11.2 Oral presentations: Telling a crowd what’s been done

Question 1

To whom should a team tailor its presentation?

Answer 1

Teams should tailor presentations to their audiences.

Question 2

What are important qualities of deliverables such as presentations?

Answer 2

As with other deliverables, the presentation must be properly organized and structured.

Question 3

What are some important ways to impose organization and structure in presentations?

Answer 3

Organization and structure can be imposed on presentations by doing the following:

• Articulate a rough outline
• Formulate a detailed outline
• Prepare the proper supporting materials
  
  • e.g. visual aids or physical models

Question 4

What is the purpose of the title slide of a presentation?

Answer 4

The purposes of the title slide are to identify the following:

• the client(s)
• the project
• the design team or organization responsible for the work being presented

Question 5

Should the title slide include any logos? What type of logos might a title slide include?

Answer 5

The title slide should include company logos.

Question 6

What element of a presentation indicates the direction that a presentation will take?

Answer 6

Roadmap for the presentation - shows the direction that the presentation will take.

Question 7

What form will a presentation roadmap take?

Answer 7

A presentation roadmap can take the form of an outline, a flowchart, a big picture slide, and etc.

Question 8

What is a problem statement?

Answer 8

A problem statement is a blurb that includes highlights of the revised problem statement that the team produced after research and consultation with the client.

Question 9

What are key elements of a presentation outline?

Answer 9

key elements of a presentation outline include:

• title slide
• presentation roadmap
• problem statement
• background material on the problem
• key objectives
• key constraints
• key/required functions
• design alternatives
• highlights of the evaluation procedure and outcomes
• the selected design
• proof-of-concept testing
• demonstration of the prototype
• conclusions

Question 10

What does background material on the problem include?

Answer 10

Background material on the problem includes relevant prior work and other materials developed through team research.

Question 11

How can key objectives of the client and users be identified?

Answer 11

Key objectives of the client and users as reflected in the top level or two of the objectives tree.

Question 12

What are key constraints?

Answer 12

Key constraints are requirements that the design must meet.

Question 13

What are key functions and what are their focuses?

Answer 13

Key functions are functions that the design must perform, focusing on:

• basic functions
• means for achieving those functions

Question 14

What formats do design alternatives typically take? From which stage are design alternatives most important?

Answer 14

Design alternatives typically take the form of diagrams and descriptions of each diagram. The most crucial design alternatives to include in presentations are those that were considered in the evaluation stage.

Question 15

What are important highlights of the evaluation procedure and outcomes to include?

Answer 15

Highlights of the evaluation procedure and outcomes, including key metrics or objectives that bear heavily on the outcome, should be included in the presentation.

Question 16

What about the selected design is important to note?

Answer 16

It is imperative to not the rationale for the selection of the chosen design.

Question 17

What is important to note regarding the features of the selected design?

Answer 17

It is imperative to highlight aspects that make the selected design superior to other alternatives and any novel or unique features.

Question 18

What is crucial during a presentation, particularly for an audience of technical professionals for whom this artifact is likely to be of great interest?

Answer 18

Proof-of-concept testing is especially crucial for an audience of technical professionals for whom this design likely to be of great interest.

Question 19

By what means may a prototype be demonstrated during a presentation?

Answer 19

Demonstration of the prototype during a presentation is key, assuming that a prototype was developed and that it can be shown. Video or still photos may also be appropriate here.

Question 20

What are the components of the conclusions section of the presentation?

Answer 20

Conclusion(s) sections of presentations include:

• the identification of any future work that remains to be done
• suggested improvements to the design.

Question 21

How many slides should per minute should the presentation contain?

Answer 21

Limit the number of slides to 1 – 2 slides per minute.

Question 22

At what point should the teammates introduce themselves?

Answer 22

Be sure to introduce yourself and your teammates on the title slide.

Question 23

How can we prevent clutter in presentations?

Answer 23

Beware of “clutter.” Slides should be used to highlight key points.

Question 24

What is the problem with slides that are too clever or flashy? What should you strive for instead?

Answer 24

Make points clearly, directly, and simply. Slides that are too flashy or clever tend to detract from a presentation.

Question 25

How do you use color skillfully in presentations?

Answer 25

• Current computer-based packages support many colors and fonts, but their defaults are often quite appropriate.
• Avoid clashing colors in such professional presentations
• Keep in mind that some color combinations are hard to read for audience members who are colorblind.

Question 26

How can animation be appropriately employed in presentations?

Answer 26

An animated video of the function of your design might be very informative, while text flying in from the edges of the slide may not.

Question 27

Should presentations include completed design tools such as objective trees? Why or why not?

Answer 27

Do NOT reproduce completed design tools (e.g., objectives trees, large morph charts) to describe the outcomes of the design process as they will likely be far too small to read.

Question 28

How should the outcomes of the design process be presented instead?

Answer 28

Instead of including completed design tools, such as objectives trees and large morphological charts, highlight selected points of the outcomes and refer the audience to a report for more detailed information.

Question 29

What is important to consider regarding images of design drawings being shown?

Answer 29

Consider carefully the size and distance of the audience if images of design drawings are being shown.

Question 30

What is important to prepare for when practicing for a presentation?

Answer 30

While practicing its presentation, a team ought to prepare for questions from its audience.

Question 31

What are some ways to prepare for questions from the audience?

Answer 31

Some ways to prepare for questions from the audience:

• Generating a list of questions that might arise, and their answers
• Preparing supporting materials for points that are likely to arise
  
  • e.g., backup slides that may include computer results, statistical charts, and other data that may be needed to answer anticipated questions
• Preparing to say “I don’t know,” or “We didn’t consider that.”
  
  • A team, that is, to be caught pretending to know has undermined its credibility and invited severe embarrassment.

Question 32

What is design review?

Answer 32

Design review:

• typically a long meeting at which the team presents its design choices in detail to an audience of technical professionals

Question 33

What are the roles of the audience in design review?

Answer 33

The roles audience of technical professions in design reviews include the following:

• assess the design
• raise questions
• offer suggestions

Question 34

What is the intention of design review?

Answer 34

Design review is intended to:

• be a full and frank exploration of the design
• expose the implications of solving the design problem at hand
• possibly to create new design problems

Question 35

What are the sequence of phases of design review?

Answer 35

Design review will consist of:

1. a briefing by the team on the nature of the problem being addressed
2. an extensive presentation of the proposed solution

Question 36

What may presented during design review that is particular to artifacts?

Answer 36

In the cases of artifacts, the team will often present an organized set of drawings or sketches that allows its audience to understand and question the team’s design choices. Often, these materials may be provided to the attendees in advance.