Research & Service Leadership Symposium

Presentation Guidelines 2024

Guide to Successful Presentations 

On Campus & Virtual Event

May 16 @9:00am-7:00pm

This year, the Research & Service Leadership Symposium will be held both on campus and virtually through a series of Zoom rooms on Canvas. We will also livestream the virtual presentations on Foothill campus. In order to ensure the success of the event, we will be doing ample preparation including confirming your participation, gathering presenter bios and presentation materials for the event in advance, and encouraging specific formats for your presentations.

We will hold workshops throughout the year in order to provide guidance, review, and practice.

Final Checklist for Presenters

Please refer to the online checklist for specific dates with live updates: RSLS Final Presenter Checklist 2024

Types of Presentations

On Campus Presentations

• 10-minute Presentations: slide presentations, talks, performances 
• 1-hour Poster Sessions/Art Gallery Showcases

Zoom Formats

• 10-minute Presentations: slide presentations, talks, performances

A Note on Presentation Time: 1 Hour

 

Regardless of what presentation type you are selecting, you will be expected to be available for at least 1 hour. This will allow for some flexibility in the order of presenters, and it will also show respect for your fellow participants within your chosen time-slot.

Review the following tips to get started.

Formats for Presentations

Below are some suggested tools for your presentations of all types:

• Google Slides 
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Canva (https://www.canva.com/) -- Canva offers dynamic slide decks with excellent visuals and adjustable elements.
• Physical Posters using Google slide templates and Canva Infographics (View Poster Templates & Samples)
• We welcome other types of presentation formats as well, but please check for audience accessibility.

Formatting Tips

• Visuals (images, pictures, graphs, maps, etc.) are highly encouraged.
• Posters should be informative and well-organized with detailed information that is easy to read and process.
• Slides should be informative, but streamlined. Do not overload your slides with too much text.  Keep in mind that as you present, people will focus their attention on what you say and will have limited time to read.  Slides with big blocks of text do not work well.
• Posters will need visuals, data, and detailed content for people to read and peruse. You will there to guide them through the materials, but these should be able to inform and spark discussion. 

Presentation Structure for 10-min Talks 

 

 

• Each talk will be part of a 1-hour session organized by theme.
• You will arrive in the on-campus or Zoom room at least 10 minutes before your session.
• You are expected to remain in the room for the duration of the hour to give respect to other participants in your session.
• Your presentation should not exceed 10 minutes.  
• A facilitator will introduce you.  
• A facilitator will also give you notice when you have 2 min. remaining in your presentation.
• Following your presentation, there will be up to 2 minutes for the audience to ask questions.

Practice, Practice, Practice

• We are looking for polished presentations.  Avoid long pauses, excessive “um’s”, and confusion about what to say next. To avoid these things, be sure to practice your presentation several times (minimum of twice).  
• Everyone gets nervous!  It is normal and understandable.  Keep in mind that the other presenters are likely just as nervous as you. 😊
• This is a great opportunity for you to develop your public speaking skills.  You will come away from this experience with more confidence and better public speaking skills.  We are excited for you!
• Attend the workshops to develop your materials carefully. 
• Attend ONE of the required final presentation workshops* to get authentic presentation practice with your peers and mentors.
• Most importantly, work with your mentors (and group members).

Presentation Structure for Poster Sessions & Art Gallery Showcases

• Your poster or artwork will be part of a 1-hour session with numerous other displays. 
• You will need to be present for the whole hour. 
• You will check-in and set up your poster or artwork in the space at least 10 minutes prior to your 1-hour session.
• You will share information with the audience who will be browsing the many projects.
• Your goal will be to summarize your project, offer clarification, highlight specific findings, assist in interpreting the data or graphics, and respond to individual audience questions or comments. 
• These engaging and dynamic conversations will vary depending on the project, the presenter, and the audience!

Workshop Schedule

Workshops will be held throughout the year to guide you. You can attend on campus and/or via Zoom with pre-registration. Visit the Spring Workshops to Register.

What to Include for Research, Service, and Arts

Review the four sections below for tips on your specific project area.

What to Include for Research Presentations That Do NOT Include Original Data

 

*Overall, feel free to get creative with the classification and types of sections you use for your presentation.  The following sections are suggestions to get you thinking, but it is NOT required that you follow these specific guidelines. 

*Visuals (pictures, graphs, maps, etc.) are highly encouraged. 

Introduction/Background

• Provide an overview and relevant background of your topic area.
• Cite and reference any sources of information other than your own, just as you would do with a research paper. 
• Include your research question.
• Include your hypothesis (if you have one.  A hypothesis is not necessary)

Conclusions/Main Findings

• Provide a summary of your main conclusions and findings.  What did you discover?  What are the main ideas you think are important to share with people? 
• Explain why this topic/research is important.

Impact (Optional)

• What is the potential impact of your project?  How can this information be used?  Can it be used to solve any problems or provide a benefit to anyone?  

Future Directions (Optional)

• Based on the conclusions of your project, what other ideas could be researched?  What direction is your topic area taking or are other researchers taking?  What still needs to be researched in your topic area? What other areas could be studied or how could your project be extended?

References Cited

• Include a reference slide/section with each of the citations you use in your presentation.

What to Include for Research Studies That Include the Collection of Original Data

 

*Overall, we encourage you to follow the formatting found within the discipline of your research study.  Below is an outline of common formatting for empirical research studies. 

*Visuals (pictures, graphs, maps, etc.) are highly encouraged. 

Introduction Section

• Provide an overview and any relevant background of your topic area
• Cite and reference any sources of information other than your own, just as you would do with a research paper. 
• Include your research question
• Include your hypothesis

Method Section

• Provide an explanation of the methodology you used to conduct your research.  
• Explain how you collected your data and any procedures of the study.
• If your study included participants, include the characteristics of your sample (number of participants, demographics, etc.)

Results Section

• Provide an overview of your main findings, data, or statistics.
• Graphs, tables, images, and text are all welcome 

Discussion/Conclusion

• Provide a summary of your main conclusions.  What were the main take-aways from your study?  Focus on ~1-3 ideas here.

Future Research (Optional)

• You may want to include a section with suggestions for future research.  Based on the conclusions of your study, what other areas could be studied or how could your study be extended?

References Cited

• Include a reference slide/section with each of the citations you use in your presentation. 

What to Include for Service Leadership Projects

 

*Overall, feel free to get creative with the classification and types of sections you use in your presentation.  The following sections are suggestions to get you thinking, but it is NOT required that you follow these specific guidelines. 

*Visuals (pictures, graphs, maps, etc.) are highly encouraged. 

Overview of Project

• What is it that you did?  Provide a detailed explanation of what, when, where and how you did what you did.

Impact

• What is the impact of your project?  What problem were you hoping to solve or address?  How did your actions contribute to the betterment of a group of people, the environment, animals, etc.?  

Future Directions

• What else can be done in this topic area?  How else can people help?  What are other things that need to be addressed around this issue?

Inspirations/Encouraging Leadership

• How can you inspire other students to get involved?   What are ways other students can contribute to this effort?  
• Are there organizations that students should know about to get involved?  
• Provide information about organizations that people could contact or connect with.  

What to Include for Creative Arts Projects

*Overall, feel free to get creative with the classification and types of sections you use in your presentation.  The following sections are suggestions to get you thinking, but it is NOT required that you follow these specific guidelines. 

*Visuals or audio to capture your chosen artistic project (pictures, graphs, maps, audio, and very short videos etc.) are a must! 

Overview of Project

• What is it that you did?  Provide a detailed explanation of what, when, where and how you did what you did.

Medium and Materials

• What artistic medium did you work in? What materials did you select? Why? 

Impact

• What were the goals and intended impact of your project? What question were you trying to answer? What larger societal, cultural, or artistic concerns were you addressing? How does your project contribute to the artistic community? 

Follow-up

• What else do you plan to do with this project? Will you extend the form, refine it, share it, publish it, showcase it? 

Inspirations/Encouraging Others

• How can you inspire other students to develop their work?  
• What are ways other students can contribute to the related cause or movement?
• Are there resources that other students could benefit from?