VIRTUAL PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

IRTUAL PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

Presentations are a method of summarizing and visualizing your work, and your

opportunity to convey the main points of your research or creative project to your

audience. Presentations can be simple and involve the student talking straight to the

camera, or they may be augmented with slides or multimedia. How you design and give

your presentation is up to you! There is no right or wrong way to present your project.

hile we reference programs like PowerPoint throughout this document, there are

other platforms and methods that you can use. These guidelines are offered to help

you think about the different aspects of your presentation, as well as the process of

creating and giving a presentation.

I. U

ndergraduate Research Showcase ………………………………………….. Page 2

II. Types of Presentations ………………………………………..……………………. Page 4

III. Designing Your Presentation …………………………………………………….. Page 5

IV. Giving Your Presentation ………………………………………………………….. Page 7

V. Pre-Recording Your Presentation ………………………………………………. Page 10

VI.

Additional Resources ………………………………………………………………... Page 12

I. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SHOWCASE

Over 900 students from all majors and minors will share live-streamed and pre-recorded video

presentations of their research and creative projects at the virtual Undergraduate Research Showcase,

hosted on the Undergraduate Research Week website (http://urweek.ugresearch.ucla.edu/).

We are working diligently to transform the Undergraduate Research Week website, and the dynamic

new display will go live during Undergraduate Research Week. Keep reading for a sneak peek at our

beta site and to see how pre-recorded and live-streamed presentations will be shared with the UCLA

community.

Undergraduate Research Showcase Schedule

Pre-recorded presentations will be shared with the general public and campus community on the

Undergraduate Research Week website throughout Undergraduate Research Week (May 18-22, 2020).

Live-streamed presentations will be shared during three presentation sessions on Tuesday, May 19

(12:30-2:00 pm, 2:00-3:30 pm, and 3:30-5:00 pm). Each live-streamed presentation session will feature

panels of 4-5 students sharing live-streamed presentations of their work, followed by Q&A with the

audience. Live-streamed video presentations will be available to the general public and campus

community during their scheduled presentation sessions, and videos will not be recorded or archived

for future use.

hat Will the Showcase Look Like? Take a Sneak Peek

Visitors to the Undergraduate Research Week website will be greeted by a new display that

encourages exploration and interaction. Visitors will be able to search for specific presenters, or click

on different tiles to see a wide range of presentations in those fields.

Please note that the following images are taken from our beta site; text and images will be updated

before Undergraduate Research Week.

The new Undergraduate Research Week

homepage

(http://urweek.ugresearch.ucla.edu/

)

features a welcome message, a pre-

recorded video from our keynote speaker

(coming soon), and clickable tiles for

different fields of study.

Visitors can hover over each tile and click

“explore” to access presentations in

each field of study.

After clicking “explore,” a new tab will

open in the browser window with links

to pre-recorded presentations and live-

streamed presentation sessions.

Visitors can click to see pre-recorded

presentations throughout

Undergraduate Research Week (May 18-

22, 2020), and live-streamed

presentations on May 19.

When visitors click to see pre-recorded

presentations, they can see all available

pre-recorded presentations for that

subject, including each presenter’s

name, project title, and abstract.

When visitors click on a live-streamed

session, they can see all panels for that

session, including each presenter’s

name, project title, and abstract. They

will be able to join the Zoom

presentations as audience members for

any panel by clicking on the link for that

panel.

II. TYPES OF PRESENTATIONS

Students sharing presentations at the virtual Undergraduate Research Showcase will present their

research and creative projects as either live-streamed presentations via Zoom, or as pre-recorded

presentations on the Undergraduate Research Week website.

Live-Streamed Presentations

If you are giving a live-streamed presentation, you will be assigned to a panel during one 90-minute

session on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Session times are from 12:30-2 pm, 2-3:30 pm, and 3:30-5 pm. You

must attend the full panel for which you are scheduled. Live-streamed presentations will be hosted on

the Undergraduate Research Week website.

Multiple panels will run concurrently during each session, and each panel will feature 4-5 students

conducting research or creative projects in similar fields of study. A moderator will introduce each

presenter, who will then give a 5-10 minute presentation of their project. After all of the panelists have

presented, a Q&A with the audience will begin.

Pre-Recorded Presentations

Pre-recorded presentations of 5-10 minutes will be curated on the Undergraduate Research Week

website throughout Undergraduate Research Week (May 18-22, 2020). Since pre-recorded

presentations will not be live-streamed, there will be no Q&A with an audience.

resenting With or Without Slides

While using slides when giving a presentation is common across disciplines, you do not need to use

slides! You can simply talk about your project in front of the camera. It is common in disciplines like the

humanities to present papers in this format.

We recommend that you do not present in front of a research poster: It will be difficult for your

audience to see all of the points on your poster. Instead, we recommend converting your poster into

multiple slides.

If you are using slides, you should include a limited number of important points with visual elements

on each slide to engage the audience. You can opt to use voiceover only when presenting your slides,

share your video feed and slides at the same time, or use a combination of methods depending on

what makes the most sense for your project. UCLA students can access PowerPoint for free by

registering for Microsoft Office ProPlus through UCLA IT: https://www.it.ucla.edu/news/microsoft-

office-proplus.

sing Video or Audio

There are other supporting elements that you can use besides slides: You can share audio and video of

your performance, studio art, digital project, or film. It is common in film and art to show video shorts,

in digital humanities and design to share digital projects, and in music and dance to share videos of

performance. You can use any method that makes the most sense for your presentation type.

If you are sharing a pre-recorded presentation, you can use programs like iMovie, Movavi, and

Windows Movie Maker to create and edit your video. You can intercut your video with both an

introduction and concluding remarks, or you can include a brief introduction explaining your work

before seguing to the video of your project. Conduct a Google search to find relevant tutorials and

guides if you will be moving forward with this option.

If you are giving a live-streamed presentation, we recommend that you have your video or audio file

saved to your computer. After giving an introduction to your project and talking through any key

points, you can open the file to play it, and close it after it is done playing to give further analysis or

your conclusion. While you can embed video and audio into your slides and press “play” during your

presentation, you should only do so if you have downloaded the audio or video files to your computer;

streaming from the web may cause freezing or delays in Zoom.

If you are sharing audio or video produced by someone else in a pre-recorded presentation, you should

familiarize yourself with copyright laws before submitting your project.

Technical issues do happen when presenting, so we recommend that you practice your presentation

and strategize for what to do if your multimedia elements do not work as planned.

II. DESIGNING YOUR PRESENTATION

eneral Guidelines for Slides

If you are using slides with your presentation, follow these general guidelines for creating slides to

make it easy for your audience to understand. Each slide should be organized, easy to read, and

concise so that it does not distract from your presentation or confuse the audience. Do not use slide

transitions or animations.

A convenient rule to follow is the 6 x 6 rule: do not include more than six bullet points per slide, and do

not use more than six words per bullet. Avoid using paragraphs of text.

Given the limitations on time, you can use up to 10 slides total for your presentation:

• 1 title slide

• 8 content slides

• 1 acknowledgements slide

If you have references you would like to include, you can add them to the bottom of your content

slides or at the end of your presentation on the acknowledgements slide.

oosing Colors, Fonts, and Font Sizes

The colors, fonts, and font sizes you use in your presentation will influence how the audience perceives

your presentation as well as your research or creative project.

You can use color to direct the audience’s attention to different areas and to highlight specific points.

Use an easy-to-read font like Calibri or Arial to make your presentation accessible to a wider audience.

Use a larger font size for each title (32-44 pt., depending on the font), and a smaller font size for the

content (20-24 pt., depending on the font).

sing Visuals and Imagery

Use a simple, high color contrast design, and avoid adding unnecessary visuals. Too many images and

colors can draw attention away from your points and be distracting or confusing to your audience.

Choose images that convey intentional messages and are relevant to your presentation. Remember,

less is more.

If using PowerPoint, use the “Align” tool when placing multiple images. Be mindful of image aspect

ratios when resizing images, and hold the "shift" key when resizing.

mbedding Video and Audio

If you are using PowerPoint, you can embed audio and video into your slides. You should use audio or

video files that have been downloaded to your computer instead of linking to videos on YouTube, as

streaming from the web may cause freezing or delays in Zoom.

Click here for instructions on how to add video files to your PowerPoint slides:

https://biteable.com/blog/tips/embed-video-powerpoint/

Click here for instructions on how to add audio files to your PowerPoint slides:

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/add-or-delete-audio-in-your-powerpoint-presentation-

c3b2a9fd-2547-41d9-9182-3dfaa58f1316

If you are using another program besides PowerPoint to create your slides, you can conduct a Google

search to find instructions on adding audio or video files to your slides.

ntroduction: Using Signposting and Anecdotes

You can use visual signposting to let the audience know where you’re going with your presentation.

Signposts are words or phrases that guide the listener during a presentation. They let the listener know

what has happened so far and what is going to happen next.

V. GIVING YOUR PRESENTATION

me Management

Your presentation should not exceed 5-10 minutes in length. Given the time limit, you can share

highlights of your work instead of trying to cover your entire project in one presentation. If you find

yourself going over the time limit, you should think about where you are spending too much time and

consider cutting some sections down.

If you are using PowerPoint slides, each slide will take at least 30 seconds to 1 minute to present. If you

are reading a paper, keep in mind that 1 double-spaced page will take about 2 minutes to read aloud.

ho is the Audience?

When preparing your presentation, keep in mind who your audience will be and tailor your content

appropriately.

Academic presentations and artist talks usually emphasize methodology and research approach.

Presentations for the general public usually emphasize the findings and concluding takeaway points.

For Undergraduate Research Week, though, you can expect your audience to be somewhere in

between. While the Undergraduate Research Showcase is in an academic context, you are presenting

to peers who may not be in your field, as well as faculty, staff, friends, family, and alumni.

hat Should You Talk About?

The general order of information that you should present is very similar to the structure of an abstract.

You are encouraged to not spend too much time describing your background or literature review and

instead focus on sharing your own research or creative project.

Presentations should cover the following six sections:

I. What is your topic? Begin by sharing your topic and briefly touch on any context or background

information that is necessary for the audience to understand your project.

II. What is your research question or creative inquiry? Clearly state your question or inquiry.

III. What do we know about that topic already? Briefly guide the audience through the existing

literature or scholarship relevant to your topic.

IV. What did you do? When presenting your methods and findings, you should thoroughly describe

your project design and process. Talk about things such as your methodologies, approach, and

data collection methods if it’s appropriate for your project.

V. What did you find/expect to find? Share a few findings from your research or creative process

that informed your project. If your project is still in progress, what is the status of your work?

You can share preliminary findings or an overview of what you expect to happen.

VI. Conclusion. Consider including a few takeaway points of your major findings, the next steps for

your project, or the significance of your project. Examples of talking points include why your

research or creative project is significant, if it has implications for your field, if there is a current

event that can benefit from your research, or if it directly impacts a community.

ntent: Do’s and Don’ts

When presenting your project, you should:

• Focus on your contribution

• Follow conventional structures for your field: In some research approaches, such as critical

theory and art, it is conventional for authors to talk about their own positionality to their

projects.

• Limit talking points to key information

• Comment on the broader relevance of your findings

• Explain terminology in the presentation

You should avoid:

• Using jargon

• Using too many citations

• Self-talk (i.e., narrating your internal dialogue)

• Trying to explain your entire project

• Using technical terms without explaining what they mean

How to Talk About Your Project

You can use the following descriptive words when talking about your project:

Analysis

Application

Synthesis

Evaluation

Analyze

Define

Categorize

Classify

Compare

Contrast

Systematize

Trace

Apply

Argue

Conclude

Demonstrate

Differentiate

Employ

Establish

Extend

Hypothesize

Illustrate

Implement

Propose

Theorize

Combine

Construct

Create

Design

Formulate

Frame

Integrate

Merge

Project

Solve

Synthesize

Unite

Critique

Defend

Evaluate

Interpret

Justify

Reassess

Re-envision

Review

uggestions for Body Language

Make sure you look at your webcam when speaking and avoid looking at your laptop screen or off

camera.

Try to smile, maintain good posture, take occasional pauses, and use moderate gestures so that your

audience is engaged with your presentation and not distracted by fidgeting, facial expressions, or a

rushed presentation.

anaging Q&A (Live Presentations): Do’s and Don’ts

If you are giving a live-streamed presentation, below are some do’s and don’ts for participating in the

Q&A segment of your panel. If you are submitting a pre-recorded presentation, you will not engage in

Q&A with your audience.

Do:

• Listen to the whole question

• Actually answer the question that was asked

• Ask for clarification if you didn’t understand

• Partially repeat the question in your answer for those who didn’t hear: “In terms of [what the

person asked about…], I found that…”

• Acknowledge the value of the question and/or limitations of your work but then explain what

you DO know: “That’s an interesting point. Thank you. It’s true that this study can’t address [X],

but what it can tell us is that…”

Don’t:

• Answer a different question or a question you wished had been asked

• Get confrontational or defensive

• Make things up if you aren’t sure

• Say only “I don’t know”

• Panic if you don’t know the answer

• Give a response that is too wordy – keep your response concise but answer the question in full

Practice, Practice, Practice

Practicing your presentation in advance is essential for giving a good presentation. To practice your

presentation effectively, you can prepare your presentation space ahead of time, rehearse looking into

the webcam when you speak, have your presentation notes ready, and hold water or a notebook if you

are nervous.

You can take advantage of resources at UCLA and at home as you prepare for your presentation:

• Practice giving your presentation to your friends and family

• Email [email protected]la.edu to get feedback in an advising appointment with a Graduate

Student Mentor

• Get presentation feedback from a Peer Learning Facilitator at the Undergraduate Writing

Center. Email [email protected].edu for more information.

ips for Virtual Presentations

Prepare for your presentation by preparing your presentation space:

• Control your lighting and make sure your light source is in front of you to avoid casting shadows

on your face

• Present in front of a plain or neutral-colored background

• Try to avoid sitting or standing too close to the screen

• Wear solid-colored clothing, as patterns can be distracting on screen

• Make sure the webcam is at eye-level

However, don’t worry if you do not have too much control over your surroundings; the audience is

more interested in your project than your lighting!

V. PRE-RECORDING YOUR PRESENTATION

Using Zoom or Other Programs to Record Your Pre-Recorded Presentation

You can use a number of different programs to record your presentation. Zoom, PowerPoint, Prezi,

Adobe, iMovie, Movavi, Windows Movie maker, and others can be used to create video files. Please

note that your file type must be supported by YouTube. View the “File Type, Size, and Upload

Instructions” below for more information.

There are many online tutorials for how to record presentations using different programs. A selection

of tutorials include:

• Prezi: If you’re talking directly to the camera or presenting to the camera alongside your Prezi

slides, here are instructions on how to record a presentation using Prezi:

o https://support.prezi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360038281834-How-to-turn-your-Prezi-

presentation-into-a-video-using-Prezi-Video-

o https://support.prezi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036062854

• Zoom: If you’re talking directly to the camera or presenting to the camera alongside your

PowerPoint slides, here are instructions on how to record a presentation using Zoom:

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmMSXOQVQs4

o https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/203741855-Cloud-Recording

• PowerPoint: If you’re providing a voiceover over PowerPoint slides, here are instructions for

how to record a presentation using PowerPoint:

o https://support.office.com/en-us/article/video-record-presentations-2570dff5-f81c-

40bc-b404-e04e95ffab33

All UCLA undergraduate students can create a free Zoom account! Zoom can be downloaded to your

computer as well as your smartphone. To find out more about Zoom and how to activate your account,

click here: https://ucla.zoom.us/.

You can also download a free Microsoft Office ProPlus account to use PowerPoint. Click here for

more information: https://www.it.ucla.edu/news/microsoft-office-proplus.

Closed Captioning and Accessibility (Optional)

You can add closed captioning to your pre-recorded presentation to make it accessible to more

audiences. If you are presenting a live-streamed presentation, you will not be able to use closed

captioning. Please note that closed captioning is optional and is not required.

Click here to learn more about free tools for closed captioning: https://blog.amara.org/2018/05/02/10-

free-tools-to-make-your-captioning-process-easier-in-2018/?fbclid=IwAR0PHiLR8tJk-ZALj-

pyzSLJIOqfSx1A_QkjWDbbsabG8U02oIpZuhB65bg

File Type, Size, and Upload Instructions

If you are submitting a pre-recorded presentation, you will already have received instructions via email

on how to submit your video files to Box. Email urweek@college.ucla.edu if you did not receive the

instructions. Video files are due by 8 am on Friday, May 8.

We will upload your pre-recorded presentation to YouTube as an unlisted video, and your video will

not be publicly searchable on YouTube. We will link your presentation to the Undergraduate Research

Week website during Undergraduate Research Week, and your presentation will be viewable to the

UCLA community and public from May 18-22, 2020.

Your video file must be submitted in a format that is supported by YouTube. Acceptable file types can

be found here: https://support.google.com/youtube/troubleshooter/2888402?hl=en. There is no file

size limit aside from creating a video that is 10 minutes or less in length.

Please note that by submitting your videos to us to upload to YouTube, you acknowledge that you have

read and agree to YouTube’s Terms of Service (https://www.youtube.com/t/terms), Community

Guidelines (https://www.youtube.com/about/policies/#community-guidelines), and Copyright

information (https://www.youtube.com/about/copyright/#support-and-troubleshooting).

VI. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

ttend an Online Workshop

All students are invited to attend our free online Virtual Presentation Workshops.

Click here to see the complete workshop schedule for Spring quarter:

http://hass.ugresearch.ucla.edu/getting-started/workshops/.

chedule an Advising Appointment

You can schedule a 30-minute one-on-one advising appointment with a Graduate Student mentor to

get help with your presentation. Email [email protected] to schedule an advising appointment.

ractice Your Presentation with the Undergraduate Writing Center

You can make an appointment with the Undergraduate Writing Center from April 30 through May 15

to practice your presentation with a Peer Learning Facilitator. Email urhas[email protected] for more

information.

ownload a PowerPoint Template

If you are using slides for your presentation, you can click here to download a free copy of our

PowerPoint template: http://hass.ugresearch.ucla.edu/urw/guidelines/#tab-id-2.

Use of this template and slides are optional. You may also design your own PowerPoint slides from

scratch, make slides with a program like Prezi, or not use slides at all.

mportant Dates

Date

Item

Description

8 am

Friday,

May 8

Pre-recorded

video

submission due

date

Submit your pre-recorded video file to Box by 8 am on Friday, May 8. If you have not

received the instructions for file submission, email urweek@college.ucla.edu for more

information.

8 am

Monday,

May 18

Pre-recorded

videos go live

Pre-recorded presentations will be live on the Undergraduate Research Week website

from May 18-22, 2020.

12:30-5 pm

Tuesday,

May 19

Live video

presentations,

1.5 hour panel

TBA

If you are giving a live-streamed presentation, your presence during your assigned 1.5

hour session is required. You will receive an email confirmation of your session time in

late April, and further instructions on what to expect in early May.

2-4 pm

Friday,

May 22

Undergraduate

Research Week

Awards

Ceremony

You’re invited to join us for the virtual Undergraduate Research Week Awards

Ceremony, which will be hosted on the Undergraduate Research Week website! Faculty

Mentor Award, Dean’s Prize, and Library Prize for Undergraduate Research winners will

be announced and celebrated at this event. Attendance of the Awards Ceremony is

encouraged but not required.