The Craft of Scientific Presentations

by Michael Alley

The second edition of The Craft of Scientific Presentations will be available in the Spring of 2013. The Craft of Presentations provides a score of examples from contemporary and historical scientific presentations to show clearly what makes an oral presentation effective. It considers presentations made to persuade an audience to adopt some course of action (such as funding a proposal) as well as presentations made to communicate information, and it considers these from four perspectives: speech, structure, visual aids, and delivery. In keeping with technological innovations, it discusses not only the use of overhead projectors, but also computer-based projections and slide shows. In particular, it discusses ways of organizing graphics and text in projected images and of using layout and design to present the information efficiently and effectively. Unlike other books that discuss technical presentations, this book anchors its advice in the experiences of scientists and engineers, inc