Introduction

Translating a written paper into a presentation is a common academic task. A few examples include:

Today our focus will be on translating a paper into a presentation.

As background, it is estimated that 1-page of double-spaced text takes between 2-3 minutes to read aloud\(^{1}\), meaning your 3-page paper might take between 6 and 9 minutes if you read every word. This means that you will not be able to simply read your paper while showing a few visuals to present it.

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Outline of today’s activity

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Part 1 - Outlining

First, you will create a presentation outline for your partner while considering the following tips:

  1. Only one major idea per slide, with no more than 1-minute of time spent on a single slide.
  2. Headings and the first bullet point are the most important text on a slide.
  3. Favor graphics, diagrams, and tables over text whenever possible.
  4. Avoid cognitive overload. Don’t put too many words, images, colors, or background effects on a single slide.

You don’t need to make any formal slides, instead you should follow a format like the example given below:

  1. Slide #1
    • Title: X
    • Text: Central claim pertaining to Simpson’s paradox, 2 presentation goals for the audience
    • Visual: none
  2. Slide #2
    • Title: Y
    • Text: Sentence defining Simpson’s paradox
    • Visual: table showing Simpson’s paradox for the Florida death penalty example
  3. \(\ldots\)

You should include a reasonable level of detail, but you do not need to find/create any tables/visuals yourself unless you find yourself with extra time.

Since the target time for Presentation #3 is 5-minutes, you should aim to outline between 6-10 slides. You do not need to worry about title or conclusion slides.

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Part 2 - Review

Exchange outlines so that you now have the outline covering the content of your own paper.

Review the outline, then briefly discuss and implement any revisions that you believe are necessary. Below are few questions you might consider to facilitate this discussion:

  1. Is the central claim clearly stated at the beginning of the presentation?
  2. Is the outline missing topics from your paper that you consider essential?
  3. Do you agree with the ordering, content, and visual ideas of the outlined slides?

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Part 3 - Practice

Using your revised outline, deliver an informal presentation to your partner to the best of your ability. I encourage you to sketch any graphs or tables on a chalkboard or a sheet of paper to facilitate your presentation.

Note: Rehearsal is an important part of preparing for a formal presentation, the skills you develop from delivering informal presentations are arguably more important.

For example, job interviews are often an informal presentation in the sense that you cannot possibly rehearse everything you’ll need to communicate. However, your audience will be paying attention to both your content and presentation skills.

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Part 4 - Reflection and further prep

To finish off today’s activity, I’d like you to record short answers (1-2 sentences) to the following questions and submit your responses to P-web for completion credit.

  1. Was it helpful to see how your partner outlined a presentation of your paper? Briefly explain.
  2. How did you feel while presenting on the fly? Did it give you any ideas?
  3. Did this activity change anything you’ll do to prepare for presentations on Thursday? briefly explain.

If you have additional time after submitting these answers, please use it to prepare your presentation.

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