The Oral Presentation

The Oral Presentation Kim E. Barrett, Ph.D. Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Research Department of Medicine University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine Experimental Biology, April 14, 2003 The oral presentation Congratulations? Dear Dr. Jones: Congratulations!!! We are pleased to inform you that your abstract entitled “Physiological effects of beer drinking in University of California undergraduates” has been accepted for oral presentation at Experimental Biology, to be held in San Diego, California. Your paper is scheduled in the session “Health predictors for student life” to be held in Room 11 of the Convention Center from 8.30 – 10.00 am on Monday, April 14, 2003. Please take note of the enclosed guidelines for preparation of your Powerpoint presentation. Speakers must provide their own laptops, and should report to the session room at………… The oral presentation Outline • Why am I subjecting myself to this torture? • Defining the task • Nuts and bolts of preparing a talk • Delivering the talk itself – Star Search vs. Fear Factor • Handling questions • Closing thoughts The oral presentation The scientist as performer - why? • Communicate your findings to colleagues • Establish scientific priority • Public relations – You – Your research group/PI Presentation skills may get you the job, the grant, or the invitation to Europe! The oral presentation Defining the scope of the task • Understand the background of your audience – Scope of session – Who’ll be there? What will they know? • Know who the chairs are • Know who the other speakers are – Should your talk be coordinated with those of others? The oral presentation Structure of a ten-minute talk • • • • • • Background (1-2 slides) Aim of the study (1 slide – essential!) Brief methods (1 slide) Results (4-8 slides) No more than Summary (1 slide) 15 slides in total! Conclusions (1 slide) – Make it sexy! The oral presentation Designing graphics • • • • • • Above all else, show the data Maximize the data/ink (pixel) ratio Erase non-data ink Erase redundant data ink Revise and edit Avoid chartjunk Tufte “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” Graphics Press, 1983 Intestinal chloride secretion Salmonella induces COX-2 via iNOS expression 3 C o n tro l L -N A M E N S -3 9 8 General title Specific title *** *** C O X -2 (a .u .) 2 Keep it simple Remember a key 1 Statistics! Means + SEM, n=6 ***, p<0.001 vs. uninfected control 0 U n in fe c te d S a lm o n e lla T re a tm e n t The oral presentation Avoiding technical snafus • Take care with colors, font size, overcrowding – Project before the meeting – Don’t apologize for slides (or need to) • Arrive at the session room at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the session • Belt and braces – CD/zip/removable media plus laptop – Give a labeled copy of your presentation to your mentor or a trustworthy colleague – Never check your presentation with your luggage! The oral presentation Tips for style • Never read from a prepared text or recite a memorized one • Short words/sentences/paragraphs – Avoid jargon and abbreviations • Take care with transitions – The audience cannot go back and review • Establish and maintain eye contact – Place a friend in a strategic location • Don’t hesitate to show expression/enthusiasm/personality! The oral presentation Overcoming anxiety • Practice, practice, practice! – Present to a variety of audiences if possible – Your talk will almost certainly get longer on the day; allow for this! – Use outline notes to ensure coverage of key points • Physical considerations – Feet apart – Hands on podium – Pointer off between points! The oral presentation The role of rehearsal “It takes three weeks to prepare a good ad lib speech” Mark Twain The oral presentation Handling questions • You are the expert – Prepare among friends – Insist that they challenge you • It’s OK to say you don’t know, or haven’t done the experiment yet • The three “D”’s – Defend – Deflect – Defer The oral presentation Closing thoughts • Presenting your work orally is a wonderful opportunity to further your career • The keys to success are preparation, precision and practice • Always have a back-up plan • Try to have fun!