Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
SlideShare a Scribd company logo

Intro to scientific presentations 2010

•
•

The document provides guidance for preparing and delivering effective oral scientific presentations. It discusses considering the goals and audience for the presentation. The presenter should tell an engaging story using the CCQH (context, complication, question, hypothesis) approach. When creating slides, the presenter should minimize text and maximize visuals, use consistent formatting, and spend about 2 minutes per slide. Thorough rehearsal is important. When delivering the presentation, the presenter should introduce each slide, face the audience, speak clearly, and handle questions politely. Getting feedback from others and seeking more opportunities to present will help the presenter improve.

1 of 18
Steve Lee and Karl Keller November 8 and 10, 2010 The CLIMB Program An Introduction to Oral Scientific Presentations
Preliminary Questions for Discussion: ● What types of presentations will you have to prepare soon? ● Consider a presentation or poster that you recently saw. What positive features helped to communicate the presenter’s ideas to you? ● What are some of your pet peeves from scientific presentations? 2
Outline and Schedule ● Oral Presentations ○ Preparations before the talk ○ Delivery during the talk ○ Feedback after the talk ○ Examples, common errors, resources ● Posters ● Winter and spring quarters ○ practice; video record ○ visual display of scientific information 3
Consider your goals and the context for your talk or presentation ● What do you want to communicate? ● What do you want to achieve? ● Types of presentations ○ research seminar ○ lab group meeting ○ poster presentation ○ chalk talk ○ job talk ○ informal group meeting ○ leading a discussion 4
Consider your audience ● experts, non-experts but scientifically literate ● undergrads, grad students, postdocs, faculty, general public, etc ● lab group members ● potential employers ● Your audience really drives what you need to communicate and how, i.e. your content, style, dynamics, etc 5
Consider your audience’s Myers-Briggs types ● Myers-Briggs Types: ○ Introvert/Extrovert: where do you get your energy? ○ Sensing / iNtuition: how do you gather information? ○ Thinking / Feeling: how do you make decisions? ○ Judging / Perceiving: how do you interact with your environment? ● Communicate to S types ○ provide the facts and details ○ use visual displays ● Communicate to N types ○ provide the big picture and goals ○ tell stories ● Communicate with a broad range of styles and approaches 6
Tell an engaging story - use the CCQH approach ● introduce the main ideas that your audience will easily accept ○ explain why your work is significant Context Complication Question Hypothesis 7 ● propose a clear, testable hypothesis that will advance our understanding ○ your hypothesis then provides the focus for the rest of your presentation ● clearly state and specify the question that addresses the problem ● present the problem or twist in the story, that should lead to a compelling question ○ tell what we know and don’t know
Preparing Slides ● what’s the big picture or problem? ○ talk through the presentation with a friend (for extroverts and introverts) ○ write an outline of key points ● write notes for each slide ○ main points ● create the title near the end of your preparations ● you can be creative, but not “cute” ● organize your slides ○ outline (optional), intro, problem, methods, results, conclusions, acknowledgements, funding 8
Creating Slides ● Plan to spend ~2 minutes per slide ○ 10 min talk: 5-7 slides ○ 60 min talk: 25-30 slides ● put additional slides in end in case for questions or extra time ● minimize text ○ use bullet points; full sentences are not always needed ○ but write complete thoughts ● maximize visuals: pictures, graphs, tables, etc ● Maximize the “info to ink ratio” – provide the most amount of info with the least amount of ink 9
Creating Slides ● number and/or outline slides, esp. for long talks ● avoid distracting slide designs ● use a consistent design and format for all slides ● consider the medium for presenting data X Y 1 6 2 12 3 18 4 24 5 27 6 30 7 33 8 36 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10
Creating Slides ● use sans serif fonts ○ not sans serif: Times New Roman ○ Arial ○ Helvetica ● organize experiments for clear communication ○ trials done in lab – trial A; trial B; trial C; trial D - successful ○ during a presentation – chronological order: A, B, C, D – logical order: D and A, B, C ○ don’t drag the audience through useless information 11
Rehearse Your Talk ● Practice is key to a successful presentation ● rehearse by yourself and in front of friends ● videotape and watch yourself ● rehearse in the exact room for your talk ● check your images and animations ○ Mac vs PC (create a pdf if needed) ○ test your slides on the actual projector ● time your talk ● rehearsing helps decrease nervousness ● attend other talks and pay attention to their delivery 12
Delivery of Your Talk ● optional: memorize your first slide or two ○ have your words written out ● briefly introduce each slide ○ purpose ● refer to your slide ○ talk through each slide, especially for data ○ your spoken words should correlate with the slide ○ but don’t simply read each slide ● watch the time ● be concise and complete ○ present only what is truly essential and relevant ○ present the whole story 13
Delivery of Your Talk ● common mistake: going too quickly ○ teach or explain your topics thoroughly ● avoid distractions: empty your pockets, turn off phone ● face the audience, not the screen ● don’t block the view of the screen ● if handouts, distribute them before or after, not during your talk ● speak loudly and clearly ● repeat key points and full terms of abbreviations ● express your enthusiasm in your topic 14
Delivery of Your Talk ● behaviors to avoid ○ “um”, “uh”, “like”, “OK”, etc ○ fidgeting with pointer ○ covering mouth ○ nervous laughter ○ pacing ● when handling questions: ○ be polite; actually answer the question ○ be willing to admit that you don’t know – “That’s an interesting question. I honestly hadn’t thought about that, but it seems to me…” ○ it’s OK to ask for a question to be clarified ○ practice will help you to anticipate questions and think on your feet 15
Getting Feedback and Improving ● ask friends to give you honest feedback ○ learn how to receive criticism ○ practice “failing” and trying again ● video record and watch yourself ● help someone else practice and give feedback ● seek more opportunities to give talks ● develop your own style of presenting 16
Summary ●prepare in advance ○ Preparations often take longer than you might think! ●consider what the audience needs to hear ○ practice speaking to a broad audience ●practice, practice, practice! ●seek feedback and more opportunities to give talks ●Developing your oral communication skills will also sharpen your scientific skills. 17
Additional Resources ● “Making Oral Presentations: Dealing with Nervousness” ○ BA Fischer and MJ Zigmond from the Survival Skills and Ethics Program at the University of Pittsburgh ● “Creating Posters Using PowerPoint” ○ Galter Health Sciences Library at Northwestern ○ will be posted on our Blackboard site ● Edward Tufte ○ “Visual and Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions” ○ “The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint” 18

More Related Content

Intro to scientific presentations 2010

  • 1. Steve Lee and Karl Keller November 8 and 10, 2010 The CLIMB Program An Introduction to Oral Scientific Presentations
  • 2. Preliminary Questions for Discussion: ● What types of presentations will you have to prepare soon? ● Consider a presentation or poster that you recently saw. What positive features helped to communicate the presenter’s ideas to you? ● What are some of your pet peeves from scientific presentations? 2
  • 3. Outline and Schedule ● Oral Presentations ○ Preparations before the talk ○ Delivery during the talk ○ Feedback after the talk ○ Examples, common errors, resources ● Posters ● Winter and spring quarters ○ practice; video record ○ visual display of scientific information 3
  • 4. Consider your goals and the context for your talk or presentation ● What do you want to communicate? ● What do you want to achieve? ● Types of presentations ○ research seminar ○ lab group meeting ○ poster presentation ○ chalk talk ○ job talk ○ informal group meeting ○ leading a discussion 4
  • 5. Consider your audience ● experts, non-experts but scientifically literate ● undergrads, grad students, postdocs, faculty, general public, etc ● lab group members ● potential employers ● Your audience really drives what you need to communicate and how, i.e. your content, style, dynamics, etc 5
  • 6. Consider your audience’s Myers-Briggs types ● Myers-Briggs Types: ○ Introvert/Extrovert: where do you get your energy? ○ Sensing / iNtuition: how do you gather information? ○ Thinking / Feeling: how do you make decisions? ○ Judging / Perceiving: how do you interact with your environment? ● Communicate to S types ○ provide the facts and details ○ use visual displays ● Communicate to N types ○ provide the big picture and goals ○ tell stories ● Communicate with a broad range of styles and approaches 6
  • 7. Tell an engaging story - use the CCQH approach ● introduce the main ideas that your audience will easily accept ○ explain why your work is significant Context Complication Question Hypothesis 7 ● propose a clear, testable hypothesis that will advance our understanding ○ your hypothesis then provides the focus for the rest of your presentation ● clearly state and specify the question that addresses the problem ● present the problem or twist in the story, that should lead to a compelling question ○ tell what we know and don’t know
  • 8. Preparing Slides ● what’s the big picture or problem? ○ talk through the presentation with a friend (for extroverts and introverts) ○ write an outline of key points ● write notes for each slide ○ main points ● create the title near the end of your preparations ● you can be creative, but not “cute” ● organize your slides ○ outline (optional), intro, problem, methods, results, conclusions, acknowledgements, funding 8
  • 9. Creating Slides ● Plan to spend ~2 minutes per slide ○ 10 min talk: 5-7 slides ○ 60 min talk: 25-30 slides ● put additional slides in end in case for questions or extra time ● minimize text ○ use bullet points; full sentences are not always needed ○ but write complete thoughts ● maximize visuals: pictures, graphs, tables, etc ● Maximize the “info to ink ratio” – provide the most amount of info with the least amount of ink 9
  • 10. Creating Slides ● number and/or outline slides, esp. for long talks ● avoid distracting slide designs ● use a consistent design and format for all slides ● consider the medium for presenting data X Y 1 6 2 12 3 18 4 24 5 27 6 30 7 33 8 36 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10
  • 11. Creating Slides ● use sans serif fonts ○ not sans serif: Times New Roman ○ Arial ○ Helvetica ● organize experiments for clear communication ○ trials done in lab – trial A; trial B; trial C; trial D - successful ○ during a presentation – chronological order: A, B, C, D – logical order: D and A, B, C ○ don’t drag the audience through useless information 11
  • 12. Rehearse Your Talk ● Practice is key to a successful presentation ● rehearse by yourself and in front of friends ● videotape and watch yourself ● rehearse in the exact room for your talk ● check your images and animations ○ Mac vs PC (create a pdf if needed) ○ test your slides on the actual projector ● time your talk ● rehearsing helps decrease nervousness ● attend other talks and pay attention to their delivery 12
  • 13. Delivery of Your Talk ● optional: memorize your first slide or two ○ have your words written out ● briefly introduce each slide ○ purpose ● refer to your slide ○ talk through each slide, especially for data ○ your spoken words should correlate with the slide ○ but don’t simply read each slide ● watch the time ● be concise and complete ○ present only what is truly essential and relevant ○ present the whole story 13
  • 14. Delivery of Your Talk ● common mistake: going too quickly ○ teach or explain your topics thoroughly ● avoid distractions: empty your pockets, turn off phone ● face the audience, not the screen ● don’t block the view of the screen ● if handouts, distribute them before or after, not during your talk ● speak loudly and clearly ● repeat key points and full terms of abbreviations ● express your enthusiasm in your topic 14
  • 15. Delivery of Your Talk ● behaviors to avoid ○ “um”, “uh”, “like”, “OK”, etc ○ fidgeting with pointer ○ covering mouth ○ nervous laughter ○ pacing ● when handling questions: ○ be polite; actually answer the question ○ be willing to admit that you don’t know – “That’s an interesting question. I honestly hadn’t thought about that, but it seems to me…” ○ it’s OK to ask for a question to be clarified ○ practice will help you to anticipate questions and think on your feet 15
  • 16. Getting Feedback and Improving ● ask friends to give you honest feedback ○ learn how to receive criticism ○ practice “failing” and trying again ● video record and watch yourself ● help someone else practice and give feedback ● seek more opportunities to give talks ● develop your own style of presenting 16
  • 17. Summary ●prepare in advance ○ Preparations often take longer than you might think! ●consider what the audience needs to hear ○ practice speaking to a broad audience ●practice, practice, practice! ●seek feedback and more opportunities to give talks ●Developing your oral communication skills will also sharpen your scientific skills. 17
  • 18. Additional Resources ● “Making Oral Presentations: Dealing with Nervousness” ○ BA Fischer and MJ Zigmond from the Survival Skills and Ethics Program at the University of Pittsburgh ● “Creating Posters Using PowerPoint” ○ Galter Health Sciences Library at Northwestern ○ will be posted on our Blackboard site ● Edward Tufte ○ “Visual and Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions” ○ “The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint” 18