How to present a paper in theoretical computer science
Ian Parberry · ACM SIGACT News · 2000
There are many points in your career at which you wiU be called upon to present a paper in Theoretical Computer Science, perhaps a paper written by somebody else in a graduate seminar, or your own research at a conference, departmental colloquium, or job interview.This skill is particularly important if you intend to pursue a career in academia.While research excellence is the main criterion for success as a theoretical computer scientist, your career will be assisted if you gain a reputation as a competent speaker.A competent speaker will more likely be invited to give colloquia at leading universities and invited talks at important conferences than a mediocre one, provided their research is of similar quality.The expected quality of the presentation can be the deciding factor in the selection or rejection of a controversial conference paper in cases where there is no clear consensus from the program committee.The author does not claim to be an expert in oral presentation, but has attended enough bad talks to be able to draw up a few rules of thumb.This note is written primarily for students in Theoretical Computer Science, but most of it is relevant to other sub-disciplines of Computer Science, and some to any scientific discipline.Different styles of presentation work for different people.These guidelines are intended to assist you in developing a workable style of your own.The remainder of this note is divided into four sections.The first, "What to Say and How to Say It", concentrates on choosing and organizing the material to be presented.The second, "Getting Through to the Audience", focusses on presentation.The third, "Visual and Aural Aids", discusses the proper use of overhead projector transparencies and the microphone.The fourth, "Question Time", is devoted to the period after the talk during which the audience asks questions of the speaker.An earlier version of this note has appeared in [2,3]. What to Say and How to Say ItThe selection of material to include in a talk, and how it is arranged and presented is crucial to success. Communicate the Key IdeasMost new results are obtained by using a few key ideas or tricks, plus the application of standard tools and techniques.Make sure that your talk emphasizes the key ideas and skips over what is standard, obvious, or merely complicated.