Custom Essay

Here are the instructions for the presentations. We will communicate by email to establish the
date and time for your presentation.
We all know, more or less, what giving a presentation consists in. However, presentations differ
in different contexts and in different disciplines. So, here are some detailed points regarding the
presentations:
• Slides are required. More and more, academic presentations at conference are made based
on slides. You can use Power Point or PDF. (I’m not sure other softwares are supported by
the university computer. We can experiment with laptops if you want to use something else,
but you’ll need to consult me first.) Remember that slides are meant to support your talk,
not to be the center of it. Also, it is important not to include too much text on the slides,
since it is distracting for the audience. Use whatever visual means you need: bullets, frames,
colors, images, etc. However, it is important to understand that they are merely visual aides
(don’t read your slides!).
• The talks have to be 10-11 minutes. Practice your talk to make sure it fits in this time
frame. You will be cut after 13 minutes and be penalized accordingly.
• Be prepare for up to 5 minutes of questions and answers (and maybe as little as 0, if there’s
no time) after.
• I expect you to cover the essence of your research paper. I understand perfectly well that it
is hard to concentrate all your work in a 10-11 minute talk, but it is how the academic world
works (sadly). You travel across the world to go to a conference, and then you have just a
few minutes to explain one year’s worth of work. It is frustrating, but it is the name of the
game! So, you have to be clear and direct, and avoid all kinds of pettifoggery.