1. How to make a
memorable
presentation
Sudeep C. Popat
scp@asu.edu

3. 1
3
2
Planning
Design
Delivery

4. 1
Planning

5. Presentations are about telling a story

6. Not all audience is equal

7. This is not the best way to plan a presentation

8. “
We don’t know where we get our
ideas from. We do know we don’t get
them from our laptops.
”
- John Cleese

9. Disconnect

10. Structuring your story
Narrow
Broad
Broad

11. The 10-minute rule
High
Attention
Low
10
20
30
Time
40
50

12. Structuring your story
Narrow
Broad
Broad

13. Structuring your story

14. Structuring your story
Solution
Challenge
Solution
Challenge
Solution
Challenge
Solution
Challenge

15. Structuring your story
Answer
Question
Answer
Question
Answer
Question
Answer
Question

16. Steve Jobs’s iPhone introduction presentation

17. MLK’s “I have a dream” speech

18. Structuring your story
General
Deep

19. Plan to have a “home slide”

20. The redox tower
Anode
potential
-0.4
-0.2
0
Increasing respiration rate
Acetate
-0.4
-0.2
0
+0.2
+0.2
+0.4
+0.4
+0.6
+0.6
+0.8
+0.8
All voltages vs. SHE

21. The anaerobic food web

22. Go “analog”

23. 2
Design

24. This is what we think of as “design”

25. … or this

26. Water
•
Providing access to clean water is one of
the grand challenges for engineering, as
outlined by NAE in 2008
•
1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to
clean water; that’s 1/6th of the total
population
•
Water is not evenly distributed; some areas
have more freshwater, while some have
water scarcity
•
For e.g. Canada has more than it needs,
while middle east has severe shortage
•
Water challenges are also tied together with
energy challenges, and so it’s important to
maintain a sustainable water-energy nexus

27. Death by bullet points

28. Imagine how many accidents we would have if…
• Follow this sign to go
to Phoenix on I-10
• You will also find a
connection to
Wickenburg at AZ-60
• This route takes you to the
Sky Harbor airport on 143N
• Make sure you are not on
this lane if you don’t need to
go to the airport
• This exit takes you
to Broadway Rd
• But you will also be
able to go to 52nd
St if you need

29. That’s why road signs do not have bullet points

30. “
Of all of our inventions for mass
communication, pictures still speak the
most universally understood language.
- Walt Disney
”

31. 1.1 billion
people lack access to clean water

32. 1
point per slide

33. slides are

34. Freshwater is not evenly distributed

35. Start with a blank slide

36. Outline of today’s talk
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Literature Review
Materials and Methods
- Method 1
- Method 2
- Method 3
Results and Discussion
- Topic 1
- Topic 2
- Topic 3
Conclusions
Acknowledgments

37. Outline of today’s talk
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Literature Review
Materials and Methods
- Method 1
- Method 2
- Method 3
Results and Discussion
- Topic 1
- Topic 2
- Topic 3
Conclusions
Acknowledgments

38. Topics to be covered today...
1
Microbial fuel cells
for wastewater
treatment

39. Topics to be covered today...
1
Microbial fuel cells
for wastewater
treatment
2
Electrochemical
analyses of
anode-respiring
bacteria

40. Topics to be covered today...
1
Microbial fuel cells
for wastewater
treatment
2
Electrochemical
analyses of
anode-respiring
bacteria
3
OH- transport
limitations in
Pt/C cathodes

42. “
1. Energy
2. Water
3. Food
4. Environment
5. Poverty
6. Terrorism & war
7. Disease
8. Education
9. Democracy
10.Population
Richard Smalley

43. 50%
of total energy use in WW treatment
goes in activated sludge

44. Wastewater treatment is energy intensive

45. Wastewater treatment is energy intensive
0.6 kWh/m3 of WW
Activated Sludge
Digester Heating/Mixing
Influent Pumping
Disinfection
Sludge Handling
Other
McCarty et al., ES&T, 2011

46. Global phosphorus reserves expected to be depleted in
50-100 years

47. One day of breathing in Mumbai = One cigarette pack

48. Biosolids for land application

49. Wired microbial metabolism

50. Takes lots of photos in the lab

52. New revelations on respiratory behavior of
Geobacter sulfurreducens grown on electrodes
Sudeep C. Popat | Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology | scp@asu.edu

53. Use schematics and animations... but wisely!
Liquid
Cathode
CS OHO2
CL
Diffusion Layer e-
j = nF(D/L)(Δ∆C)

54. Use schematics and animations... but wisely!
Liquid
Cathode
CS OHO2
CL
Diffusion Layer e-
j = nF(D/L)(Δ∆C)
For j = 10 A/m2,
Δ∆C = 0.1 M

55. Use schematics and animations... but wisely!
Liquid
Cathode
1.23 V
CS
OHO2
CL
Diffusion Layer e-
Nernst
Equation
j = nF(D/L)(Δ∆C)
For j = 10 A/m2,
Δ∆C = 0.1 M
60 mV
per pH unit
0.39 V
0
pH
14

56. Use schematics and animations... but wisely!
Liquid
Cathode
1.23 V
CS
OH-
j = nF(D/L)(Δ∆C)
O2
For j = 10 A/m2,
Δ∆C = 0.1 M
CL
Liquid
60 mV
per pH unit
0.39 V
Diffusion Layer e-
0
Cathode
0.1 M
Case 1:
Liquid pH 7
Nernst
Equation
10-7 M
Diffusion Layer
pH
14

57. Use schematics and animations... but wisely!
Liquid
Cathode
1.23 V
CS
OH-
j = nF(D/L)(Δ∆C)
O2
For j = 10 A/m2,
Δ∆C = 0.1 M
CL
Liquid
60 mV
per pH unit
0.39 V
Diffusion Layer e-
0
Cathode
0.1 M
Case 1:
Liquid pH 7
Nernst
Equation
pH 13
10-7 M
Diffusion Layer
pH
14

58. Use schematics and animations... but wisely!
Liquid
Cathode
1.23 V
CS
OH-
j = nF(D/L)(Δ∆C)
O2
For j = 10 A/m2,
Δ∆C = 0.1 M
CL
Liquid
60 mV
per pH unit
0.39 V
Diffusion Layer e-
0
Cathode
Liquid
0.1 M
Case 1:
Liquid pH 7
Nernst
Equation
pH 13
10-7 M
Diffusion Layer
0.1 M
pH
14
Cathode
0.2 M
Case 2:
Liquid pH 13
Diffusion Layer

59. Use schematics and animations... but wisely!
Liquid
Cathode
1.23 V
CS
OH-
j = nF(D/L)(Δ∆C)
O2
For j = 10 A/m2,
Δ∆C = 0.1 M
CL
Liquid
60 mV
per pH unit
0.39 V
Diffusion Layer e-
0
Cathode
Liquid
0.1 M
Case 1:
Liquid pH 7
Nernst
Equation
pH 13
10-7 M
Diffusion Layer
0.1 M
Case 2:
Liquid pH 13
pH
14
Cathode
0.2 M
pH
13.1
Diffusion Layer

60. “
The best design gets out of the way of
between the viewer’s brain and the
content.
”
- Edward Tufte

61. Do not use templates that waste a lot of space

62. Do not use templates that waste a lot of space

63. Even your institution’s template is not needed for every slide

64. A blank slide is the best

65. Which Fonts Should You Use?

66. This is a
Serif font
This is a
Sans Serif font

71. This is a
Serif font
This is a
Sans Serif font

72. ✔
This is a
Serif font
This is a
Sans Serif font

73. Arial
Calibri
Gill Sans
Lucida Grande
Open Sans
Tahoma
Verdana

74. Comic Sans?

75. Comic Sans?

76. Helvetica

77. Which Colors Should You Use?

78. Contrast
Contrast

79. Black on White

80. Yellow on White

81. White on Black

82. Navy Blue on Black

83. “
Of all of our inventions for mass
communication, pictures still speak the
most universally understood language.
- Walt Disney
”

84. “
Of all of our inventions for mass
communication, pictures still speak the
most universally understood language.
- Walt Disney
”

85. “
Of all of our inventions for mass
communication, pictures still speak the
most universally understood language.
- Walt Disney
”

86. http://commguide.asu.edu

87. How to Show Graphs and Data?

88. Take this example...

89. % FAME of Total Biomass
More solvent = more lipids
4
3
2
1
0
5x
10x
Solvent : Biomass
70x

90. % FAME of Total Biomass
FP improves lipid recovery for low solvent use...
4
Solvent : Biomass = 5x
3
2
1
0
Control 17.6 23.3 29.2 35.8
FP Treatment (kWh m-3)
71.7

91. % FAME of Total Biomass
...but not for large solvent use
4
Solvent : Biomass = 70x
3
2
1
0
Control 17.6 23.3 29.2 35.8
FP Treatment (kWh m-3)
71.7

92. Different lipid fractions don’t change with FP
Control
C18:3
C18:2
C18:1
C18:3
C18:2
C18:1
C16:1
17.6 kWh m-3
C16:0
C16:1
C16:0

93. Look at the world around you...

98. 3
Delivery

102. Practice, practice… and the practice some more!

103. Video tape yourself

104. Always look at the audience

105. Use “Presenter View”

106. Use “Presenter View”

107. Use “Presenter View”

109. Richard Feynman

111. Sir Ken Robinson

112. Remember… it’s about telling your story

113. Resources

114. http://commguide.asu.edu

115. Garr Reynolds
presentationzen.com
Todd Reubold
slideshare/treubold
Nancy Duarte
duarte.com
“slide:ology”
“Resonate”
Susan McConnell
youtube/ibioseminars

116. Jay H. Lehr
“Let There Be Stoning!”

117. Michael Alley
“The Craft of Scientific Presentations”

118. Simplify

119. “
Simplicity is about bringing
order to complexity.
- Jony Ive
”

120. Sudeep C. Popat
Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology
Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
scp@asu.edu

121. Photo credits
Al Gore presenting photo - Paramount Classics
Steve Jobs presenting photo - Apple, Inc.
Planning photo - St. Lucie County, FL
Steve Jobs iPhone photo - Apple, Inc.
Anaerobic food web schematic - Angenent et al., Trends Biotechnol., 2004
Designer photo - Globe University
Walt Disney photo - The Walt Disney Company
Africa water pollution photo - E Staub/CDC
Richard Smalley photo - redOrbit
Phosphorus mining photo - Alexandra Pugachevsky
Mumbai air pollution photo - Romana Chapman/Indian Insights
Biosolids photo - Mid West Biosystems
Choose Vegetarianism billboard - Mercy for Animals
Method products photo - Method Products, pbc
Don’t Panic graphic - Buena Vista Pictures
Dance rehearsal photo - Noord Nederlandse
Al Gore photo - Paramount Classics
Richard Feynman photo - American Institute of Physics
Sir Ken Robinson photo - Ryan Lash/TED
Lots of books photo - Jess Mountifield
Todd Reubold photo - University of Minnesota
Nancy Duarte photo - Poptech
Jay Lehr photo - US Soy Bean Export Council
Michael Alley photo - Penn State
Susan McConnell photo - Stanford University
Jony Ive photo - Apple, Inc.
Several other images - Stock photos