Short talk advice

[ajb]

Any general advice for giving a short scientific/mathematical talk at a conference/meeting etc?

 

I have a 20min talk coming up next week and I have decided to use a mix of Beamer and chalk board.

 

Any words based on experiences welcome. Any good or bad personal experiences giving or listening to a talk?

 

Cheers

Edited May 8, 2009 by ajb

[Mokele]

Never, EVER use special transitions in Powerpoint (like where the words appear in flames or something).

 

Pick your colors so that colorblind people in the audience can still understand. Back up graphs with different line colors by also having different symbols for the data.

 

Don't talk to the screen, and DON'T just read what's on the slide.

 

For powerpoint, never use text smaller than 18 points.

 

Bullet points are a waste of time and space.

 

If you can use an image, do so. It'll keep the audience's attention much better.

 

And of course, don't forget the best scientific conference presentation ever: Chicken: chicken chicken

[ajb]

Never, EVER use special transitions in Powerpoint (like where the words appear in flames or something).

 

I was forced to use Powerpoint once as part of a grad course. The trouble was that the version on the computer in my office was different to that used when it came to present the talk. Most of my math symbols were wrong, they rendered themselves as "love hearts" and other obscure symbols! Either way, it was commented that I gave the best presentation. I kept it simple and presented what was needed, no more and no less.

 

So, Powerpoint is a no no for the reason above and it is terrible for witting maths. That's why I have used LaTeX Beamer output as a pdf. Easier to write maths and no compatibility issues.

[Mokele]

I don't really have much math in my talks, but I convert all of my graphs and such to image files (usually PNG files) for the same reason.

 

My biggest headache is video - I do animal locomotion, so video is pretty much essential, and causes endless compatibility issues. I usually just turn up an hour before talks start to make sure mine works and/or use my own computer.

[mrsemmapeel]

Speak clearly, not too fast and face the audience as much as possible......Good luck:D

[iNow]

I always enjoy when the presenter shares personal anecdotes to supplement the information... brief (and personal) stories which relate to the presentation, but are not part of the direct subject matter, to keep everyones interest.

 

"Interestingly, the night we found X = N was the same night that we realized that anchovies and pineapple really DO mix well on a pizza. Seriously, as if finding X=N wasn't strange enough! Anyway, back to my point..."

[Glider]

Whatever software or other AVAs you use, and whatever you do with it, the first thing to remember is that it is only to support your presentation, not make it for you. You are the presenter.

 

You should make more use of your voice (modulation), face and body (orientation and animation) than you do of the AVA, otherwise (and this is very commmon), you will leave the audience with the impression that you might just as well have started the AVA and then gone down the pub. Your audience connsists of people and people respond the strongest to other people.

 

Multitasking in humans is a myth so, use slides sparingly and with minimal text (bullet point place markers and navigation aids only if possible). While a person is reading, they cannot be listening. Try it for yourself. Take a paragraph from a book and put on a short You tube presentation or something else verbal. Read the paragraph and see how much of what was said you actually heard. Slides and so-on are generally better used for things like diagrams and flow charts that you can talk to.

 

Modulate your voice for emphasis and aim for the back. The tendency in presentations is to regress to a monotone 'reading voice' at conversational volume. This signals to the audience that even you find the content boring, and they will switch off (especially those who can't hear you).

 

Move. Orient toward the audience and feel free to move your arms for emphasis. If you feel like walking about a bit, do so (if there's room). Basically, it's your opportunity to engage freely in attention seeking behaviours. If you want to present well, the first thing you need is the audience's attention and the second thing you need is to keep it.

 

Engage your audience. Look at their faces. It's one animal with many eyes. You can get a lot of feedback about how your presentation is going across by scanning faces and it gives you the chance to make on-the-wing adjustments to pace and tone and even the opportunity to clarify points you can see weren't fully understood.

 

Enjoy it. The more enthusiasm you show for it, the more chance your audience will be enthused by it. One of the best lectures I gave this year was essentially trashing homeopathy for an hour and a half. It got a lot of positive feedback

[CharonY]

Glider: best advice ever. Though if you move around, be careful to avoid pacing.

iNow: while it is sometimes funny, one has to deliver it well, otherwise it is just awkward and may disrupt your flow.

Just let me add, construct the talk with the audience in mind. Also, practice for good delivery (obviously), unless you are a natural.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Most importantly, don't stand in the middle of the talk thinking "Oh wait, Glider said I should walk around some... am I too monotonous? I wonder if I should stop looking at that one guy in the third row. Maybe if I look over there..." It doesn't really help.

[Mokele]

Practice, of course, is essential, especially practice in front of other people. Aside from giving you feedback of presentation-related stuff like tone and volume, they may also be able to help with places in the presentation where you haven't explained things as clearly as you thought.

[Glider]

Most importantly, don't stand in the middle of the talk thinking "Oh wait, Glider said I should walk around some... am I too monotonous? I wonder if I should stop looking at that one guy in the third row. Maybe if I look over there..." It doesn't really help.

That's very true. For the best effect on the audience, these things should come naturally; you should appear relaxed. It is hard initially, but it will come together if Mokele's advice is taken; 'Practice'!

 

One thing I could add is; remember to pause. One of the toughest things to handle when new to lecturing or presenting is silence. The slightest pause is torture. The result is that you try to fill it and begin to talk rapidly. Then you find you're running out of breath and then you begin to breathe in more often and rapidly to compensate. You'll find you breathe in too often and your lungs are full and you're speaking a few words and trying to breathe in again and, it, be, gins, to, sound, like, you're, sob, bing. Stop!

 

Pauses, particularly well placed ones, can be very helpful in adding emphasis and it gives you the chance to breathe out. Take that chance. Breathe out fully, and take a normal breath before speaking again. It'll help with delivery and it will also calm you down if you're nervous.