Preparing Your Lecture Presentation
Presentation Time
Presentation time is critical; each paper is allocated 15 minutes for lecture sessions, including time for questions, session chair introductions, and any set up that is not completed in advance. We recommend that presentation of your slides should take about 12 minutes, leaving 3 minutes for introduction by the session chair and questions from the audience. Be prepared to begin your presentation as soon as the prior presenter has finished; it is important to keep on schedule.
Preparation of slides
To achieve appropriate timing, organize your slides around the points you intend to make, using no more than one slide per minute. A reasonable strategy is to allocate about 2 minutes per slide when there are equations or important key points to make, and one minute per slide when the content is less complex. Slides attract and hold attention, and reinforce what you say - provided you keep them simple and easy to read. Plan on covering at most 6 points per slide, covered by 6 to 12 spoken sentences and no more than about two spoken minutes.
Organization of Ideas
To achieve appropriate timing, organize your slides around the points you intend to make, using no more than one slide per minute. A reasonable strategy is to allocate about 2 minutes per slide when there are equations or important key points to make, and one minute per slide when the content is less complex. Slides attract and hold attention, and reinforce what you say - provided you keep them simple and easy to read. Plan on covering at most 6 points per slide, covered by 6 to 12 spoken sentences and no more than about two spoken minutes.
Font size
Keep in mind that the lecture presentations may occur in a large meeting room. When preparing your slides, be sure to use font sizes that are large enough so that the entire audience will be able to see your presentation. Use at least 36 pt for slide titles, at least 24 pt for major bullets, at least 20 pt for sub-bullets, and at least 18 pt for the smallest text (e.g., captions and table entries). All text should be at least 18 pt. Use a sans-serif font to make the slides easier to read from a distance - for example, Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or Computer Modern cmss
Meet with chair
You should meet with your session chair inside the lecture room during the break immediately prior to your session. If the room is not being used, this will give you a chance to test any presentation equipment you will be using. Copying your files to the computer before the session will also save you some time during your presentation.
Equipment provided
The lecture room will be equipped with a computer, a data projector, and a microphone. The computer will have a recent version of the Windows operating system installed and a USB port, as well as PowerPoint, Acrobat Reader, and Windows Media Player software. There will be no CD-ROM drive and no other equipment or software available. Embed all your fonts into your presentation if you are using any special font or plug-in such as MathType. Otherwise, your fonts may not be available. If you are a Mac or Linux user, make sure your presentation works properly on a Windows platform.