1. Key Deadlines and Regulations Activity 1.

Submit a Presentation Title and an abstract to the Seminar Coordinator (TA) Description Email Seminar Coordinator 1)A presentation title 2) A 150-200 word abstract of your talk The abstract should be approved by your thesis supervisor(s). The most efficient way of letting us know this is to cc. the abstract to your supervisor(s) and write in your email to us a statement like My Supervisor Dr. XYZ has approved my abstract. Indicate in your email whether or not your supervisor(s) will be attending, and indicate who will present you. 2. Submit Presentation Slides, Title, and time constraints Email Seminar Coordinator your PowerPoint presentation We use your presentation slides to a) check whether there are any compatibility issues with our computers (This can happen sometimes with videos or with the equation editor) b) Create a pdf to be posted on the webpage of the Seminar Course 2. Time Allocation for Presentation Exactly 30 minutes will be allocated for each presentation, to be allocated according to the following: Activity 1. Introduction of Speaker 2. Presentation Delivery 3. Questions and Answers 4.Evaluation by audience Total Duration 1 minute 20 minutes 5 minutes 4 minutes 30 minutes 8 days prior presentation Deadline 5 days prior presentation date

During the presentation delivery, we will attempt to signal you two minutes before the end of the presentation. 3. Introduction of Speakers Each speaker is expected to be introduced by his/her supervisor. In some cases, the supervisor is unable to attend. In this instance, add one slide at the beginning to introduce yourself at the beginning of the talk. Under both scenarios, the time allocated to the introduction is one minute.

4. How is my presentation evaluated? 80% of the mark will be allocated by your peer evaluations. You will receive their evaluations and comments to help improve your presentation skills in the future. 20% of the mark will be allocated to your level of compliance to the Key Deadlines and Regulations under Item 1 above. This mark is allocated by the graduate coordinator and the seminar coordinator or graduate coordinator. If you miss a deadline, we will send you an email reminder, but we will deduct some points. Advice for Speakers Know your audience: A crucial point in the success of your presentation is to know your audience. In the graduate seminar, the majority of your audience are Civil Engineers who are not in your area. This means you need to carefully and clearly explain the problem before getting into technical issues. Explain the challenges to be resolved. If you will be using technical terms or Acronyms that are unfamiliar to your audience, you have to carefully define them at the beginning of your talk. A few people in your audience are experts in your research topic. Prepare something exciting and new for these people.

Typical Content of a Presentation: Presentation content and layout greatly depend on the nature of the research. You are advised to get in touch with your supervisor on possible suggestions. Typically, a presentation will have the following components. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Presentation Outline Background Information and Problem Description Description of Methodology(ies), features, and limitations Results (comparisons, trends, etc.) Summary and Conclusions

Rules for Preparing your Presentation: 1. Typically, a slide should contain no more than 8 lines. Your slide should be visible from the back of the room 2. Video clips, graphic overlays, and data animations can be very effective for presenting information 3. Use consistent fonts (for instance Time New Romans, or Arial) throughout your presentation. Do not mix fonts. 4. Have a consistent color scheme in your presentation. 5. Figures and tables scanned from other documents (thesis, book, papers, etc.) never show well in a presentation because their fonts tend to be too small to be seen by the audience. Prepare separate figures and tables for your presentation. 6. Avoid the use of symbols or acronyms unless you have clearly defined them (either verbally or in writing) 7. Avoid bombarding your audience with information. Emphasize the important principles or results and eliminate less important ones 8. Graphs and diagrams should be as simple as possible, preferably conveying one idea per slide 9. All your numbers should almost never have more than three significant digits 10. Avoid writing complete paragraphs and try to put your ideas in a concise point form 11. Carefully time and practice your presentation, and have a backup plan in the event you run out of time.

Things to watch for when delivering your Presentation: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Have eye contact with your audience Do not fidget (jingle keys, fix hair, etc.) Avoid um, ah, er, ok, I mean, etc.. Do not read your slides. Your explanations should complement your slides, not duplicate the material written Use a pointer to direct the attention of the audience to the point you are making Finish on time