IFT 6268: Presentations

Presentations should be approximately 20 minutes to allow ample time for questions and discussion.

Do not use slides. Only exception is to show pictures and video (if the paper cannot be understood without). Text and equations should be written on the board. The purpose of this is to encourage high quality presentations, to give practice, and to keep up the attention of everyone.

Focus on what's important. Present the paper as if everyone skimmed it but forgot it, or didn't understand. This means that you should first present (a) the problem that the paper solves, (b) the general approach, and (c) one or two key details about the approach. Of course, the specifics will vary with papers. For every algorithm, be clear about what are the inputs and what are the outputs before describing the algorithm.

Schedule a time to meet with instructor at least one day before the presentation. I'll try to help organize the talk and answer any burning technical questions.

If you don't have much speaking experience, this is good practice. It's worthwhile to practice your presentation before you give it.

For every day where you do not present but someone else does: Skim every paper that is presented. Pick one of the papers that are presented that day, and read it carefully. Submit (or post on your course-blog/journal) a short reaction report which elaborates on your thoughts, critique and/or ideas related to the paper. The reaction report should be at most one page. The reaction report has to contain one question that you would like to ask the authors or the presenter about the paper/method/evaluation. Your questions will be the basis for the in-class discussion of the paper.