Rethinking Presentations in Science and Engineering                                                                                                                                  Michael Alley, Penn State
Assertion-Evidence talks are comprehended better by audiences and project more confidence from speakers
  • Home
    • Tutorial on AE Approach
    • Principles of AE Approach
    • Presenting with Confidence
    • EA Badge
    • Writing as Engineer or Scientist
  • Templates
  • Model Talks
    • Undergraduate Talks
    • More Undergraduate Talks
    • Team Talks
    • Grad Research Talks
    • Tutorial: PhD Defense
    • Internship Presentations
    • Outreach Talks
    • Engineering Design Talks
  • Why AE?
    • Research Papers
    • Books
    • References
  • Spreading AE
    • Guide on AE Approach
    • Teaching Films
    • Teaching Slides
    • NSF Invited Lecture
    • Partners
    • Workshop Instructors
  • Handling Resistance
    • Combating Resistance: Nathans_Kelly
    • Handling Resistance in Internship Presentations
    • Creating Assertion-Evidence Handouts: Alley

The assertion-evidence approach is effective

The What. The assertion-evidence approach calls on you to build your talks on messages, not topics. In this approach, you support those messages with visual evidence, not bulleted lists. Moreover, to explain that evidence, you fashion sentences on the spot. Although requiring more effort, this assertion-evidence approach leads to higher understanding by the audience, as evidenced by 
our ​tests of audience comprehension. In addition, our students claim that using the assertion-evidence approach helps them project more confidence because they show ownership of the content through explaining visual evidence. ​
The Why


The How
Assertion-Evidence Principles
Assertion-Evidence Tutorial
PowerPoint's defaults are weak

PowerPoint's defaults lead presenters to create slides that are ineffective for presentations in engineering and science. For one thing, the bullet-list default in the body leads users to write too much text. In addition, that default leads to cluttered slides because the bullet list crowds the graphics. Moreover, the space taken by the bullet lists reduces the size of graphics, leading to call-outs that are too small to read. The assertion-evidence approach helps you overcome the weak defaults of PowerPoint.
Picture

Build talks on messages,
not topics

Building your talks on messages, rather than
phrase ​topics (as most people do), will make your presentations more focused.

Support messages with
​visuals, not bullets

Most speakers project too many words, which overloads the audience. However, audiences can process visual evidence while listening. 

Explain visuals by forming sentences on the spot

​The best speakers fashion sentences on the spot, but do so after planning and practice. Delivering in this way projects much more confidence.
Templates
Supporting Research
Model Talks

Use slides only when they serve
​a presentation

Audiences have specific expectations for the structure of a scientific presentation  


Christine Haas, a professional presentations instructor, discusses how to incorporate your own presentation into an assertion-evidence template.

Marie Roald, a PhD student in computer science from Simula Research Laboratory, applies the assertion-evidence approach to a mathematical subject. Her first main point provides an excellent example to define a tensor.


Alaina Jones, a junior in mechanical engineering, discusses the use of robots to combat an unwanted species.

Charlie Blenko, a junior in civil engineering, discusses a more equitable way to design streets.

Leonhard Center, Penn State 
University Park, PA 16802

Content Editor:

Michael Alley

Webmaster:

Alexandria Eicher
Picture

​NSF Grant 1323230