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P OWERPOINT P RESENTATION S KILLS FOR S CIENTISTS

P OWERPOINT P RESENTATION S KILLS FOR S CIENTISTS. Diane Hannemann McDougal Fellow, Careers & Professional Development & Anindita Sinha McDougal Fellow, Academic Writing. Keys to a Successful Presentation . Know your Audience Make it Clear!

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P OWERPOINT P RESENTATION S KILLS FOR S CIENTISTS

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  1. POWERPOINT PRESENTATION SKILLS FOR SCIENTISTS Diane Hannemann McDougal Fellow, Careers & Professional Development & Anindita Sinha McDougal Fellow, Academic Writing

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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)

  5. 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

  6. 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!

  7. 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

  8. 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

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

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

  11. The Heart of the Matter:Sharp Figures & Pretty Pictures GOOD Use one of Jen’s figure slides color-coded parts, etc.

  12. 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

  13. 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!

  14. VERBAL SKILLS Slow down! Don’t read your slides - use as cues Vary voice tone (conversational) Genuine enthusiasm SPEAK-UP BODY LANGUAGE Eye contact Stand straight - breathe Don’t overgesture with pointer, etc. Face your audience How You Say it Matters

  15. 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

  16. Closure • Summary of conclusions • Zoom-out (relevance or application of your work) • Next steps (if appropriate) • Acknowledgements

  17. 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!

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