Presentation Tips

Exciting times lie ahead of you, and it won't be much long before you present in front of the Cape Town community! What does that mean? Preparations! This morning, the TA's have compiled a short list of points to help you deliver some awesome presentations:

1. Presentation Layout:
   • Introduce yourself
   • State Problem
   • State Solution
   • Transition to your Demo
   Remember, the demo is the most important part of your presentation. While it is necessary to state your problem and talk about your solution, do not spend too much time on the slides. Make a crisp presentation where you effectively get the point across and transition to your demo to explain the rest of it.


2. List of Presentation Tools you can pick from:
   • Google Docs Presentations
   • Prezis?
   • MS Powerpoint (but really?)
   • Other resources you are familiar with
3. Slides:
   • Do not overload your slides with text. Add bullet points where necessary
   • Pick a color scheme that highlights text.
   • Use pictures!
   • Try to keep your slide count low.


4. Since it's a team of two, you can take turns to present. While one person speaks, the other person manages the slides/demo. It is also OK if only one person chooses to speak.


5. Presentations should be ready on Friday by 4pm. You will get a chance to check your computer configurations with the projector sometime before the event, so it is important you have your slides somewhat ready by then :)


6. Presentations should last around 5-8 minutes. Take 2-3 minutes to present your slides and the rest to present your demo. There is no hard restriction on the time limit but usually a shorter, to the point, presentation keeps your audience engaged and happy. Aaron and Micah will then open the floor for questions.


7. Lastly, take actual time to prepare your presentations as this will be your chance to present weeks of sheer hardwork. Show us all the hard work that you guys put into your projects!