limit yourself to no more than a few technical points.

Logically linked by the theme of your paper, each of these technical points can be expressed as a declarative statement, substantiated with supporting material. Though the selection of just a few significant points may seem like a great hardship, it will enhance the audience appreciation of your paper by focusing on the most significant information.

b. Visual aids

The best way to present material in a limited time period is to use well-conceived visual aids that support each of the points to be made. As a first approximation, the speaker should plan for overhead foils or one slide or "viewing frame" for each of the technical points that he plans to present.

Visual aids significantly simplify the presentation task. They simultaneously focus the audience attention and cue you as the speaker. You should plan to speak to all the material on a slide (or it shouldn't be there) before amplifying a single item.

In general, you should plan to include no more than six supporting concepts on each slide presenting one of your technical points. If there are more, simply select the most pertinent. Remember once again, your visual aids are not a complete reconstruction of your manuscript. The full story appears in the Proceedings and visual aids are only attention-focusing cues for the most interesting highlights.

3. TIMING

Time carefully, since 10-15 minutes presentation time is very short!

4. SPEAKER ATTITUDE AND SPONTANEITY

The primary advantage for the speaker who organizes his presentation in this manner is that he can approach his audience with the assurance that he/she can easily and effectively present the salient point in his/her paper.

Since the speaker is cued by his/her slides, and since he/she certainly can speak on any of the technical points he has selected for at least one minute, he/she no longer needs a written speech or even prepared notes. Thus, a measure of spontaneity can enter our technical presentations.

5. DEVIATIONS FROM GUIDELINES

The final decision-maker on timing of presentations is the Session Chairman, subject to the constraint that he MUST complete all papers in the session within the time allotted. Any deviations from these guidelines should be approved by the chair.

6. LIST OF AUDIO-VISUAL EQUIPMENT

Projectors. Each meeting room will be equipped with a 35mm slide projector and an overhead unit for A4 transparencies. Glass slides are not permitted because they tend to jam carousel projectors. If you want a second overhead projector, please notify the conference organizers at least THREE WEEKS before the conference.

Video Equipment. Video Presentations can be arranged for. Participants who wish to make use of the opportunity must notify the conference organizers at least SIX WEEKS before the actual event.

Microphones/Amplification Equipment. This will be available in the main meeting room.

Computers. Speakers bringing microcomputers for demonstration during their session should notify the conference organizers at least THREE WEEKS in advance of the meeting so that a table and power (220 V) will be available. Speakers are responsible for their computer systems. SCS accepts no liability for them. In case you want an extra strong overhead projector for a TFT or LCD-projector, please contact us at lease THREE WEEKS in advance.

Other wishes. Please contact the organizers at least SIX WEEKS before the conference.

This page last modified 03-02-03 by Alexander Verbraeck, Delft University of Technology / SCS Europe