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EFS 698C - STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Writing and Presenting Research

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EFS 698C: Week 8 Notes
 

I. Review of model papers

II. Formal Presentation

A. Examples

•Useful website: http://ecorner.stanford.edu (also www.ted.com)
•Let's look at the following clips and see what you notice in terms of presentation style and interaction
–William Sahlman
–Vinod Khosla
–Guy Kawasaki
–Carol Bartz
–Catherine Mohr
–Daniel Pink
–Rob Dunbar

B. Presentation Basics

• Clear topic, audience, and purpose
• Structure
–Introduction
–Body
–Conclusion
• Comprehensible, engaging speech
• Complementary visual support
• Impression of interest and confidence

 

IV. Importance of eye contact & connecting to the audience

    Stephen Pinker http://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_the_myth_of_violence.html

    Tom Kelley, IDEO, http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=2105

 

V. Writing formal letters (these can be extended emails, attachments or snail mail)

Format:
–heading, greeting, body, closing, signature
Style
–Greetings: Dear x, To Whom It May Concern (use only when you have no name/title)
–Honorifics: Use them (Mr. Smith vs. Bob (never Mr. Bob)) unless you know you’re on a first name basis (also consider audience)
–Closings: Safest = “Sincerely,”

Tips/examples

Reference/recommendation letter

–http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/referenceletters/a/empreference.htm

Job application cover letter

–www.eduers.com/resume/Business_Cover_Letter.htm
 

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Homework: 

1. Prepare a short presentation for the next class on a topic related to your research. It should be 5-8 minutes and include a PPT or other visual support. Be sure to practice it several times before class so that you can focus on performance. Remember to have a clear introduction so that your audience is attracted and also has some idea what they're going to hear.

2. Go to http://ecorner.stanford.edu or www.ted.com and find an example of a speaker you admire. Bring the link to class and come prepared to present a clip of this speaker and explain why you admire him or her and what specific qualities or techniques you might be able to imitate/incorporate into your own talks.

3. (Optional) Write a letter or a formal email as a job application, recommendation, etc. We can review this in our individual meetings.

–Option 1 – Write a letter of complaint about a problem with a product or service
–Option 2 – Write a letter of reference for a subordinate or co-worker
–Option 3 – Write a cover letter for a job application
–Option 4 – Rewrite or revise an actual business or professional letter you have written recently (or write a new one)

4. Work on a current piece of writing and send up to 10 pages OR preview slides and other issues for the class presentation next week OR (3) above--OR any combination of these for a 30-minute meeting.

Last modified: November14, 2012 by Phil Hubbard