Research Methodology

Research Methodology Making presentations.

Making presentations.

 The aim is good, clear communication.  Most people are afraid of public speaking.  There is no substitute for preparation.  Collect and order relevant material. ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Put your audience first!  Prepare the opening sentences carefully.  Use a non-technical opening…… but only if it’s relevant.  Avoid openings like “Thank you Mr Chairman for those kind words. It is a great pleasure to be here again in this great ……”  Throw your audience straight into the story “Is it possible to improve on the reliability of Airbus software?”

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Speaking style.    

An informal, conversational style is best. Avoid long, complicated sentences. Vary tone of voice to give expression. Vary the speed of delivery to provide emphasis.  But don’t speak too quickly: fast deliveries are difficult to understand.

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Time keeping.  Don’t speak for too long.  People remember up to 40% of a 15 minute talk, but only 20% after 45 minutes.  Assume a presentation rate of 100 words per minute.  Keep to time!

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Using notes.      

NEVER read a script. Write out the text. List the key words to form your notes. Produce notes on cards rather than paper. Keep notes in order with a treasury tag. Practise… in front of a mirror!

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Composure.  Hold your notes in one hand; let the other hang by your side.  Look at the audience - but not at one person!  Start slowly, having learned the first sentence.  Be aware of mannerisms and repeated gestures. ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Practical issues.  Explore the layout of the lecture room BEFOREHAND.  Understand how to control the projectors, microphones, lights, video…..  Do not speak while turning away from the microphone to look at a slide.  Overhead projectors should project upwards  Do not obscure the slide projection. ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

A pitfall to avoid.  Never, NEVER apologies for being an inexperienced speaker.  Never say “You will have seen all this before” “You will know more about this than I do”  Audiences will be embarrassed - they are on your side.  Nervousness leads to uncertainty about your material.

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Another pitfall to avoid.  Never try to be a stand up comic.  Be humorous, but humour is often at someone’s expense - make it your own.  It is easy to offend people and lose their sympathy.  Humour depends on timing.  A joke that falls flat is embarrassing.

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Preparing the content.  The old salesman’s adage contains a good deal of truth: Tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em; Tell ‘em; Tell ‘em what you’ve just told ‘em.  Don’t pack too much information into a talk.  Start with a brain map - and then order the material into a sequence. ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Visual aids 1.  OHPs can build on one another and are easy to produce.  35mm slides are more professional, easier to manipulate but more difficult to produce.  Computer screen projection is becoming the preferred option.  Laser pointers need practice and can be dangerous. ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Visual aids 2.  To point to an OHP place a pencil on the projector.  Slides should not be cluttered with information.  Use colour to emphasise a point and not for its own sake.  The minimum size font on an OHP should be 16 point. ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

What makes a good presentation? - Some guidelines              

Guideline 1 - Consider whom the presentation is designed for. Think about the audience. Do they know much about the subject? Are you using jargon or symbols that they are unfamiliar with? If you are talking to a small number of people, then they should be able to see the computer screen without any problems. If there are a large number of people, then you will need to use a projector of some sort. Guideline 2 - Keep the charts simple and uncluttered. Don’t put in any more or any less than is required Guideline 3- Make sure that the charts are legible, even from the back of the room. If you are making a presentation using a projector, then the characters need to be a minimum of 0.5 cm high for members of the audience who are 100 metres away. For more mature people, the minimum height needs to be 1 cm. Guideline 4 - Highlight key information Make it easy for the audience to pick out the most important details. Guideline 5 - Focus attention on one concept at a time Make sure that you are not giving the audience too much to think about at any one time. Guideline 6 - Reinforce your conclusion Finish the presentation with a summary of the main points that you want to make sure that the audience has understood.

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Good presentation guidelines  Guideline 1 - Consider whom the presentation is designed for • The audience • Terminology, Jargon or symbols • Number of people

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Good presentation guidelines  Guideline 2 - Keep the charts simple and uncluttered. • Don’t put in any more or any less than is required

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Good presentation guidelines  Guideline 3 - Make sure that the charts are legible, even from the back of the room • If you are making a presentation using a projector, then the characters need to be a minimum of 0.5 cm high for members of the audience who are 100 metres away. For more mature people, the minimum height needs to be 1 cm.

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Good presentation guidelines

 Guideline 4 - Highlight key information • Make it easy for the audience to pick out the most important details

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Good presentation guidelines  Guideline 5 - Focus attention on one concept at a time • Make sure that you are not giving the audience too much to think about at any one time

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Good presentation guidelines  Guideline 6 - Reinforce your conclusion • Finish the presentation with a summary of the main points that you want to make sure that the audience has understood

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Presentation Guidelines

     

Who the presentation is designed for Keep charts simple Charts must be legible Highlight key information One concept at a time Reinforce your conclusion ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Project Costs 10. Smart Project Cost Cash Flow Forecast (April 1998 - June 1999) Months Expenditure (£'000) Pay of personnel Overheads Materials consumed Consultancy fees Sub-contract charges Fees for trials/mapping data Prepartion of technical manuals Intellectual property costs Capital equipment/hardware Market assessment Training Software Other Total Income DTI Balance

Apr-98 May-98 Jun-98 3000 400 50 0 0 1000 0 0 0 500 1000 0 0 5950

15000 9050

3000 3000 400 400 50 50 0 2500 0 0 1000 1500 0 0 0 0 0 3000 500 0 500 500 0 2500 0 0 5450 13450

3600

-4400

Jul-98 Aug-98 Sep-98 Oct-98 Nov-98 Dec-98 Jan-99 Feb-99 3000 400 50 1000 0 0 0 0 5000 0 0 0 0 9450

3000 400 50 0 0 500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3950

12000 -1850

-5800

3000 400 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3450

3000 400 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 2500 0 6450

3000 400 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3450

3000 400 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3450

3000 400 50 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 0 0 0 3950

3000 400 50 0 0 0 0 0 500 0 0 0 0 3950

2500 4000 -9250 -13200 -16650 -20100 -20050 -24000

Mar-99 Apr-99 May-99 Jun-99 Total 3000 400 50 2500 0 100 0 500 0 0 0 0 0 6550

3000 400 50 0 0 100 0 500 0 500 0 0 0 4550

3000 400 50 0 0 50 0 1000 0 500 0 0 0 5000

3000 45000 400 6000 50 750 0 6000 0 0 50 4300 500 500 1000 3000 0 9000 500 3000 0 2000 0 5000 0 0 5500 84550

4750 38250 -30550 -30350 -35350 -40850

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Project Costs

Pounds

Costs per month 16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12 13 14 15

Months

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Cost by Category

COSTS 2%

6%

4%

Pay of personnel Overheads

11%

Materials consumed Consultancy fees Sub-contract charges

4% 52%

1%

Fees for trials/mapping data Prepartion of technical manuals

5%

Intellectual property costs Capital equipment/hardware

7%

Market assessment 1% 7%

Training Software Other

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

References  Campbell, J., (1990), Speak for yourself, BBC Books, London, ISBN 0563215119  Boothe, V., (1984), Communicating in science: writing and speaking, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 052127771 X  Tufte, E., (1983), The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Graphics Press ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods

Good luck: better still, prepare thoroughly!

ISM20 – Project Management and Research Methods