Research presentations have a terrible reputation. People think they’re boring, content-heavy and poorly delivered. This presentation skills refresher, facilitated by Paula Mullin, was designed to change the way we think about science presentations and how we deliver them.
What’s in it for them?
In another words, why would they care about that? People listen to presentations because of 3 reasons: interest, benefit and fear. Keep them in mind when preparing your presentation.
Hook them
Hook can be a rhetorical question, or a “What if” question, or a prompt to Imagine “this”, or a story. Most people start with an introduction: we’re used to say our names first. But, we have only 30 seconds to hook the audience up. Audiences are very quick to decide whether they want to listen to you or not.
Ted talks are a useful way to observe hooks. Jamie Oliver, in his Longbeach, California (2010) talk, hooks the audience with a statement that People are going to day: “Sadly…” If this way of starting doesn’t feel comfortable, then stick to your learned style. I’ve started my last two presentations by saying my name and asking the audience: “Do we have an alcohol problem in Ireland?”
The rule of 3 key messages
The audience cannot take in more than 3 messages in one presentation. These messages can be made stickier by using stories because they are easier to remember than examples. Sheryl Sandberg, Chief of operations of Facebook, uses a story about a bathroom in her Ted talk (Ted Women, Dec 2010)
Road map
You can just say it. The old school of presenting preached the dogma – tell them, tell them what you told them and tell them what you told them again. The new school pushes the following structure for presentations:
- Hook
- Roadmap/ Intro
- 3 key messages
- Hook
Longer presentations should be structured in the same way, but you can have more time for stories and more time for stats in clear form. Using this new structure, I could go back to my opening question by saying: “So, back to my 1st question – Yes, there is an alcohol problem, but what we do about it is in our hands. Our doctor education can help you address that problem.”
No need to be scared
Presentation anxiety is normal, accept it. If you are not feeling a little bit nervous, don’t bother. Believe in yourself: “I’m the best person to be up here talking.” Know your stuff. Practice your talk at least 3 times and record yourself. Breathe into your stomach. It sends the breath where the body needs it.
Executive presence
Meaning is transmitted in face, body and voice. Support your message with hands. Don’t panic if you lose someone’s attention. They’re just humans, they’ll switch off. They need verity in the tone and pace. Think about coming closer to the audience. Make the audience your default. You are your best visual aid.
Celebrate communication in June
June is my month of communication. My June blogs will embrace communication by reporting from the Research support and supervisor development programme at the University College Dublin, Ireland, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Information Day, and the College on Problems of Drugs Dependence conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.