Dr Rob Calder shares his advice for giving an effective presentation at a scientific conference.
On a long enough timescale, every academic has to deliver a PowerPoint presentation. It’s as inevitable as death, taxes, reviewer two’s attitude, and using too many acronyms to try and dodge a wordcount (UTMATTADAW). Here are some top tips for preparing for your presentation so that it echoes through history and crescendos into a wildly uncontrollable Pavarotti-style hour-long standing ovation.
1. The content
Content is key; value it above everything else. If your findings are woolly or if your study is poor then all the charismatic oration, rhetoric, backing singers, and glitter canons won’t make it a good talk.
One of my first lecturers (during my undergrad – no dates supplied thankyouverymuch) was this guy with a tiny voice who bought a small Marshall amplifier with him just so he could be heard. He then (for a whole year) read through his handwritten OHPs in the lowest unwavering monotone I’ve ever heard. His lectures were, however, by far the best I ever went to. That’s because they were crammed with good content. Everything was interesting, and everything was important.
2. The slides
One slide per minute (and yes, that includes the title slide and the references). The fewer slides the better. Zero slides can even be acceptable. You know, in the past, people used to present without PowerPoint, just by talking. Can you imagine? Your slides are not the talk. Your talk is the talk. You slides are there to illustrate what you’re saying. They are not there for you to read from. They are not there to add the text you don’t have time to speak.
Imagine you’re doing a live version of a children’s picture book. You are the words, your slides are the pictures, and you are trying to find a perfect balance between words and illustrations. Why would you buy a children’s book that, instead of pictures, had the same words you were reading, but in a smaller font? Why would you do that to the children?
You should also get someone to proofread your slides. That way you can avoid your research group’s X/Twitter feed proudly showing you under a slide with data as a singular noun. Imagine.
3. The message
I know it can sometimes be difficult to see what it all means, but you should be as clear as possible about this for your audience. That’s why you’re a researcher, right? To find out what it all means. Your presentation should home in on your main message and you should make sure people know what that message is. Tell them at the beginning and at the end. In the middle too if you like.
Your jittery, sleepless, restless audience (it’s day two before lunch and after coffee) will probably remember just one thing from your presentation. You can decide what that will be and hand-deliver it to them wrapped in metaphorical tissue paper with a personalised message on the outside. The message is a gift, and you should treat it as such.
4. The voice
Bear in mind that your audience has been listening to people all day, possibly for several days in a row. The language you speak might be their second or third language. They are also tired, many are peaking on a sugar rush from a dubious continental breakfast, others will be hungry, all will be anxiously thinking about an email they recently sent or received. Do them a favour and talk in the tones of someone reassuring them that things are going to be okay. Or like someone rousing them to a sporting victory in a half-time pep-talk. Don’t speak like someone who is speed reading to themselves, but out loud and in public.
5. The timing
If you have 10 minutes, make sure your talk lasts 10 minutes. If you have seven minutes, don’t try to give a 10-minute presentation by speaking 30% faster. Would you try to fit a 3,000-character abstract into a 2,500-character-limited form by removing all the spaces? No, of course not. So, don’t do the spoken-word version. Don’t UTMATTADAW. Say less and make more of what you do say.
The best way to make sure your talk runs to time is to time it, which brings me onto my final point.
6. Practice
I know, I know. You hate the sound of your voice and you can’t bear to practice. It feels silly talking out loud when you’re alone. Practicing makes you more nervous.
An oral presentation can be as important as an academic paper for your career, and you never hear someone say that they can’t bear to edit their written work because it’s embarrassing to look at. How many successful authors can be found at a conference breakfast (continental please) confidently boasting, “Oh no, not me, I just write in one draft and submit to Nature, I couldn’t bear to review it”?
Your phrasing, narrative structure, and word choices will all improve if you practice your talk. There are elegant turns of phrase for most things and it’s worth taking the time to find them. Sure, you can scrabble around for them in front of a live audience as your adrenaline skyrockets, your saliva disappears, and a painfully sensitive microphone amplifies every hesitation to all your future colleagues, employers, and reviewers. Or you can work those phrases out in the privacy of your own home with a cup of tea and a biscuit. Up to you, I guess.
Overall, presentations are a great way to connect with like-minded researchers, to get your work noticed, and to develop your career. But doing them well is a skill that needs to be developed. It takes time and practice.
And this is the main message. If you only take one thing away from this blog, it’s that you absolutely must practice. Practice presentations in general and practice the presentations you will give at this year’s conferences. This advice is my gift to you, all reiterated and wrapped up in metaphorical tissue paper.
by Rob Calder
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