presentations @ university

[tuxtux]

Well... I know this has probably been covered a couple times but I didn't want to revive any old threads so here...

I've got to give a presentation next wednesday for my Machine Learning seminar. With slides, which I dislike (what if getting the laptop to work with a beamer doesn't work out... chances are I'll ask the teacher if I can use their laptop, another guy in the seminar has done it, but I'm afraid everyone will think I'm technically incompetent - I study computer science so I /should/ be able to hook my laptop up with a beamer. I'm not computer illiterate, it's just a bit difficult with Linux sometimes, but I will still look like an idiot who shouldn't even be admin on her own computer), on a subject I know nowhere near enough about, in a difficult class, with people who are ignoring me most of the time (they're closer friends, all but me have the same major, and I feel kind of like the third - or rather fifth - wheel).

The presentations I had to give at school usually went horrible. I recall one that I had to give for Latin - people just flat out talked, ate, made fun of me, yawned, my teacher didn't say anything about it and I just kind of ended it ten minutes early leaving a whole part out. It was so embarrassing. I'm afraid the people here will make fun of me, too, or that I will screw up, and this presentation is 50% of my seminar grade.

I only gave one presentation at uni so far, but it was just 10 minutes, about an easy subject, and I could do it on the blackboard which meant it felt rather like explaining a solution to the class in math tutorial, something I've done quite a few times and can do without anxiety. With slides, it's a whole other ball game... it feels less casual, and I've got the additional stress with the technology. :/

Sorry for the length. Anyone got any tips on how to survive? (and hopefully get a good grade for the presentation)

 

[danstelter]

The presentations I had to give at school usually went horrible. I recall one that I had to give for Latin - people just flat out talked, ate, made fun of me, yawned, my teacher didn't say anything about it and I just kind of ended it ten minutes early leaving a whole part out. It was so embarrassing. I'm afraid the people here will make fun of me, too, or that I will screw up, and this presentation is 50% of my seminar grade.

I can feel where you're coming from! I have social anxiety and presentations can be pretty difficult sometimes. The best thing that I do is to prepare...a lot and really know my shit inside and out. People that made fun of you to your face are horrible people and your teacher should have taken care of that. Eating, yawning, and talking during a presentation, any presentation by any person, is pretty commonplace, so I would really not worry about that too much. The presentation you're referring to was no doubt a horrible experience, but just remember that not all presentations go this way, and in fact, rarely go this way. Get up there, do your stuff, and show those people what you know!

 

[ventriloone]

I had to do a 10 minute presentation on monte carlo simulation for a computer class. The actual program wasn't so bad but there were a few questions about the derivation of the exponential transformation i wasn't ready to answer. Before the presentation it ran through my head all the questions i didn't know the answer to and everyone would think i'm an idiot but it went ok. I'm sure your presentation will also go OK. Confidence is what we lack, not ability.

 

[tuxtux]

gah, I've got to do it tomorrow

As for tech problems I think I've sorted that one out, but I gave a trial presentation to myy friend, it took way too long (granted I had to explain everything, he doesn't know the slightest bit about stochastics), and I did a terrible job presenting with the slides, forgot to click all the time... and my advisor said that my slides were nowhere near perfect yet. (He gave suggestions for improval, granted) It's going to be so terrible. :/ It just sucks. I /can't/ for the life of me present with slides ><

And I actually mentioned to my advisor that I don't have much experience with presenting, I tend to get nervous and I'm a bit anxious about how this will affect my grade since I want to do well in the class. He said that this was normal, and they graded with the premise that people didn't know how to present yet so I shouldn't worry and the nervousness would lessen the more often you did it.

 

[Ventrilotwo]

it's supposed to but i get sick to my stomach every time too.

 

[tuxtux]

Meh, I totally bombed it.

My advisor didn't really say a lot but the other TA said "it doesn't matter that you restricted yourself to 20 minutes [I should've talked 40 to 45], you got your point across, and what's most important, now I'd know how to implement it. Well, you didn't have a lot of pictures, but it's a very mathematical subject, your slides were clearly arranged and you've got a consistent notation." I don't know, he probably meant it ironically - observing the time frame is 10% of the grade, I had this formula on the wrong slide [damn technology!]. And that my advisor didn't really comment isn't a good sign either, right?

Given your experience in seminar classes - assume there is a presentation to give, and a paper to turn in after the presentation: if a student failed the presentation, which implies failing the class, is the teacher likely to tell her right away or will he wait until the end of the semester?

 

[Ventrilotwo]

yes. I'm not sure about that commenting thing, for my classes that required presentations my professor commented on everyone's, it wasn't an indication of good or bad, she just did it to everyone. I always think i bomb things i don't too it's probably just the lack of confidence that SA seems to manifest from or manifest. Atleast consistent notation is good.

 

[Ventrilotwo]

You should have said that Lagrange was very proud of the fact that his book on the lagrangian treatise of mechanics had not a single diagram.

 

[Kamen]

I graduated in Computer Science and I told the committee that I have SP so they allowed me to make my graduating presentation after the other students (after they leave the room), only in front of the committee.

I am writing this a bit lately...

I hope everything was OK ... ?

 

[tuxtux]

In terms of anxiety, it went pretty well; I just chatted with the advisors before, we joked around a bit and my advisor pretended we were at some sort of conference and introduced me formally (meant as a joke since everyone knew who I was, it's a very small class), which gave me a good starting point. Once I was a bit into the presentation, my anxiety was completely gone, I was just there explaining hidden markov models to a couple of grad and undergrad students, which wasn't so bad.

Also, I managed to look at my audience for most of the time, I didn't talk to the beamer wall or my shoes (math joke: what's the difference between an introvert and extrovert mathematician? The extrovert looks at the other person's shoes...), I didn't get a panic attack, didn't lose track of what I was saying, and my hands stopped shaking after a few minutes.

I still think the time frame thing will kill my grade, and my showing symptoms of anxiety in the first couple of minutes (memo to self: don't point to slides with laser pointer until your hands have stopped shaking) and the butchered slide will do their part, too. :?