Site Visits: Prepare Presentation Content
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Prepare Presentation Content
Prepare materials for both internal use and external distribution. The Office for Research has templates for commonly used documents, such as briefing booklets and agendas, to maintain consistency across materials. It is also good practice to establish backup and recovery procedures for all digital files so that important documents can be restored in the event of data loss.
1. Preparation & Strategic Planning
- Importance of Early Alignment: Create a template and set of style guidelines early to ensure a cohesive story and avoid last-minute reformatting.
- Visual Assets & Graphics: Define needs early, including:
- Slide templates (matching the proposal theme).
- High-resolution icons of all institutional partners.
- High-resolution logos and relevant scientific graphics.
2. Workflow & Process
- Rough Process Timeline:
- Distribute template.
- Collect graphic assets.
- Presenters create initial presentations.
- Admin team edits and formats.
- Review cycle.
- Finalize and distribute.
- Tools & Collaboration:
- Use Google Slides or another agreed-upon tool for collaborative drafting.
- Transition to PowerPoint for final version control.
- Version Control Strategy:
- Enforce strict versioning: wrap up group editing by a certain deadline, and leave consolidating edits to 1-2 individuals.
- Naming convention: [Document Title] + [Date] + [Time] + [Initials].
- Maintain and use an 'Archive' folder for old versions.
- Preface archived file titles with [ARCHIVE].
- Edit PowerPoint files locally, not in Google Slides, to preserve formatting.
3. Technical & Formatting Standards
- Slide Specifications:
- Size: 16:9 widescreen.
- Title Font: Verdana 44pt.
- Body Font: Arial 34pt.
- Page Numbering: Calibri 6pt, bottom right corner.
- Standardized Content:
- Slide 1: Speaker and Topic.
- Slide 2: Team (photos, names, affiliations).
- Final Slide: Summary or Q&A.
- Consistency Guidelines:
- Decide on voice (first vs. third person).
- Define naming/referencing standards for people and institutions.
- Enforce best practices (e.g., a maximum of 5 bullet points per slide).
Typically, the funding agency will provide either a template for a required agenda or detailed guidance for developing one. Review those instructions carefully. In some cases, you may need to request approval for proposed changes; in others, you may simply need to submit a draft agenda for review. Be aware that presentation lengths are often strictly prescribed, and the agenda will usually need to reserve approximately 25-50% of the total time for Q&A. The agenda should include:
- Times
- Locations
- Speaker names, titles, and affiliations
- Titles of presentations
- Time for Q&A
Briefing booklets should contain headshots and brief bios. You should create two types of booklets:
- Site Visit Review Team (SVT): Compile this using online resources. Distribute digital copies to participants and University Leadership. Since this information is often available only days before the visit, ensure a process is in place to assemble it quickly.
- Site Visit Participants: Provide these to the SVT for speaker reference during the visit. You may organize these into separate booklets by group (e.g., University Leadership or Corporate Partners) if the agenda calls for it. Printed copies can be provided to the SVT on the day of the visit.
Preparation Methods for Participant Booklets:
- Request headshots and bios directly from the proposing team.
- Alternatively, compile publicly available information and send a draft to the individuals for approval.
Centralized Contact List
Maintain a centralized, regularly updated contact list for all key stakeholders, including vendors, co-PIs, staff, partners, and other essential participants. At a minimum, it should include phone numbers, email addresses, and any other information needed for efficient coordination. Having cell phone numbers for presenters is critical to ensure effective communication during the site visit.
Participant List
This list should identify all researchers, students, leadership representatives, and partners involved in the site visit. This document may be modeled on the Proposing Team Table prepared for the full proposal and should include:
- Name
- Role (for Center)
- Institution
- Department
- Relevant Field of Expertise