How to start a talk about a topic that cannot be explained without some background information? I am going to give a presentation of my research soon at an undergraduate conference. I have read that it is best to begin a presentation with the ‘thesis’, i.e. a brief explanation of the topic of my research.

However, I’m rather stuck as to how to explain it simply. It seems like it won’t make sense until I’ve explained the concepts behind it a little. To be more specific, the topic is a formalisation I’ve done in a proof verification system. But the students attending won’t know what a proof verification system is. Is it better to begin by explaining what mechanical proof verification is before explaining the topic?

Time parameters: 20 minutes for the talk, and 5 extra for questions.
I have read that it is best to begin a presentation with the 'thesis': i.e. a brief explanation of the topic of my research.


I would not consider this piece of advice generally applicable. For example, in my field many people are applying the field’s techniques to some application from another field. As most of the audience is not familiar with this application (at least beyond what is generally known), there is no point in telling it anything about your detailed approach, before making it familiar with the application. And this is what good talks do: They first introduce the application and then they explain how they approached some specific problem.

More generally, one fundamental rule for a good talk (and in fact, any communication) is:


  Do not talk about something that you do not expect your audience to understand.