Complete guide for thesis, dissertation and academic presentations
Analyze My PresentationMaster these four areas to deliver presentations that captivate and convince
The committee should understand your work even if they're not specialists in your exact topic.
Your contribution should be obvious and memorable to the committee.
A clear structure helps the committee follow your reasoning throughout.
You are the expert on your topic. The committee should feel that.
Before detailing methodology, explain why your research matters and what question it solves.
"In this thesis, I used a qualitative methodology with 15 semi-structured interviews..."
"French SMEs lose 30% productivity due to X. My research identifies the 3 key levers to solve this problem."
Going over time shows poor preparation. Practice with a stopwatch.
"(20 min planned, 35 min actual, impatient committee)"
"(Finish at 19 min, time for impactful conclusion and transition to Q&A)"
Prepare backup slides for predictable questions. The committee will be impressed.
"(Facing a tough question) 'Uh... I hadn't thought of that...'"
"'Excellent question. I actually prepared a slide that shows...' (shows backup slide)"
No thesis is perfect. Acknowledging limits shows scientific maturity.
"(Defensive) 'No, my methodology is robust, there are no limitations...'"
"'You're right, that's a limitation. To address it, future research could...'"
The conclusion is often rushed due to time. Memorize it to finish strong.
"(Looking at clock) 'Well, I'll conclude quickly... basically that's it...'"
"'To conclude, three major contributions: first... second... third...'"
Turning your back to read text on screen. Sign of insufficient preparation.
Use slides with minimal text (keywords, diagrams). Your voice provides information, the slide illustrates.
Drowning the committee in methodological details at the expense of the main message.
Save details for questions. The presentation should give the big picture.
Spending 15 minutes on introduction and rushing through results.
Practice with a timer. Rule: 10% intro, 20% context/methods, 50% results, 20% conclusion.
Facing criticism with endless defensive explanations.
Short answer + acknowledge the limitation + improvement path. 1 minute max per question.
Ending abruptly without thanking committee, advisor, participants.
Prepare an acknowledgments slide. It's also a chance to leave a good final impression.
Usually 20-30 minutes for a master's thesis, 45-60 minutes for a doctoral dissertation. Followed by 30-60 minutes of questions. Check the exact format for your institution.
Roughly 1 slide per minute. For 20 minutes: 15-20 slides max. Also prepare 5-10 backup slides for anticipated questions.
1) Arrive early to set up, 2) Do breathing exercises, 3) Remember you're the expert on your topic, 4) The committee wants you to succeed. Good preparation is the best stress reliever.
Be honest: 'That's a point I didn't explore in this work, but it would be an interesting avenue for future research.' Intellectual honesty is valued.
Memorize the introduction and conclusion. For the rest, master the structure and key points, but keep a natural tone. Too rehearsed = less convincing.
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