1) Please
communicate clearly with your audience in this area - your presentation should
demonstrate that you have evaluated the scientific merits or faults (as discussed
in this course) of the research you are presenting, at least for Round 1 (where
you present on a scientific paper) 2) For Round 2, please present the results
of your project (either the 3 or 9 credit honors project or guided readings) in
a way that makes it clear you have developed one or more hypotheses, deduced predictions
from it/them, and tested it/them. If you are doing guided readings, you can present
your work by beginning with the question or hypothesis that motivated the readings
you did. Then, describe the scientific results you found in those readings and
whether the results supported your initial hypothesis.
Organization
1)
Be straightforward and logical, think of it as telling a story - you want a less
expert audience to be able to follow along 2) Be certain to start with a
brief introductory summary of what you will cover (outline!!!) 3) Provide
sufficient background so that the audience can appreciate the significance of
the paper (who cares???) 4) Use visual aids as appropriate, flow-charts can
be very helpful when explaining methods and experimental designs 5) At the
close of your seminar be certain to summarize the main conclusions and provide
the audience with the most significant point(s) from the seminar* (don't leave
the audience wondering why they sat through the seminar)
Clarity
1)
Speak clearly and 'speak up' - project your voice without shouting at your audience
2) State the objectives, hypotheses and rationale of study right at the start
of the talk 3) Be certain to relate the seminar to the larger context (Can
we predict something better because this study was conducted? Do have better knowledge
of a basic pattern in nature?) 4) Your seminar should be understandable to
a general audience (remember: you have read paper or done the research - the audience
won't have the same degree of preparation as you) 5) Be certain that you
understand the work yourself and do not use a word that you could not explain!
(avoid "bafflegab", especially if you don't get it yourself).
