Without any order … and without wanting to offend anyone, here are some of the typical mistakes I would like you to try to avoid.
Design errors
Please be careful with the he length of the seminar
Typically a seminar should last about 45-60 minutes, to allow the audience to comment, ask questions, start discussions, without the duration is too long. In general, it is not easy to limit the "number" of the slides … let's say that in 45 minutes, especially if the slides are very dense (code to explain, etc.), 25-30 is a reasonable number. If you have, instead, many schemes/images/ fast examples, this number can be increased, but not too much. Consider, as a general measure, the fact that you should talk for 45 minutes … if you get to 45 slides, it means on average one slide per minute … 60 seconds … let's say it's a burst of slides!
Design your own seminar
Believe us .. we all know that by typing in your search engine a search for your topic, with the file type "* .ppt" seminars are ready (surprised? ?). And it is not said that any of us, before your seminar, does not do such research, just for the whim to see what you are going to present that is not your work. So, it may be acceptable to take some nice animation, some nice examples, some pictures, or even some ideas … but the bulk of the seminar has to be yours. One of the purposes of the seminar is to help you learn how to present a work/project of your own, with your style, so take advantage of the opportunity and don't rely on Google ?
"My name is Rossi Mario"
AARGH! You call yourself "Mario Rossi" … you are not an robot, you are a person
"My name is Rossi Mario, matr. 05210/000001"
Even Worse! We are not under the military …
Mistake "written"
We are referring to the slides, of course
Do not use dark backgrounds
They are difficult to read and make the entire seminar a pain for the eyes.
Take care of what you have written
Please, try to read carefully what you have written on the slides. Nothing irritates more than typing errors. In some seminars, sometimes even in the presentations of the Theses, there are trivial typing errors, wrong capitalization, etc. Let the slides be re-read by someone else, to be able to catch those errors that you (that you have written to them) seem invisible (it's quite normal, you are certainly focused on the content!).
Don't write too much text on the slides!
It is much more effective to write a "bulleted" list of things to say, perhaps indented, rather than write exactly all the text you intend to pronounce. It takes a little more preparation (the things to be said should not only be "read" but should somehow be remembered/improvised) but the result is more effective: in practice your speech is summarized (while you are doing it) by slide, which allows listeners to more easily follow what you are saying.
Careful of the images!
In seminars, screenshots of an application are often added, or graphics taken directly from Excel. Here are some simple suggestions:
- For Excel charts, select the chart and paste it directly on the slide, resizing it, if needed, within Powerpoint. This will ensure an acceptable image quality with any resolution, as the graphic itself is stored in the vector in the slide.
- For bitmap images (such as application screenshots), create the screenshot (for example with ALT + Stamp). Once copied with you can paste it directly on the slide and in this way you will keep the resolution you have and the images will be manipulated by Powerpoint without losing details.
- Careful for artifacts when you create a JPEG file! When creating a JPEG file in a graphics program, set the compression quality to a minimum.
In graduation session!
Ok! You did it … it only lacks the presentation! Here are some useful tips!
Don't have a file called "tesi.ppt"
Or presentation.ppt or computersciencedegree.ppt or similar! The reason is simple: typically all PPT presentations are loaded on a single handset just before the session, and in this case, you find yourself with 10-15 presentations that have more or less all the same name! Understand that this delays and confuses. Rename it with your name and surname, to facilitate export.
Don't underestimate the compatibility
Check that your presentation is also compatible with older versions of PowerPoint. Also, do not use strange or unusual fonts (they may not be on the platform that hosts you for the presentation). Prepare, perhaps, the same presentation in two formats. And even in PDF, as an extreme case of backup.
A limited number of animations
Since, given the limitation on the time, going forward repeatedly delays, albeit slightly, the presentation and, moreover, makes it difficult and slower to go back if you have made some mistakes (one more click on the emotion!)
Pay attention to the laptop computer battery
If you use the laptop, connect it to the power supply to prevent it from turning off during a presentation.
Clean your desktop and your computer
This will be screened in a graduation session in front of a large audience (which includes relatives and friends!) … then eliminate the confusion, and maybe, if you have notices of "non-genuine Windows software" ? provide to use another laptop (or take advantage of the Microsoft Campus free student licenses).