This set of guidelines is developed to promote effective international and interdisciplinary understanding among PICES members who come from different cultures and speak different languages. Scientists who present papers at meetings have a responsibility of presenting their information in a way that is easy for the audience to understand.

The guide provides advice and observations on preparing rind delivering a scientific presentation at PICES meetings. The focus is on both invited and contributed talks. Studies show that we retain much more of what we see than what we hear and we best retain what we see and hear together. A speaker brings his subject to life for the audience through personal involvement and familiarity with it. Thus, if a scientific talk presents a balance of visual and verbal stimuli, the audience is in the best position to absorb and retain the information presented.

1. It is very important for the success of the program that authors develop a talk that can be given in the allotted lime. Once the presentation has been drafted authors should rehearse and refine the talk to ensure the central theme is being clearly presented in the allotted time. The more you practice and adjust the talk 10 fit the time allowed the better chance you will have that the audience will understand the talk. Remember that convenors are entitled to hold speakers to their assigned times.

2. When preparing a talk, consider that you must speak slowly and clearly to be understood. Remember that an English speaking audience finds it difficult to follow a fast delivery, and it is disastrous for those whose native tongue is not English. Keep the word choice simple, and active, and sentences should be short and to the point.

3. Narrow the focus rather than try to cover a large, complex topic with generalities in a short period. Even if the topic is an overview, pull out one or two of the most important points that support the generality.

4. Before you begin drafting a talk you must define the purpose, topic and appropriate depth and scope of the information you will present. A successful scientific talk is based on how clear the subject is presented. In preparing your presentation, ask yourself a few questions (suggestions below), the answers to which you can incorporate in the talk to help bring the subject to life and make it memorable.

   1. Why should other scientists be interested?

   2. How can I generate some excitement for the subject?

   3. How might scientists from other disciplines use this information?

   4. Can I spice up the talk by adding an emphasis, illustrative story or introduce a little humor to the subject.

   The talk should stick to the topic of the submitted abstract. How well you present your material directly impacts on how well it is received.

5. The talk should present your findings sequentially using simple words;

   1. Outline the hypothesis that was tested,

   2. Ensure that the facts presented build clear picture of the findings,

   3. Always clearly differentiate between fact and opinion.

6. Prepare a visual piece that can be shown any time to deliver a closing message or summary. One should be able to go through this in no more than one or two minute. A few word of conclusion or summary are far better than leaving your audience without a clear message. This will be most helpful if for some reason the allotted time has expired.

7. Math, equations and symbols do not necessarily strengthen the aim of the talk. They do slow the pate, make it hard to understand (even for experts) and create an opportunity for confusion. If equations, calculations, and symbols are crucial to your talk, consider preparing an extended abstract for later study by those who want it. You can then concentrate on explaining the relevance of the mathematics and symbols. If you must use mathematics, slowly talk your audience through each equation step by step. Do not assume that the audience grasps their relevance.

8. Presenting a talk is a chance to face criticism. If you are defensive of criticism, the presentation will not likely raise interest in discussion by the audience.

Many public speaking experts contend that visual aids ruin more presentations than they improve. The answer lies in the fact that there is a right way and a wrong way to present visual material. Visual aids are vehicles for enhancing or facilitating the understanding of the spoken word.

1. Devote each slide/overhead to a single fact, idea, or finding. Illustrate major points or trends, not detailed data. Each visual aid shown must enhance, support exemplify and/or facilitate understanding of the material covered in the talk. Two or three facts or information points per image are best; six are considered the absolute maximum. Each slide/overhead should remain on the screen at least 20 seconds.

2. All information presented should be brief and concise. It should be presented in the most comprehensible format and edited to the minimum number of words possible. Use bold characters and the absolute minimum number of words in titles, subtitles, captions and key phrases.

3. Slides/overheads must be well designed, simple and legible to everyone in the audience. It is worthwhile to consider getting professional help to make slides and overheads. It is important to consider that if the visual aid is not visible and legible to all the audience, it is not an aid.

   1. In most circumstances, do not make slides/overheads from illustrations or tables that were prepared for publication. They are rarely satisfactory;

   2. Use a uniform bold face type and combine upper and lower case letters. Do not use fancy fonts;

   3. Use large type for headings and smaller type for subheadings to show relative importance;

   4. Use contrasting colors where possible for emphasis, distinction and clarity;

   5. An easily legible font size for letters and numbers for slides/overheads is 24 point on letter size paper;

   6. A good way to test your material is to stand 30 cm away for every 2.5 cm of original copy width (about 420 cm from a letter size sheet of paper). If you cannot read it at that distance, then your audience will not be able to read it either when it is projected; and

   7. Guide to charts and tables:

      1. Word charts (lists) of no more than 36 words per visual piece (maximum of six tines with six words each)

      2. Pie charts for percentages.

      3. Bar graphs (horizontal) or column charts (vertical) for comparisons and rankings.

      4. Column or line charts for changes over time and frequency.

      5. Bar graphs and dot charts for correlation.

      6. Generally, do not use more than one or two curves on a chart; three or four are maximum but only if well separated.

      7. Only use tables when it is not possible to use charts.

      8. Each slide/overhead table should not have more than three or four vertical columns and six to eight horizontal lines. Any more information will not be legible

      9. Do not use ruled vertical or horizontal lines in a table as they distract the eye and confuse the reader in understanding the information on the slide.

4. Do not load too much visual material into a talk. Use ax few slides/overheads as are really needed and can be properly discussed in the time allotted. A general rule is one for each 1-2 minutes of presentation.

Poster presentations are as important as oral presentations. Care should be taken to present the material in a clear and logical manner. Many of the points made above under "Preparation" and "Slide and Overhead Preparation" should be taken into account as you develop your poster. It b recommended that you read these before developing your poster.

1. Poster boards are set up near to where coffee is served in order to provide easy access during breaks. Authors are requested to be available during these times to explain their work.

2. Provide a list of times, other than during breaks, when you would be there to provide explanation.

3. Unless otherwise notified by the PICES Secretariat, posters can remain in place throughout the meeting.

4. The Secretariat will notify each author of the size of the board available. This varies from venue to venue.

1. In order to facilitate understanding by participants, speakers and poster presenters are required to provide copies of their presentation in the form of extended abstracts when registering for the meeting. The number of copies to be provided will be notified in the letter accepting papers for oral or poster presentation

2. Extended abstracts should not exceed 2(500 words plus tables and graphs. The extended abstract should include:

   1. Title,

   2. Author's name, affiliation, e-mail and mailing address,

   3. What you did,

   4. How you did it,

   5. What you found out, and

   6. What your findings mean.

3. The extended abstracts should reinforce important information, provide summaries and reading lists, and supply supporting data such as math equations, tables, graphs and detailed relational or organizational information that would help better explain your paper.

1. Do not waste time by reading visual aids to the audience instead of giving the talk.

2. Practice makes perfect so practice, practice, and practice,

3. Out of consideration for other speakers, stay within the time allotted.

4. Speak slowly and clearly. Keep the word choice simple, active and sentences short. Words should reinforce the visual material.

5. Speak into the microphone towards the audience at all times. If you need to see what is being shown on the screen, have copies of your visual aids with you at the speaker's rostrum. If available, use a hand held microphone to give you flexibility

6. Do not stand in front of the projection and obstruct the view of the audience from seeing your visual material.

7. Be systematic in presenting overheads. Nothing confuses an audience more than a speaker who is continually searching for overheads.

8. Use a pointer to emphasize what you wish the audience to focus on.

This paper draws upon guidelines used by the Oceanographic Society and the American Geophysical Union. Some points are taken from the following references:

1. Morikawa Y., Ookura, I. and Takahashi, T. (1990) Skillful Preparation for Scientific Papers Presentations, Kodansha-Scientific, Tokyo. (In Japanese)

2. JIRCAS(1995): For Attractive Science Presentations, to communicate what to be presented 120%, JIRCAS Workshop No. 24, December 12, 1995. (In Japanese)