Four-Minute Presentation Guidelines

A Four-Minute Presentation (FMP) is a concise, well-prepared 4-minute description of your research / or programme. FMPs are all about telling a story, which is why this format has become hugely popular at the SVRI Forum.

• Presentation length. You have 4 minutes to present your work, with no time for Q&A. During FMP panels, 12 – 15 presentations will be delivered over 1.5 hour.
• Slides and visuals. You are limited to only one slide or image during your FMP. Think carefully about what you want to show. We suggest you show one image / words / visual on a PowerPoint slide that identifies your research/programme e.g. a picture of your beneficiaries; your curriculum; a key question you are trying to answer with your work.
• Send in your slide. Even though you only have one slide, you must still send it to us in advance of the Forum. Make sure you label it correctly, so we can match the file to you and your presentation time slot Your slide should be submitted in PowerPoint format to guarantee optimal display quality. We will not accept single JPEG, PNG, or PDF files; please incorporate your image into a PowerPoint slide as you wish it to be displayed. All slides will be compiled into a master presentation.
• Practice. FMPs, although short, can be powerful ways to share your work. Make sure you practice your pitch, that it is only four minutes long, and that you don’t sound rehearsed. Practice really helps with those nerves as well.
• Timing. You really do only have 4 minutes. Your Chair will not have time to introduce each speaker. Kindly do so in a short, concise manner once you are on stage. Your Chair will stop you after 4 minutes to ensure you do not cut into other presenter’s time. Make sure you practice – we can’t say this enough.
• Guidance. See guidance on developing Four-Minute presentations:
  • Lightning talks: science in 5 minutes or less

Examples of a Four-Minute Presentation slide

For questions, contact us at forums@svri.org.