About Flash Talks

A flash talk is a short, clear, and compelling presentation. For each flash talk, please choose a topic or issue related to economics or policy that you think is interesting, noteworthy or important for the class to know about. Then prepare a short flash talk about it following the guidelines below and the instructions about the use of AI in the class rules. You'll need to turn in a PDF of the presentation the day before you give it.

Guidelines for Flash Talks:

1. It should be about 4-5 minutes long. There may be time for one question.
2. It should have a clear, logical argument: there should be a specific point you want to convey and the talk should provide well-organized supporting evidence.
3. The first slide must have five specific elements: (1) the title, (2) your name, (3) the date, (4) an AI disclosure, and (5) a one-sentence abstract.
4. Apart from the title slide, allow 30-60 seconds per slide. Aim for 5-8 slides total.
5. Slides should show not tell: they should be a visual complement to what you’re saying.
6. Limit the use of bullet points and keep them short.
7. No complete sentences apart from the abstract unless you really need an actual quote.
8. No slides with just text (tables are OK – they don’t count as just text).
9. No numbers that aren’t discussed in some way.
10. Annotated figures and illustrations are very good.
11. Sources should be given, either at the bottom of the page or in a separate page at the end.
12. See the rubric on the assignment page for more details.