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 Dont talk over their heads; dont 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 doesnt carry you -- you are the focus - It supports your message

Make it Clear - Dont Lose em

Science talk vs. murder mystery -- dont keep youre 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 Dont 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 cant be read -- its 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 Jens figure slides color-coded parts, etc.

Prepare & Practice

Timing (how many slides & length of talk)
Memorize intro and rst few lines
Beware of overpracticing

* Dont 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 youre bored, youre audience is snoring!

How You Say it Matters

VERBAL SKILLS BODY LANGUAGE

Slow down! Dont read your slides - use as cues Vary voice tone (conversational) Genuine enthusiasm SPEAK-UP

Eye contact Stand straight breathe Dont overgesture with pointer, etc. Face your audience

Not Compatible?
Ask ahead of time what equipment provided:

- overhead projector vs. Powerpoint

What format used:

- PC vs. Mac?

What type of disk acceptable:

- oppy 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

Scientic 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 gures)
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!