|
|
|
Higher Degrees by Research Seminars
The Higher Degrees by Research seminars are designed to allow students to present their research proposals and plans in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.
Students speak for 25-30 minutes followed by questions and discussion for 20-25 minutes (total 50 minutes).
Please remember that all higher degree students in the Department of Management: Masters, DBA, and PhD, must present at a departmental seminar at least 30 days prior to their confirmation. Please book your place by e-mailing Nick Beaumont.
If you wish, you may prepare handouts, but there is certainly no obligation to do so. We recommend that you consult the Q-manual (pdf. 517 kb) for hints on giving a good presentation. To finalise a timeslot, I need your title and a 50-100 word abstract at least 3 weeks prior to the date you want to present.
Presentations: a Personal View
There is no fixed recipe for a good presentation, some people can break all the rules and still enthuse an audience and get the message across, perhaps because they are themselves enthusiastic and/or because they have something worth saying. It is worthwhile paying attention to your presentation skills. In business, a presentation to senior managers may contribute to their evaluation of you. What follows is a personal view; I recommend that you consult Chapter 11 of the Q-manual (pdf. 517 kb) for more information.
| 1. |
Express enthusiasm. If you don't convey enthusiasm, your audience will lose interest pretty quickly. |
| 2. |
Dress reasonably neatly, thereby conveying to your audience that you are serious. Dressing well may contribute to your self-confidence. IBM says that: “Not everybody can be a salesperson but everyone can look like a salesperson.” |
| 3. |
In a presentation you cannot cover every point. You will bore your audience if you try to do so; the detail belongs to your written confirmation report. Build your presentation round the big points: perhaps: |
| |
a. |
A description of the project |
| |
b. |
Why your research matters (it is interesting to allude to the practical as well as the academic importance of your topic) |
| |
c. |
The research questions and previous work |
| |
d. |
Methodology: how you will obtain and analyse data |
| |
e. |
What you have achieved to date |
| |
f. |
Plans and timetables |
| |
g. |
Possible implications of your research |
| |
h. |
Thanks |
| 4. |
Do not put too much information on slides; use at most three or four bullet points per overhead. Do not present complicated and difficult to read diagrams (if a complicated diagram is really necessary you could provide hard copies instead of using a difficult-to-read overhead). |
| 5. |
Restrict yourself to one overhead per one or two minutes at most; 20 is plenty for a 25 minute session. |
| 6. |
Before you put up an overhead, decide whether you want the audience to read it or listen to you. If you want them to read it, say so and keep quiet for a minute while they read. |
| 7. |
Try to come out from behind the lectern. Hiding behind the lectern betrays lack of confidence. |
| 8. |
Before you present, check out the equipment and make sure that it works for you. |
| 9. |
Rehearse: make sure that your presentation fits into 20-25 minutes. |
In the HDR seminar series, you are not being assessed. The seminar series is designed to allow you to practice in a relatively stress free and supportive environment. Good luck! Remember that all the staff and students in the audience want you to succeed! If you feel that you need guidance, your supervisors will be very willing to help.
For further advice or scheduling contact:
Dr Nick Beaumont
HDR Seminar Coordinator
Email: Nicholas.Beaumont@buseco.monash.edu.au
Telephone: 9905 2329
Mobile: 0418 579 145
|
|
|
