Video recording of my talk is here: (NUS Intranet only)
Powerpoint slides here:
PPT
slides
(audio/video links have been removed)
TITLE : Talking Technical: Tricks of the Trade
SPEAKER : Dr. Terence Sim
School of Computing,
National University of Singapore
ABSTRACT:
Most of us in academia are engaged in this typical sequence of
activities: (a) do research; (b) write a report/paper about it; (c)
give an oral presentation. While many of us are good at research
skills (a), and can write reasonable well (b), we are less confident
in speaking about it (c). Indeed, presenting our work in front of an
audience often causes knees to wobble and stomachs to cramp. It gets
worse when we realize, halfway through the talk, that the audience is
getting restless or bored because they are not understanding our
message.
In this talk, I will share some techniques that will improve the
intelligibility of our technical presentations. I learned many of
these "tricks of the trade" in school -- the School of Hard Knocks.
Others I picked up by observing the habits of good speakers; still
others from the wise counsel of my seniors. While I cannot guarantee
to take away the nervousness when you give a talk, I can certainly
offer practical tips that will hopefully improve the clarity of your
communication. At the very least, you can get a kick out of seeing
whether I practice what I preach.