Presenting

Presentations are an essential part of engineering communication.
In the Booming Bass project, you will present your results and progress several times, from short updates during the project to the final presentation at the end of Quarter 2.
These presentations show not only what you have achieved, but also how well you understand the design process and can communicate it to others.

Purpose of Presentations¶

Presenting helps you:

1. Explain your work clearly to both experts and non-experts.

2. Reflect on your design choices and their consequences.

3. Receive feedback from tutors and peers to improve your work.

4. Develop professional communication skills essential for future study and career.

Presentations are not just about showing results, they are about telling the story of your engineering process.

Presentation Types¶

During IP-1, you will give two kinds of presentations:

Both types are mandatory and contribute to your final course grade (see Part 1: Grading).

Mini-Presentations¶

Each subgroup gives a 5-minute presentation after submitting its intermediate report.
The goal is to:

• Summarize what was designed and tested.

• Highlight key results and lessons learned.

• Discuss next steps and dependencies with other subgroups.

The presentation should contain:

• One slide with the circuit schematic or measurement setup.

• A few clear plots or oscilloscope screenshots.

• A short explanation of what worked, what didn’t, and why.

After the presentation, the tutor will ask questions to test your understanding.
These sessions are informal but graded as Pass/Fail.
They ensure that every team member stays informed about all parts of the project.

Final Presentation¶

At the end of the project, your team will give a final presentation, followed by some questions from tutors and lab staff.

The final presentation must:

• Tell the story of your engineering process, from concept to implementation.

• Show how the system works as a whole, integrating all subsystems.

• Highlight both technical results and teamwork lessons.

• Demonstrate professional communication and understanding of your design.

Use a clear and logical structure:

1. Introduction – What was the goal? What does your system do?

2. System Overview – Show the complete block diagram.

3. Subsystems – Explain key design choices and results (Power Supply, Amplifier, Filters).

4. Testing and Results – Demonstrate key measurements and performance outcomes.

5. Discussion – Reflect on challenges, trade-offs, and improvements.

6. Conclusion – Summarize main insights and lessons learned.

The presentation should be prepared as a team effort, with all members contributing.
Each student must speak for a part of the presentation.

Visual and Verbal Communication¶

Follow the advice from
📘 Project Management by Roel Grit, especially the chapters on presenting and communication.

Key tips:

• Keep slides clean and readable: large text, few words per line.

• Use visuals (schematics, graphs, photos) instead of long text blocks.

• Avoid overloading slides with equations, highlight only the most relevant ones.

• Maintain eye contact with the audience; do not read directly from the slides.

• Practice your timing, stay within the time limit.

• Speak clearly, confidently, and at a steady pace.

A good presentation should look and sound professional, but also authentic. Show your enthusiasm and understanding.

Questions and Discussion¶

After your presentation, expect technical and conceptual questions such as:

• Why did you choose this circuit topology?

• How do your measurements compare to simulations?

• What causes the difference between theory and practice?

• How could you improve your design?

Be prepared to answer questions from any part of the project, not just your own subsystem.
The goal is to demonstrate broad understanding of the full system.

Evaluation Criteria¶

Your presentation will be evaluated on:

1. Structure and clarity - logical flow, clear main message.

2. Content and accuracy - correct interpretation of results and theory.

3. Delivery - confident, clear, and within time limit.

4. Visual quality - readable slides, appropriate use of figures and photos.

5. Team participation - all members contribute equally.

6. Handling of questions - accurate and thoughtful answers.

Tutors use these criteria for both mini- and final presentations.

Practice and Feedback¶

You will receive feedback on your mini-presentations throughout the quarter.
Use this feedback to improve your final presentation and oral exam performance.

Practicing several times with your group before the final presentation is highly recommended. Use your tutor or peers for a mock session to test timing and clarity.

Key Takeaway¶

Good engineers can explain complex systems in simple, convincing ways.
Through your presentations in the Booming Bass project, you will learn to translate technical understanding into clear communication, a skill that is just as valuable as building the system itself.