This document provides guidance on preparing and presenting seminars and research proposals. It discusses the importance of effective communication and outlines both general and specific rules to follow. The general rules section covers knowing your audience, being prepared, having a clear message and story to tell, engaging the audience, and maintaining a positive attitude. The specific skills section focuses on aspects like maintaining eye contact, managing slide content and clarity, using equations appropriately, handling questions and answers, and structuring an effective research proposal around why, what and so what. The overall document emphasizes the power of communication and offers advice for professional life.

1. How to Prepare for and
Present a Seminar
(Including a Research Proposal)
Diran Apelian
Alcoa-Howmet Professor of Engineering
Director, Metal Processing Institute
WPI, Worcester, MA
Distinguished Visiting Professor
Chemical Engineering and Materials Science - UC Davis

2. Some Advice…for
professional life

3. OUTLINE
1. Power of communication
2. General and Specific rules
in making a presentation
3. Q&A period
4. Research proposal

4. Leadership
 Inspire colleagues
 Power of analysis and synthesis
 Simplify complex issues … explain
 Recognition within organization
Power of Effective Communications

5. OUTLINE
1. Power of communication
2. General and specific rules
in making a presentation
3. Q&A period
4. Research proposal

6. REMEMBER….
• CONTENT
• DESIGN
• DELIVERY

7. 1. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
GENERAL RULES

8. GENERAL RULES
2. BE PREPARED
- confidence
- mechanical issues
- notes/no notes?

9. 3. BE ON TIME
- slides or no slides?
- how many slides?
- remember: Effective is
the key word
GENERAL RULES

10. 4. HAVE A MESSAGE
HAVE A STORY TO TELL
(make sure it is clear to you!)
GENERAL RULES

11.  Knowledge and know-how determine how well off societies are
vis a vis to other societies
 Education of engineers is critical to every nation to ensure
the prosperity of their citizens
 Standard of living hinges on our ability to educate a large
number of sufficiently innovative engineers
 Follow the Money ! R&D spending fuels innovation
 Creation of wealth is related to a nation’s ability to make
products that other nations want to purchase
PREMISE

12. 5. TELL THE AUDIENCE
WHAT YOU WILL DO
DO IT
TELL THEM WHAT YOU DID
GENERAL RULES

13. 6. NO COMMERCIALIZATION
& GIVE CREDITS
- co-authors
- sponsors
- slides “borrowed”
- data
GENERAL RULES

14. 7. LESS IS MORE
(BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY)
GENERAL RULES

15. 8. NO JOKES
- fine line between being
entertaining and unprofessional
USE PERSONAL STORIES THAT
STRENGTHEN MESSAGE
GENERAL RULES

16. 9. ENGAGE THE AUDIENCE
CONNECT WITH THEM
GENERAL RULES

17. 10. BE EXCITED ABOUT
THE SUBJECT; BE POSITIVE
GENERAL RULES

18. SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

19. SPECIFIC SKILL SETS
1. DO NOT LOOK AT SLIDES/SCREEN
LOOK AT THE AUDIENCE
IMPORTANCE OF EYE CONTACT

20. 2. ATTENTION SPAN OF AUDIENCE
(1/3rd RULE)
DO NOT BARRAGE THEM WITH SLIDES
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

21. 3. CLARITY
- in writing
- in graphs and tables
- color scheme
- sentences vs bullets
- photos
- margins
- movies
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

22. INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
STEAM ENGINE
MACHINE TOOLS
TEXTILE MACHINERY
STEAMSHIP
STEEL INDUSTRY
RAILROADS
COMMUNICATIONS
TELEGRAPH
ELECTRIC POWER
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
WORLD POPULATION ESTIMATES
1700 650 MILLION
1800 900 MILLION
1900 1.6 BILLION
1950 2.5 BILLION

23. The End of the Cold War Era
USA the only remaining superpower …
Our Responsibilities ? Societal context?

24. RECYCLING/PACKAGING

25. Is there a correlation here ... Or not!

27. INNOVATION IS KEY
“Research is the transformation of
money into knowledge;
Innovation is the transformation of
knowledge into MONEY”
Geoffrey Nickelson, 3M

28. 4. REUSE OUTLINE
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

29. OUTLINE
1. Power of communication
2. General and Specific rules
in making a presentation
3. Q&A period
4. Research proposal

30. OUTLINE
1. Power of communication
2. General and Specific rules
in making a presentation
3. Q&A period
4. Research proposal

31. OUTLINE
1. Power of communication
2. General and Specific rules
in making a presentation
3. Q&A period
4. Research proposal

32. 5. PURPOSEFUL AND
APPROPRIATE
REDUNDANCY
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

33. 6. POSE QUESTIONS...
AND THEN ANSWER
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

34. Successful Partnerships
Between Academia and
Industry
CIEC- February 5, 2015- Palm Springs CA
Diran Apelian
Distinguished Visiting Professor – UC Davis
Alcoa-Howmet professor of Engineering
Metal Processing Institute
WPI, Worcester, MA USA 01609

35. WHAT are the two most
important assets of a
successful corporation?
KNOWLEDGE
PEOPLE

36. WHAT are the two most
important products of a
successful consortium?
KNOWLEDGE
PEOPLE

37. www.wpi.edu/+mpi

38. 7. EQUATIONS VS. WORDS
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

43. 8. HANDOUTS OR
NO HANDOUTS?
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

44. 9. CADENCE
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

45. 10. VOICE, TONALITY,
LOUD ENOUGH?
SPECIFIC SKILL SETS

46. OUTLINE
1. Power of communication
2. General and Specific rules
in making a presentation
3. Q&A period
4. Research proposal

47. 1. UNDERSTAND THE Q
2. DID EVERYONE HEAR IT?
3. BE HONEST… NO YAWP!
4. THINK OUT LOUD
5. THANK PEOPLE FOR THE Q
6. BUSINESS CARDS
7. GET BACK TO THOSE WHO ASKED Q
8. SEED QUESTIONS… SOMETIMES?
9. DEBRIEF WITH YOURSELF
10. HAVE FUN AND EXUDE ENTHUSIASM
Q & A: THIS IS WHEN YOU SHINE

48. OUTLINE
1. Power of communication
2. General and Specific rules
in making a presentation
3. Q&A period
4. Research proposal

49. RESEARCH PROPOSALS

50. ANSWER THE 3 Q
WHY?
(scientific gaps in knowledge base)
WHAT?
(methodology, experimental, deliverables, timetable, etc.)
SO WHAT?
(Impact!)

51. THANK YOU. G
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