POWERPOINT

PRESENTATION SKILLS FOR

SCIENTISTS
Diane Hannemann
McDougal Fellow,
Careers & Professional Development
&
Anindita Sinha
McDougal Fellow, Academic Writing
Keys to a Successful Presentation
 Know your Audience
 Make it Clear!
 The Heart of the Matter: Sharp Figures & Pretty
Pictures
 Prepare & Practice
 Zzzzzz …
 How You Say it Matters
 Not Compatible?
 Closure
 Know Your Audience
• In your field - can jump in with brief background; non-experts -
need more set-up

• Purpose of your talk (Convince? Update? Teach?)

• Communicate with your audience

* size matters
* formal vs. discussion format

• Convey your enthusiasm about your work

• Don’t talk over their heads; don’t talk down to them

 Make it Clear - Structure
OUTLINE FIRST!!
 Controls number of slides & provides balance
- Budget 2-3 minutes/slide (e.g. 30’ talk = 10-15 slides)

 Have one story to tell:

- decide on underlying issue to be addressed
- divide into logical, heirarchical subquestions
- talk should be series of answers to these questions

 Zoom-In (intro) and Zoom-Out (closure)

 Make it Clear - Concept
• Style & format
- use color to highlight & organize
- be consistent (audience knows where to look)

• Read through presentation and see if main points stand-out

- Heading = WHAT or HOW
- Summary statement = CONCLUSION

• “Speaker Support”
- It doesn’t carry you -- you are the focus
- It supports your message
 Make it Clear - Don’t Lose ‘em
 Science talk vs. murder mystery -- don’t keep you’re
audience hanging!
 Know the fuzzy borders between experimental evidence
and speculation (affects how you formulate your
sentences)
 One concept per slide -
cluster examples rather than moving through series too
quickly
 Make sure you can be heard!

Frustrate your audience & you lose them!

 The Heart of the Matter:
Sharp Figures & Pretty Pictures
• Clear title

• Highlight particular areas/words

• Don’t crowd with too much info

• Give credit where credit due

- reference published data; borrowed figures
 The Heart of the Matter:
Sharp Figures & Pretty Pictures

Show bad

showing a lot of unreadable info “for effect” -

bad!

if it can’t be read -- it’s a waste & it annoys

audience
 The Heart of the Matter:
Sharp Figures & Pretty Pictures

Show bad
 The Heart of the Matter:
Sharp Figures & Pretty Pictures

GOOD
(some showmanship here)
 The Heart of the Matter:
Sharp Figures & Pretty Pictures

GOOD

Use one of Jen’s figure slides color-coded

parts, etc.
 Prepare & Practice
Timing (how many slides & length of talk)
Memorize intro and first few lines
Beware of overpracticing
* Don’t memorize entire talk -- stiff & BORING!!
* 1X = 10-fold improvement
* 2X = twice as good
* 3X = polish
 Zzzzzz …
• Talk to your audience (eye
contact, conversational style)
• Engage your audience by asking questions
• Keep it interesting:
- share interesting tidbits
- give unique examples/analogies
- humor disturbs slumber
• Tiny type kills (use at least 18 point font ... ?)

If you’re bored, you’re audience is snoring!

 How You Say it Matters

VERBAL SKILLS BODY LANGUAGE

• Slow down! • Eye contact
• Don’t read your • Stand straight -
slides - use as cues breathe
• Vary voice tone • Don’t overgesture
(conversational) with pointer, etc.
• Genuine enthusiasm • Face your audience
• SPEAK-UP
 Not Compatible?
Ask ahead of time what equipment provided:
- overhead projector vs. Powerpoint

What format used:

- PC vs. Mac?

What type of disk acceptable:

- floppy vs. Zip 100, Zip 250?

Emergency back-ups:
- overheads
- handouts
 Closure
• Summary of conclusions

• Zoom-out (relevance or application of your work)

• Next steps (if appropriate)

• Acknowledgements
 Scientific Talks - Summary
1. Know your audience & their needs
2. Tell them a clear story developing each point upon the
previous
3. Show them the evidence (sharp figures)
4. Keep them awake by engaging them
5. Give them great delivery -- prepare, practice & SPEAK-UP!
6. Share your enthusiasm for your work
7. Sell your message with a strong summary of conclusions

Most importantly - Have Fun!