Background

You’re excited when you see your friend Carol Gaurda. You can’t wait to tell her that your paper on biometrics—the field of measuring and analyzing data on human physical characteristics such as fingerprints, voice patterns, or retinal scans—has been selected for a student conference sponsored by the Criminology Department. “I’m excited about it, but a little scared, too, because I’m not too experienced giving presentations.”

You tell Carol that you will have 20 minutes to introduce the uses of biometrics in security applications, such as permitting access to restricted areas or information. The presentation will be accompanied by presentation graphics; the organizers have Microsoft PowerPoint on all the computers in the presentation rooms.

Carol asks to see your notes for the slides. You pass her a draft of some of what you want to say, as well a draft of a slide (Document 15.1). “I’m just getting started, but what I’ve got seems kind of flat to me,” you tell her. “Any suggestions?”

“Well, I see you’re using the bullet-point approach, one of the slide types that the software offers. The problem with bullet points is that they just encourage you to read to the audience. And they don’t show any movement. What I’d do is look for a key term in the information that suggests what kind of organization might work best for the information.”

You look at your text. “You mean ‘process’?”

“Exactly,” Carol says. “Portraying the information as a process shows more movement than just bullet points, which are static. And a process helps the audience see the concept you’re communicating.”

“So you’re saying I should switch to a numbered list?”

“I think you can do better than that. Take a look at the Shapes and the SmartArt in the Insert tab on your software. There are a lot of designs that you can use to make the process more vivid.”

“Okay, but I don’t want to just add fancy designs when all I’m showing is steps in a process.”

“I agree with you,” Carol says, “so the next step is to create or find graphics that will substitute for the words. Show the graphics, say the words.”

“For instance?”

“To show the first step—using sensors to collect data—find images of sensors. Select one that will be clear to your audience. Everyone understands the process of putting ink on a person’s fingers to record fingerprints.”

“And for the second step—converting data into a template—I could show the fingerprint data going into a computer and coming out the other side as digital data.”

“That’s right. You don’t need to show the actual process; you’re trying to convey the concept. So use text boxes to show the inked fingerprint on the left, with an arrow pointing to the computer. Then, use an arrow and another text box coming out the right side of the computer with a digital version of the information. Maybe a series of 0s and 1s to suggest digitization.”

“This is great. Any other suggestions?” you ask.

“I’d make the slide headings clearer,” Carol says. “Make each heading a complete clause, like a sentence. Sentences force you to make a claim, which is necessarily more informative than a mere phrase.”

“How about the sentence I’ve already got: ‘Biometric systems use a three-step process?’ ” you ask.

“Why not start to communicate the key words: ‘Biometric systems collect, convert, and compare biometric data’?”

“Wow, you’re really good at this, Carol. How about you do all the slides for me?”

Carol laughs.

“Well, how about looking at some revisions instead?”

“You know I like good coffee, don’t you?” Carol says.

“Deal.”

Download the documents below, and then begin your assignment.

Download a copy of Document 15.1.

Download a copy of Document 15.2.

Your Assignment

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the case background and documents, complete the assignment below. Your instructor will tell you how he or she would like you to submit your work.

1. For each of the five sets of text in Document 15.2, write a paragraph describing the organizational pattern that best captures the information. Study the Shapes and the SmartArt tabs in your software to see if any of the graphics portray the pattern that you think would work best. If you don’t see any appropriate graphics, how could you create a graphic that would be effective? What photographs or illustrations available on the Internet would help you communicate the idea to your audience?

2. In a presentation program such as PowerPoint, create a slide for each set of text in Document 15.2.

Reflecting on Your Work

Once you’ve completed your assignment, write a reflection about your work using the prompt below.

Question 15.4