Presentation

[Alhajras]

Docs

The number of slides:

25 - 30

Total time:

20 minutes

Font size

20pt

Colors:

black, blue, and red

Main sections:

1. [ ] Problem: explanation and definition: 5m [ ] Example 1 [ ] Example 2 [ ] Demo [ ] Task difintion
2. [ ] Solution: main approach and techniques: 10m
3. [ ] valuation: setup and main results: 5m

[Alhajras]

Problem: explanation and definition

It should become 100% clear in this first part of your talk, which problem you are trying to solve. Don't assume that the audience already knows the problem. Maybe they know something about the topic, maybe they don't. But almost no one in your audience will know the exact variant of the problem you considered.

It is almost always best to first explain a problem BY EXAMPLE. Examples should be chosen carefully. They should not be too simple (excluding important aspects of the problem) and they should not be too complex (they should be easy to understand and present in a short time). Sometimes, one well-chosen example is enough. Sometimes, it can be good to have one simple example and one more complex example.

If you have a demo, don't show it at the end of your presentation but in the beginning. A well-done demo is a great way to explain and understand a problem easily. Sometimes it makes sense to first show one or two examples on the slides and then the demo. Sometimes it can make sense to start right away with the demo.

The formal problem definition should be the LAST thing you show in Part 1, not the first. With one or two examples and a demo, 90% of the problem will usually be clear. A formal definition can clear up the remaining 10%. Sometimes, the examples and the demo make the problem so clear that no formal definition is required at all. Anyway, it's always good to have a dedicated slide with a statement of the problem, however formal or informal.

[Alhajras]

Solution: main approach and techniques

You have worked on your project or thesis for three months or six months or even longer. You have covered a lot of ground. Don't expect to be able to present everything you have done. You have to make a SELECTION. Select the most important ideas and those which gave the biggest improvement. Also make sure that you explain everything that is needed to understand the evaluation in Part 3.

Like for Part 1, the most important advice for Part 2 is to explain BY EXAMPLE first. Again, the example should be well-chosen: not too simple and not too complex. Sometimes it makes sense to take the example(s), which you chose for Part 1 to explain what the problem ist. Sometimes it make sense to take a new example or a slight variation of your example(s) from Part 1.

Visualization is important. Animations can be of great help, especially for complex algorithms or data structures. Nobody understands an algorithm or data structure from an itemized list of (usually vague) text. Neither does anybody understand an algorithm or data structure from throwing code on a slide, unless it is very short and very simple.

[Alhajras]

Evaluation: setup and main results

Before you show your results, the experimental setup should be 100% clear. In particular, it should be clear which DATASETS you evaluated and how they look like (dimensions, format, an example extract usually helps a lot). The same holds true for the GROUND TRUTH, if applicable for your work.

The MEASURES used in your experimental evaluation should be 100% clear. This holds true, even if you use standard measures like accuracy or precision and recall. Most members of the audience will know what an accuracy or what precision and recall is. But it's usually not clear without explanation how they are defined for your particular problem. For example, precision and recall involves sets (ground truth sets and the sets computed by the evaluated algorithm). What are those sets in your evaluation?

The RESULT TABLES or FIGURES are usually the main part of an evaluation section. Make sure that they have a pleasent layout and are not overloaded. Even if not overloaded, result tables and figures usually contain a lot of information. Make sure that you explain everything that is shown. For example, for a result table, it should be 100% clear what each column and each row stand for. For a figure, it should be 100% clear what's on the x-axis and what's on the y-axis.