Oral Presenters Information

• Oral Presenters Instructions - PDF (124K)

Instructions For Using Audio Visual (AV) Equipment

Submit Presentations in Advance

No later than one day prior to your talk, take your presentation to the AV download station at the Conference Registration Desk. Label your presentation as follows: first & last name, day of talk, time of talk, scheduled session. Your presentation will be set-up in advance to facilitate a smooth transition from one speaker to the next for your session. (Loading PowerPoint presentations to the concurrent session laptops can take considerable time. Therefore it is especially important that your presentation be received early.)

If you are using PowerPoint, we encourage you to use the laptop offered by the conference. Should you decide to use your own laptop, you will need to test your laptop one day prior to your talk. To avoid disruptions to other speakers the day of your talk, your laptop will need to be set prior to the first morning session. Do not forget to bring your power cord and computer cable. Label your laptop and check-in with the audiovisual operator to facilitate a smooth transition from one speaker to the next for your session.

PowerPoint Presentations

• Embed graphs or figures into the document as independent objects; do not dynamically link from other programs.
• Save your file in PowerPoint 2000 or earlier version, not a higher version.
• Attempt to limit file size to 25 MB and less. Photos for slides can be saved in a lower resolution. (A 48-megabyte file can take over an hour to copy onto a laptop!)
• Disable any automatic advance timer. We suggest using an automatic timer only if you are confident there will be no interruptions, delays or deviations from your rehearsed presentation.
• Acceptable media storages are: floppy disk or a CD ROM

NOTE: If you are using a computer projector, bring color overhead transparencies or slides as a back up in case of technical difficulties. While we do not anticipate this happening, it is better to be safe than sorry.

35mm Slide Presentations

Overhead Transparencies

Label a folder with the day, time and session in which you will be speaking so the AV Operator will know when to have your transparencies cued and ready to go.

Additional Equipment

Helpful Tips

Many attendees lose interest in a presentation when they cannot see the visuals. Below are a few tips we encourage you to incorporate when developing your visual presentation.

• The 6 x 6 readability rule: no more than six words per line and six lines per "page" (i.e., Times New Roman font size approximately 40-42)
• Use upper and lower case letters rather than block: ALL CAPS CAN BE DIFFICULT TO READ.
• Lines that are the key to understanding or that are used for emphasis should be bolder than background lines or borders.
• Graphs work better than tables when projected.
• Effective visuals are made on blue or black background with words or pictures highlighted in yellow or white.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference, and we appreciate your help with making the presentation transitions go smoothly. If you have any questions, contact Dave Waterman, Email: dmwater@vt.edu , Phone:540-231-5486

For Questions:

Conference Coordinator
Dave Waterman, Continuing and Professional Education
Virginia Tech
Phone: 540-231-5486 FAX: 540-231-9886
E-mail: dmwater@vt.edu