Documentation:Research Commons/FIRE Talks/Prepare to Present

From UBC Wiki

Welcome to the Research Commons FIREtalks series, and thank you for participating as a presenter. This page will give you a brief idea of what to expect and what and how you should prepare for your presentation.

What to Expect

If you haven’t been to a FIREtalk yet, you’re in for a treat. A FIREtalk consists of a series of five-minute presentations related to a common theme. Each presenter will approach it from their own disciplinary perspective making a connection to the common theme. After each presentation, a five-minute Q & A period with facilitated discussion will allow the group to further explore the topic. Although most presentations are delivered PowerPoint style, presenters are encouraged to explore alternative forms of knowledge delivery. You may organize your own activity or use any other delivery method you can think of.

Why should you present at a FIREtalk?

FIREtalks offer you an opportunity to:

  • Meet and connect with others who share your research interests
  • Share and/or test your research and research ideas
  • Present your research to and with grad student peers in a low-stakes environment

What to Prepare

As a presenter, your job is to create a presentation that focuses on any aspect or perspective of the main topic. This can be connected with your own research or could simply be something that is of interest to you. You don’t need to make everyone an expert, just present your ideas/concepts/research and why you think it is important. Remember that the audience comes from different disciplines and backgrounds, so your communication style should be interdisciplinary in nature.

When your presentation is accepted, we will send you a PowerPoint template and an online form to fill out, so we can gather more information to better facilitate the event. This form will ask for some biographical information for your introduction, options to video record your talk for personal and/or Research Commons use, a list of resources, and opportunities for feedback and support.

You must submit the form promptly to confirm you are presenting. Submit your presentation one week before the event so that we can compile all presentations into one computer to ensure smooth transitions between talks. If you choose to prepare an alternative form of presentation, you must still submit a title page and a brief description of the activity you have prepared.

Your PowerPoint Slides

We have a PowerPoint template that you are welcome to use, if you choose to. This template will be sent to you as soon as your abstract has been accepted. Feel free to use the template or to create your own presentation. However, we do ask that you include the Title Slide from the template. Your slides will be most effective with descriptive visuals; use more pictures than words, avoid unnecessary text and remember to time your presentation. The maximum number of slides allowed is 5 (excluding title page) and no individual slide can contain more than 50% text.

The general format of the presentation includes one title slide, three slides to develop your topic, one for conclusion and another to pose some questions for audience members to reflect upon during discussion. It is also a good idea to include some resources for audience members to follow up if they are interested in your topic.

If you have any questions about your presentation, please do not hesitate to contact us. We can guide you if you have any doubts or need feedback.  

Alternative Forms of Presentation

If you decide to organize an activity or present in any alternative format, contact us so we can plan and coordinate. If you have any special requirements, let us know so we can accommodate your requests. If you are planning to facilitate an activity, it is important that we know how it is organized. We can help polish it so that the delivery is more fluid and give you useful tips.

We encourage participants to use this opportunity to expand and practice their facilitation skills. The best FIREtalks we've had are when participants push the boundaries and try formats that steer away from traditional methods.

Timing

You will have 5 minutes to get through your presentation. When the timer runs out, we will proceed to the Q&A period. In order to have enough time for everybody to present and have meaningful discussion, please remember to practice your timing.

Notes on Your Presentation

Your presentation should be accessible to audiences from any discipline. Be sure to avoid the use of overly discipline-specific language or methodological jargon. Remember that you are presenting to a general audience, so make your talk accessible to everyone. We also ask that you are respectful of other disciplinary approaches in both your presentation and the subsequent discussion. Please be aware of the copyright guidelines for presentations of this nature. This is particularly important for anybody wishing to include images or video clips in their presentations. Any handouts you choose to distribute must only include information for which you have the appropriate permissions. You are responsible for all materials included in your presentation.

Deadlines

Please send your presentation slides back to the Research Commons by the deadline included in your acceptance email. The research commons email address is research.commons@ubc.ca

The day of FIREtalks

Please arrive 20 minutes early to become familiar with the setup and order of the presentations. All presentation slides will have been combined into one file, to minimize transition between presenters, so your laptop is not necessary.

See you then!

Additional Tips and Resources

Presentation Skills and Tools

Center for Teaching and Learning’s Presentation Skills Wiki
CTLT’s Presentation Skills Workshop
UBC Learning Commons Presentation Skills Overview

Copyright Resources

Copyright @ UBC

Interdisciplinarity @ UBC

Interdisciplinary Community of Practice
Interdisciplinary Lecture Series at Green College
Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program
INK Journal
Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Network