I would like to thank Prof Mark D. Hill for sharing the oral presentation tips (1992 revised January 1997).
Some of you might think that this oral presentation tips might not be relevant to your research areas as the oral presentation here is created for computer science program. But, trust me when it comes to presentation slides, it all goes down to the content, and that is what you need to add in. Others, which is the structure, is almost the similar. Just have a read through.
Things to Think About before you start your slides
1. Oral Communication is different from written communication
Listeners have one chance to hear your talk and can’t “re-read” when they get confused. In many situations, they have or will hear several talks on the same day. Being clear is particularly important if the audience can’t ask questions during the talk. There are two well-know ways to communicate your points effectively. The first is to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid). Focus on getting one to three key points across. Think about how much you remember from a talk last week. Second, repeat key insights: tell them what you’re going to tell them (Forecast), tell them, and tell them what you told them (Summary).
2. Think about your audience
Most audiences should be addressed in layers: some are experts in your sub-area, some are experts in the general area, and others know little or nothing. Who is most important to you? Can you still leave others with something? For example, pitch the body to experts, but make the forecast and summary accessible to all.
3. Think about your rhetorical goals
For conference talks, for example, I recommend two rhetorical goals: leave your audience with a clear picture of the gist of your contribution, and make them want to read your paper. Your presentation should not replace your paper, but rather whet the audience appetite for it. Thus, it is commonly useful to allude to information in the paper that can’t be covered adequately in the presentation. Below I consider goals for academic interview talks and class presentations.
4. Practice in public
It is hard distilling work down to 20 or 30 minutes.
5. Prepare
See David A. Patterson’s How to Give a Bad Talk