Ten Secrets to Giving a Good Scientific Presentation
1 Prepare your material carefully and logically. Tell a story. The story should have four parts: Introduction; Method; Results; Conclusion / Summary.
The Introduction should not just be a statement of the problem – but it should indicate your motivation to solve the problem, and you must also motivate the audience to be interested in your problem. In other words, the speaker must try and convince the audience that the problem is important to them as well as the speaker.
The Method includes your approach. It becomes more interesting to the listener if this section is “story like” rather than “text book like”. This adds the human element to your research which is always interesting.
The Results section is a brief summary of your main results. Be as clear as possible in explaining your results – include only the most salient details. Less salient details will emerge as people ask questions.
The Conclusion/Summary section should condense your results and implications. This should be brief. Be sure to connect your results with the overview statements in the Introduction. Do not have too many points – three or four is usually the maximum.
You may also add the fifth item: Future Research.
2 Practice your talk. Many scientists believe that they are such good speakers, or so super-intelligent that practice is beneath them. This is an arrogant attitude. Practice never hurts and even a quick run through will produce a better talk: you’ll be able to analyze your pros and fill in the gaps.
3 Do not put in too much material. Good speakers will have one or two central points and stick to that material. The point of a talk is to communicate scientific results, not to show people how smart you are. Less is better for a presentation.
4 Avoid equations. If you have to show an equation - simplify it and talk to it very briefly.
5 Have only a few conclusion points. People can't remember more than a couple things from a presentation.
6 Talk to the audience not to the screen. It is hard to hear the speaker in this case, besides, without eye contact the audience loses interest. And one thing more, do not start talking right away when you put up a viewgraph. Let people look at the viewgraph for a few moments: they usually can't concentrate on the material and listen to you at the same time.
7 Emphasize key words. If you speak in the same voice tone throughout the entire presentation, no one knows what is really important. Make it obvious to your audience what they really need to pay attention to.
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8 Avoid making distracting sounds. Try to avoid “Ummm” or “Ahhh” between sentences.
9 Polish your graphics. Here is a list of hints for better graphics:
ü Use large letters.
ü Keep the graphic simple.
ü Use color.
10 Add some emotion or humor to your talk. A joke or two in your presentation spices things up and relaxes the audience.
Exercise 1.4 Giving a presentation and speaking in front of a room full of peers can always be a stressful experience, but there are ways to project confidence and authority even when you are nervous. Read this article from a website on business communication.
Dealing with Nervousness
The American author Mark Twain once put it like this: ‘There are two types of people: those that are nervous and those that are liars.’ So, once you accept that (almost) everybody who gives a presentation – whether formal or informal, long or short, to strangers or colleagues – is nervous, then you just need to find ways to deal with nervousness and even learn how to use it to your advantage.
Let’s first look at ways to deal with and reduce nervousness.
Prepare well.
‘Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.’ Preparation is the key to a successful presentation. Nothing will relax you more than knowing exactly what you want to say and having practiced saying it. Make sure you practice your talk until you feel at home with it – then you can concentrate on other things.
Learn to relax.
Doing stretching or breathing exercises before your talk can help you to reduce nervousness. One example: before your presentation, sit comfortably with your back straight. Breathe in slowly, hold your breath for about five seconds, then slowly exhale. You can relax your facial muscles by
opening your eyes and mouth wide, then closing them tightly.
Check out the room.
Make yourself familiar with the place where you will be speaking. Arrive early, walk around the room, and make sure everything you need for your talk is there. Practice using any equipment (e.g. microphone, video projector, OHP) you plan to work with.
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Know your audience.
If possible, greet your audience as they arrive and chat with them. It will be easier to speak to people who are not complete strangers.
Concentrate on the message.
Try to focus on the message and your audience – not on your own fears.
Visualize success.
Imagine yourself speaking to your audience in a loud and clear voice. Then visualize the audience applauding loudly at the end of your talk as you smile. Use the steps above to reduce nervousness, but also remember that being nervous isn’t all bad. Many experienced presenters say that you can also use your nervousness to give you that extra energy that you need to give a good performance.
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