Tips on when doing a historic presentation?

upncmnhistori · 01-10-2013 9:26pm #1

Hi I have done two talks so far. Which have gone down well. A collegue of mine mentioned to me to have an introduction (what my qualifiactions are in a talk although I wonder is it arrogant to mention qualifications in a talk) and no conclusion. I have heard some people joke in a presentation but my boss said never to do that. Is there any tips on when doing a historic presentation for the general public. So far I have learned 'keep it simple' and the general public love images. Is there anymore tips?

Jawgap · 02-10-2013 8:57am

My advice.....

forget about reeling off your quals, but it's ok to mention something like "while studying for my.......I uncovered a great story/information etc about"

only be funny if you are funny - if you are not naturally funny or feel uncomfortable telling jokes then forget it, plus if you must use a joke make sure it's a appropriate - an amusing anecdote or quote relevant to the subject is ok.

finally, tell a story - in other words try and humanise / personalise the topic through the experiences of someone who went through it rather than make it a very high level chronicle of events etc. Make the presentation appropriate to your audience.

.......and if you are talking to kids, the more blood, gore, and gruesomeness you can include, the better

Good luck

gobnaitolunacy · 02-10-2013 8:58am

Depends what what the subject matter is whether or not you can 'joke'. Maybe an occasional one to show human side of things, I wouldn't overdo it and turn it into stand-up comedy.

Request any Q's and A's at the end, or else you'll be interrupted all night.

Images are good, just leave them on screen long enough for viewers to take them in. Nothing is more annoying than a pic flashed up for a few secs and then gone.

I wouldn't bother with quals, unless they happen to be mentioned as you're being introduced by someone else, like on a radio show discussion.

upncmnhistori · 02-10-2013 9:54am

Jawgap wrote: »

My advice.....

forget about reeling off your quals, but it's ok to mention something like "while studying for my.......I uncovered a great story/information etc about"

only be funny if you are funny - if you are not naturally funny or feel uncomfortable telling jokes then forget it, plus if you must use a joke make sure it's a appropriate - an amusing anecdote or quote relevant to the subject is ok.

finally, tell a story - in other words try and humanise / personalise the topic through the experiences of someone who went through it rather than make it a very high level chronicle of events etc. Make the presentation appropriate to your audience.

.......and if you are talking to kids, the more blood, gore, and gruesomeness you can include, the better

Good luck

No not funny at all. I do feel more comfortable doing my presentation seriously than been comical (I have a fellow historian friend and he is great at it). I have been told to put facts into a story than anything else. I am quite happy with gore.

upncmnhistori · 02-10-2013 9:55am

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Depends what what the subject matter is whether or not you can 'joke'. Maybe an occasional one to show human side of things, I wouldn't overdo it and turn it into stand-up comedy.

Request any Q's and A's at the end, or else you'll be interrupted all night.

Images are good, just leave them on screen long enough for viewers to take them in. Nothing is more annoying than a pic flashed up for a few secs and then gone.

I wouldn't bother with quals, unless they happen to be mentioned as you're being introduced by someone else, like on a radio show discussion.

Thank you. The point a collegue of mine made was that he (probably his opinion) would listen more to someone with quals than an historic enthuasist.

gobnaitolunacy · 02-10-2013 10:16am

upncmnhistori wrote: »

Thank you. The point a collegue of mine made was that he (probably his opinion) would listen more to someone with quals than an historic enthuasist.

Smacks of intellectual snobbery on the part of your colleague.
Letters after your name are not a guarantee of a good presentation, proof of the pudding and all that.

pedroeibar1 · 02-10-2013 10:23am

Valid points above on humour - I've seen speakers alienate an audience by their perception of what is funny. Definite MUST is Q&A at the end. I also agree on downplaying quals - you are there to give a talk, not to get a job. They can be mentioned by the 'introducer' or put after your name on a brochure/introductory slide. (Personally I do not bother, no harm in keeping people guessing!)

All presentations boil down to two issues – content and delivery. If you have been asked to give a presentation you must be regarded as an expert in that topic, (it is after all a compliment to be asked) so you have something to contribute and the audience will be grateful for your effort if you keep them on your side. Ascertain from the organizers who is your audience (i.e. their knowledge of the topic generally) and gear the presentation to that level. Always remember there is a fine line between being boring and being interesting. Try to produce some original fact that would please another expert. If you are using PowerPoint keep the text big and limit the points to a few (3-5) lines per page. Use lots of images – a picture tells a thousand words. Tables of figures are boring in a ‘general’ presentation and disliked by most other than statisticians.

Do not appear to talk down (condescend) to your audience – ‘share’ your knowledge with them but DO NOT use that horrible clichéd expression. The biggest errors in presentation made by beginners are to read from a script or the screen. The latter is the most common, and is awful as nobody wants to look at your contorted body and the audience cannot hear you when you are facing the screen.

Finally remember that there always is one person in the audience who wants to prove a point – the smartass – so have a response ready for him/her (usually it’s a ‘him’). Easiest way is to agree, saying that it’s an interesting point but because of its nature/ interest of others/ diverse views on it , the time available does not allow a full discussion. Then move on quickly with the next question or is there is not an immediate one, elucidate a point already made.
Keep to the schedule, organizers hate it when a speaker runs over time and it is very rude to the following speaker.

Some organizers have feedback forms – insist on seeing the completed ones as they will give great commentary on what is good / bad and pointers on what to do/avoid in your next presentation.

Jawgap · 02-10-2013 10:41am

If you think you've too much text on the slide, then you have......

.......avoid Powerpoint Karaoke:)

gobnaitolunacy · 02-10-2013 10:59am

Ask that people turn their mobiles OFF.
Was at a talk where this was not asked of, later there was the inevitable loud ringtones and rummaging in bags/pockets for them.

+1 on reading text off a screen. Know your subject matter off by heart, maybe a few cog notes to hand with just main points, dates, stats that you can glance over when need be.

convert · 02-10-2013 11:13am

Do you just organise and give the talks yourself, of is there a 'chair' or somebody there to introduce you? If the latter, then they should give a brief bio of your field(s) of study, qualifications, research interests, etc. If not, then you could always put the title of your paper, along with your name and relevant letters after your name, up on an overhead or powerpoint - it gets around you introducing yourself. For me personally, I always like to know what qualifications/publications a speaker has. It lets me know where they stand straight away.

riffmongous · 02-10-2013 5:52pm

On the quals, you could put your name, title and institut/company down on a small discrete banner/footer on the bottom of each slide. That way everyone will also know your name

tac foley · 03-10-2013 3:29pm

1. Introduce yourself.

2. Tell them what you are going to tell them - Q & A at the end please.

3. Tell them.

4. Tell them what you told them.

5. Q & A

6. Flannel is prohibited - if you DON'T know the answer to any given question, then tell them that you'll find out and get back to them.

tac

johnny_doyle · 03-10-2013 8:56pm

some good stuff so far.

have a think about any assumptions you are making re the prior knowledge of the audience and any words or terms that they might not know

if you're not comfortable using technology, don't use it. If using technology, be prepared for technology failure.

have a time plan in mind (how many minutes for each section) and use a clock on the far wall if available to help you stick to time. Any opportunity for a dry run with a "critical friend" to hone your talk (remove ums and errs, repetition, mannerisms)?

if keeping Q&A to the end, you may want to involve the audience in some basic way during the session e.g. show of hands, a practical demonstration with a member of the audience (not always feasible)

make eye contact with members of the audience - you're presenting to individuals not a mob

Thank the audience for coming/for giving you the opportunity to speak.

if the audience wants more information, where can they go? can they contact you or someone else? website/forum? will your presentation be available online or can it be emailed to them?

is there something you want the audience to do after they have left the session? e.g. go to a site/museum/tour, buy a book, watch a DVD etc or does it all stop after you've finished your talk?

Enjoy yourself! If you're enjoying what you're doing, there's a good chance the audience will.

Well done for doing this!

camphor · 04-10-2013 10:05am

Don't go on too long. Nothing to be said is ever so important that it can't fit into the time available.

upncmnhistori · 05-10-2013 8:24pm

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

Valid points above on humour - I've seen speakers alienate an audience by their perception of what is funny. Definite MUST is Q&A at the end. I also agree on downplaying quals - you are there to give a talk, not to get a job. They can be mentioned by the 'introducer' or put after your name on a brochure/introductory slide. (Personally I do not bother, no harm in keeping people guessing!)

All presentations boil down to two issues – content and delivery. If you have been asked to give a presentation you must be regarded as an expert in that topic, (it is after all a compliment to be asked) so you have something to contribute and the audience will be grateful for your effort if you keep them on your side. Ascertain from the organizers who is your audience (i.e. their knowledge of the topic generally) and gear the presentation to that level. Always remember there is a fine line between being boring and being interesting. Try to produce some original fact that would please another expert. If you are using PowerPoint keep the text big and limit the points to a few (3-5) lines per page. Use lots of images – a picture tells a thousand words. Tables of figures are boring in a ‘general’ presentation and disliked by most other than statisticians.

Do not appear to talk down (condescend) to your audience – ‘share’ your knowledge with them but DO NOT use that horrible clichéd expression. The biggest errors in presentation made by beginners are to read from a script or the screen. The latter is the most common, and is awful as nobody wants to look at your contorted body and the audience cannot hear you when you are facing the screen.

Finally remember that there always is one person in the audience who wants to prove a point – the smartass – so have a response ready for him/her (usually it’s a ‘him’). Easiest way is to agree, saying that it’s an interesting point but because of its nature/ interest of others/ diverse views on it , the time available does not allow a full discussion. Then move on quickly with the next question or is there is not an immediate one, elucidate a point already made.
Keep to the schedule, organizers hate it when a speaker runs over time and it is very rude to the following speaker.

Some organizers have feedback forms – insist on seeing the completed ones as they will give great commentary on what is good / bad and pointers on what to do/avoid in your next presentation.

That is fantastic advise thank you very much. So should a beginner not read from the script? What if there is a whole pile of information?

pedroeibar1 · 06-10-2013 1:40pm

upncmnhistori wrote: »

That is fantastic advise thank you very much. So should a beginner not read from the script? What if there is a whole pile of information?

There is some great advice in other posts also so the combination of most is a really good ‘general’ guide. I take the possibility of IT failure (synching projector/laptop) for granted so I overlooked mentioning that one. Making eye contact with different people in the audience is another important one, as is mobiles advice.

Your notes are indispensible for ‘detail’ – nobody minds a speaker looking down to read a quotation, or list a (brief) series of facts or figures, but in general you should not refer constantly to your notes and never read from them. That looks bad, is unprofessional and sounds really boring no matter how you modulate your voice. Bullet points in your slides can be a great help for important facts. When you look down your voice is not projected and people cannot hear you unless you have a really good microphone setup. IMO read your presentation and you won’t be invited back (unless the data/knowledge you impart outweighs the delivery!)

Everyone’s advice so far has to be taken in context – it depends on your own ‘level’, the audience, the cost, the setting, etc. Usually your content (and presentation format) differs according to the audience. For example presentations in the parish hall on the local castle/big house would of necessity each be quite different if given to villagers, the local history group, students, tourists or academics. (FWIW I've never done a history presentation, all mine have been work related at conferences, seminars, etc.)

convert · 06-10-2013 8:52pm

I've been to quite a lot of academic history conferences over the years and most of those presenting will read from their notes, regardless of whether or not they're using presentation. Those who modulate their voice and make an effort to make eye contact with their audience really stand out from those who just read from the text without looking up. If you're not going to read from your notes, you really need to know your stuff very well and have practised what you're going to say - there's nothing worse than someone standing up without notes and saying 'errrmmmm' or 'uhhh' or 'ehhhh' every second word.

upncmnhistori · 13-10-2013 3:22pm

Out of curiousity how should one get paid for talks by the venue or should the historian be allowed to charge? I know this may be a case of ethics is it right or wrong to charge people?

Gee Bag · 13-10-2013 3:46pm

upncmnhistori wrote: »

Out of curiousity how should one get paid for talks by the venue or should the historian be allowed to charge? I know this may be a case of ethics is it right or wrong to charge people?

You'll be doing well for yourself if they give you a cup of tea and a ham sandwich.

pedroeibar1 · 14-10-2013 11:15pm

Its ‘tae’ and ‘hang sangwich’.

Or perhaps a rubber chicken dinner, during which some AH will bore you to death while the person you really want to talk to will be far away.
I’ve never been paid, nor would I expect it for something associated with my work. I’ve done a few non-work related presentations and attendees were invited to make a contribution to a well-known charity.
Speakers see ‘presentations as an opportunity to ‘get the name out there’ – a form of promotion of themselves or their business. Even academics I guess would see it as good for the CV or selling their next book. For ‘work’ presentations I’ve had flights and or hotel accommodation paid by the conference organizers; as gifts I’ve never had cash, but have received innumerable pens, books, leather stuff, etc. Best ever were a little bronze statuette, one of a limited edition; the other was a pair of Tiffany cufflinks.
You have to be at the very top of the game to get cash; think Blair, Clinton, etc.

DeepSleeper · 15-10-2013 8:25am

All lot of good advice to be found in previous posts. The only thing I would add is to get to as many historical lectures as you can in advance of your talk - doesn't matter if they are all at one conference or if you find a few individual history / local history / archaeology lectures here and there - go along and listen to the lecture, but pay more attention to the style of delivery than to the content. Every lecturer has a different style, so see what you like / don't like and build your style on that. Observe their use of notes / images, the amount of text in their PowerPoints, their use of humour, their pace etc etc and then you will, at least, have noted a few things not to do! You will probably find a style you like, or at least points you like, and that will help you to put a shape on your personal style.

With regard to payment, it is common for larger local history societies to pay some form of honorarium to speakers, but this varies greatly on their resources. This is usually a cheque-in-an-envelope, but I recently received One-for-all vouchers which were welcome too! Invitations to dinner in advance are common too, and overnight accommodation is often offered if they know you are coming a long way.

gobnaitolunacy · 15-10-2013 3:04pm

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

You have to be at the very top of the game to get cash; think Blair, Clinton, etc.

...Bertie...

pedroeibar1 · 15-10-2013 4:01pm

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

...Bertie...

Yes, I did think of that but did not write it - after all, his last big gig was the investment seminar in Nigeria! It would need a huge fee to justify the trip in from the airport at Lagos, not to mention the other hassles. In fairness to B I've seen him as a 'presenter' and he is very, very good in an informal setting.

nuac · 13-11-2013 3:03pm

Some very good points here

Thanks

superelliptic · 14-11-2013 3:44pm

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Smacks of intellectual snobbery on the part of your colleague.
Letters after your name are not a guarantee of a good presentation, proof of the pudding and all that.

Hardly- but letters after the name might mean that they are more on the ball with their facts given that enthusiasts dont have the same levels of access (or time) to go through all available information sources on a given subject.

(Not to suggest that amateurs cannot be extremly skilled at their choosen subjects but a degree or a masters will make you more skilled and add credibility)

pedroeibar1 · 14-11-2013 10:43pm

The more important you are the lesser the need to put letters after your name. The biggest gobs#ites I know and have worked with have strings of letters after their names on their business cards. Those who have 'arrived' don't bother with them, and those who have really arrived don't even have business cards. As soon as a speaker opens his/her mouth it is obvious if they are on top of the topic.

Tips on when doing a historic presentation?

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