Getting Started

Whether you are preparing for a brief presentation to your peers, a journal club presentation for a select group or a grand rounds presentation, you will need to master the basics for a great presentation.  In this section, you will find tips on creating a great oral presentation from start to finish.

Writing an Abstract

Submitting to a Conference

Making the Presentation

Presenting

Writing an Abstract

Writing a great abstract is key to having a good final research product for presentation or publication.  As a summary of your research and findings, your abstract should be limited to 100-250 words.  Since it can be difficult to condense your research these few words, the tips below will help with this process. 

• Start with a formal outline, even if not required, this structure will help you organize your thoughts.
  • Introduction: objective or hypothesis
  • Methods:  what you did
  • Results: what you found
  • Conclusion:  why it's important
• Be careful of word usage here.  You need to be concise and precise.
• Have someone edit your abstract.
• Assure the abstract aligns with submission guidelines.
• See AMEE Guide no. 108: Writing Competitive Research Conference Abstracts.

Writing a Title

The title of your project is the first thing that people will see.  Creating a good title for your presentation/publication/poster will capture the attention of visitors.  The following tips will help you as you develop your title:

• Brainstorm lots of keywords to help find the best mix.
• Be informative.
• Place your methodology or trial type at the end of your title.
• Use action words that concisely portrays the message of your project.
• Be aware of the length of your title. Don't let it get too long.
• See more ideas here: Academic Medicine - AM Rounds - Strategies for Writing and Effective Title.

Finding the Right Conference and Submitting Your Work

 Submitting to the right conference can make a huge difference in whether your work is accepted or not.  Department or Division administrators and senior faculty will probably have a good idea of the best places to submit, so reach out the them for advice.  In general look for conferences ...

• In your specific field or area of interest.
• That actively recruit residents and/or junior faculty.
• Are local, state, or regional and work your way up to national and international conferences.
• That have specific sessions for residents and/or junior faculty.
• That have a high number of posters or paper presentations, depending on which you are doing.  This makes it more likely that your paper or poster will be accepted.
• Are within your budget and/or the allowance provided by your department or division.
• Offer travel grants for residents to help offset the cost of presenting at an away conference. 

Don't be afraid to do an online search and find new conferences outside your regional area or comfort zone.  Academic presenting is rapidly expanding and new conferences that may fit your work may be unknown to senior faculty.  Residents should always check with their mentors or senior faculty and also online to see if they are allowed to submit alone, require a faculty mentor, or are not allowed to submit at all.

Creating Your Presentation

In this section, you find information on the use of Power Point software for creating a presentation.  However, keep in mind that the tips for creating and laying out a presentation will be the same regardless of the software you use.  Alternatives to Power Point include the Apple software Keynote or online software like Prezi.

1. Slides should be simple.
   • Edit for grammar and spelling.
   • The rule of Six - Six lines per slide, six words per line.  Keep to your main points on the slide and save the details for your notes/discussion. 
   • Use a landscape (horizontal) layout to fit projection screens and TV monitors.
   • Avoid abbreviations that are not common.
   • Use a simple slide design to avoid distraction.
2. Text should be legible.
   • Use a single font for headers and another for text.  Only use additional fonts to catch the audiences attention.  
   • Use a sans serif font, like Arial (these lack decoration and are easier to read on screen).
   • Use an appropriate font size, for a smaller room the text size should be at least 24pt; headers 36pt.  In a larger room you will want to move up to 36pt for main text and 42pt for headers to allow those int he back to be able to view.
   • Avoid using all capitals letters.
   • Use black text on a white or light colored background. Yes, it's boring, but it can be read by everyone.  Many people have trouble reading white text on black backgrounds or different colors of text on any background.
3. Sounds and images
   • ​Avoid sound unless it adds to the point you are trying to make (i.e. a specific heart or breath sound)
   • Keep videos short (30-60 sec.) and tied to your presentation. Also be sure you know how to embed the video and ensure it will work as you plan.
   • Adding tables and graphs can be very effective even without text on the page. Make sure they fit into the flow of your presentation, are labeled, and are not overly complicated.  
   • When using images(photos, x-rays, etc.) be sure to use high quality images to allow your audience to see what you are describing. 
4. General advice​
   1. Review your entire presentation yourself and present to another person.  They will see things you may have missed.
   2. Time yourself when you practice your presentation. The general rule is a slide per minute of your presentation time, but some slides will require more or less time to go over. 

Making a good oral presentation

Regardless of length, there are some simple rules to follow when making a presentation to an audience.  

1. Talk to the audience - Look up and around as much as possible, not just the screen or your notes.
2. Stick to your message - Discuss the main points of your research, don't get lost in the details.
3. Do not go over your time limit - Wrap up your presentation in a timely fashion to avoid getting cut off.
4. Tell a story - Introduction, What you did, take home points to finish. Keep to your path.
5. Hold the audiences interest - Use graphics and visuals as needed, modulate your voice, and pace yourself.  
6. Acknowledge Contributions - Presentations are rarely formed alone, use a slide to let everyone know who helped you out.
7. Close with your contact information.