A few weeks ago I presented a new research project to a few faculty members. I was looking for feedback on the appropriate structural model that can be used to explain commuting and residential choice patterns in a household survey. The following is what I learned from the presentation.
- Be clear about what feedback you are looking for. Say it right at the beginning. When your work is in preliminary stage, there are usually concerns from all aspects — data, identification, theoretical framework, context, etc. Try to focus on the aspect that matters the most to you for now. This will make your presentation more structured and enable your audience to give more useful feedback.
- Know what you have to cover in your presentation and what you can skip. For example, if your purpose is to identify the right theoretical model for your research question, do not dwell on the data for too long. Address questions that are relevant, and leave the questions that stray too far from your theme “to future discussions”.
- When you are presenting a model, be clear about the assumptions. Which assumptions are fundamental to the workings of your model and the interpretation of your results? Which assumptions are necessary due to data limitations? Which assumptions are an abstraction and can be refined? Thinking over these questions also helps you to understand different models better.
- Do not put unnecessary information on your presentation slides. Slides are a form of visual aid — they make your speech more effective instead of replacing you the speaker. If you find yourself staring at a slide with too many equations thinking “it’s probably gonna be fine, I’ll just use it as reference”, then you probably should make it more concise.
- Anticipate your questions as much as you can. I usually make draft slides a couple days before the actual presentation, and go over the slides from an outsider’s perspective (or whoever will be at your presentation, if you know them well). If a particular line seems confusing, I revise the wording on the slide or think of alternative ways to present the same idea.
Hope this is useful.