Arriving
Presenters are expected to arrive at least 20 minutes before their assigned session begins. Be sure to check in at registration before proceeding to your assigned presentation room. Remember that you should be present for the duration of your scheduled session.
We do strongly encourage presenters to attend other sessions than the one they are presenting in. The symposium is a great opportunity to learn and to make new connections! You may also add a few more presentation strategies to your toolkit as you observe other presenters showcasing their work.
If you are sharing a presentation or performance, please encourage your guests to arrive 10 minutes before your assigned session so they have plenty of time to find your presentation room and get settled. If you are presenting a poster, your guests can arrive at any point during your assigned session. Your guests can head straight to your presentation room when they arrive, or they are welcome to stop by check in for navigation assistance.
Posters
After you’ve submitted your poster for printing, you’ll need to be sure to pick it up and bring it with you to the symposium.
Pins for pinning up your poster will be available on poster boards. If you need additional pins, please check the tables set up around the room.
Please refrain from bringing large bags with you. Large bags and other items can cause obstructions that prevent event attendees from easily navigating the poster session.
Art or Project Display
Please ensure that you have contacted the Undergraduate Symposium coordinator if your presentation will require any special arrangements. Pins for pinning up visual displays will be available on poster boards and at tables set up around the room.
5- and 10-Minute Presentations
Please be sure to submit any presentation materials or visual aids that will require use of the projector and/or sound system by the stated deadline. All presentation materials will be projected using university laptops on the day of the event.
A moderator will be in attendance to facilitate the session and keep presenters to the allotted time. All presentations will be followed by a 5-minute Q&A period.
Film / Performance
Please ensure that you have contacted the Undergraduate Symposium coordinator if your presentation will require any special arrangements.
A moderator will be in attendance to facilitate the session. Participants sharing performances will typically have 10-15 minutes to present and 5 minutes for a Q&A session. If you will require more time, please contact the Undergraduate Symposium coordinator.
Ten Presentation Tips
1. Know your audience. In general, your audience will be composed of:
- People who know and understand your topic. Some people will be familiar with the basic concepts you’re working with, but don’t assume that they are familiar with all of the technical details.
- People who are unfamiliar with your topic. This audience gives you an opportunity to share interesting information you’ve been learning and to highlight your project’s importance.
2. Create a take-home message. What is the most important thing you want your audience to understand after they hear your presentation?
3. If you are presenting a poster, be sure greet your viewers and ask them, “Would you like a guided tour of my project?” Don’t forget to give them time to digest your poster.
4. Explain what you find most interesting about your project.
5. Strive to speak slowly when presenting your work. Enunciating, pausing every two to three sentences, and asking rhetorical questions can help with this.
6. Do not read from your poster, slides, or other presentation materials. Use them as a visual aid only.
7. Simplify your vocabulary and sentence structure. Avoid using confusing jargon, and if you use terms or reference theories that aren’t well known, be sure to explain them.
8. Repeat and repeat again. It’s okay to be more repetitive than you would be in a written paper. This will help listeners keep track of how all the pieces of your argument fit together.
9. Use signposts. Signposts are structural aids that help listening audiences keep track of how all of your points are connected. Here are three common ones:
- Numerical signposts like “first. . . second. . . third. ..”
- Parallel structure: “The main obstacle Manhattan faces is. . . .” “The main obstacle Queens faces is. . . .” “The main obstacle the Bronx faces is. . . .
- ”Old-to-new transitions: “I’ll begin by defining the term documentary film . . . .” “Now that I have explained what a documentary film is, I would like to use the example of Sherman’s March to show how this kind of film can have a peculiar psychological effect on viewers. . . .” “And so we see that documentary films can have a peculiar effect on their viewers. This is relevant to us today because. . . .”
10. Be sure to thank your audience!