Plenary Session Speaker Guidelines

All plenary session presentations are 15 minutes: 12 minutes for the talk and 3 minutes for a question and answer period.

Please arrive 30 minutes before the start of your session.  A Macintosh computer provided by the meeting will be available in the room. Bring your presentation on a flash drive to load on the conference computer. If you plan to show Quicktime movies, do not attach them to your presentation.  You should include them as separate files on the flash drive, and be prepared to place them back into your presentation after loading on the conference computer.

Use the format below to label your presentation. This format will make it easier for the computer technician to display the correct presentation.

Last name presentation #

Sample: Chen12

The following equipment will be available in the session meeting rooms: Macintosh computer (loaded with PowerPoint, Keynote and Quicktime), LCD projector, laser pointer, lavaliere microphone and a podium microphone.

Test your presentation on a separate MAC before leaving home to insure the fonts are standard and components such as movies run properly.

Tips for Effective Presentations

Your presentation should help clarify ideas, emphasize key points, show relationships, and provide the visual information your audience needs to understand your message. Please consider the following suggestions as you plan your presentation:

1. Keep visuals clear and easy to read. Abbreviate your message. SIMPLE graphs, charts and diagrams are much more meaningful to an audience than complex cluttered ones.
2. Avoid using too many patterns and graphics in one frame.
3. Use a minimum of words for text and title frames. Five to eight lines per frame and five to seven words per line are the maximum-fewer is better.
4. Use upper and lower case lettering, which is more legible than all capital letters.
5. Vary the size of lettering to emphasize headings and subheadings, but avoid using more than three sizes per frame.
6. Select sans serif type (example: Arial) which projects better and is easier to read than serif type.
7. Keep all type horizontal, even in charts.
8. Consider color with care. A dark background with highly contrasting text and graphics is most readable. Cool colors (example: deep blue, turquoise, purple) appear to recede and make white or light colored text more readable. In one study, blue was found to be the most effective background color for projection. Do not use red for text; it is extremely difficult to read.
9. Highlight your main point or heading with a dominant color (example: yellow for the heading, white for body text). Avoid the use of intensely bright or saturated colors that compete with the text.
10. Maintain a consistent color scheme. Use no more than six colors throughout your presentation.
11. Consider photographs for added interest. Combined with simple, straightforward graphics, illustrations, cartoons and artwork, photos can bring another dimension to your presentation.
12. Remember the basics of good design: Plan a template. Use colors consistently with light fonts on a dark background. Keep text clear and easy to read.

If you know in advance of the conference that you must cancel your presentation, or if you must change presenters, please contact Marilyn Kobayashi at kobayashi@berkeley.edu.