Product pitches are not acceptable from the podium, except within the "Vendor Offering Track". The Vendor Offering presentations will be specifically highlighted to introduce a product or provide a product demo.

Always remember - attendees come to the event wanting to hear talks on the technology and why it's worthwhile.

In addition, people will be coming to see your talk based on the submitted abstract, and perhaps having seen the written paper. Please keep this in mind - and DO NOT change what you were originally scheduled to talk about.

Make sure your slides are readable from the back of the room. There is no limit to the number of slides you can use, so don't try to cram too much onto one.

Don't whisper. Even though you will have a microphone, please continue to speak loudly and clearly. This will help everyone understand what you say during your presentation. Also, remember not to speak too fast - English is not everyone's native language, and sometimes speaking just a little more slowly can make all the difference.

Be interested in what you're presenting. If you sound bored, your audience will be bored, no matter how thrilling the subject of the talk may be.

Explain all acronyms (well, maybe not "XML"). Some members of the audience may have never heard them before. You want to make sure everyone is clear about what you are discussing. This will help.

Try to anticipate questions and be prepared with answers. The session chair will have questions, even if nobody else does! Don't be defensive with the answers; people are usually just trying to understand what you said and how you got there.

Two more web sites listing additional presentation tips:

http://www.presentations.com
http://www.presentersuniversity.com

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