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Giving Talks: Preparing for a lecture

English presentation skills: seminars in chemical biology. Giving Talks: Preparing for a lecture. Overview. The presenter The audience The talk: structure. Reduce nervousness: Rehearse & Prepare. Rehearse your talk: Rehearsal reduces fear by 75% (but don’t memorize it). Prepare:

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Giving Talks: Preparing for a lecture

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  1. English presentation skills: seminars in chemical biology Giving Talks:Preparing for a lecture

  2. Overview • The presenter • The audience • The talk: structure

  3. Reduce nervousness: Rehearse & Prepare • Rehearse your talk: • Rehearsal reduces fear by 75% • (but don’t memorize it) • Prepare: • Familiarize yourself with seminar room • Make sure you have notes, extra copy of talk • Anticipate the unexpected

  4. What unexpected things can happen? • You black out/loose your text • Solution: • Stay calm • Look up in your notes

  5. What unexpected things can happen? • Laptop doesn’t work/not compatible with projector • Solution: • Bring USB key • Bring overhead slides

  6. What unexpected things can happen? • Picture doesn’t show up • Solution: • Draw on whiteboard (if chemical structure) • Describe image • Explain conclusion

  7. What unexpected things can happen? • Remote control doesn’t work • Solution: • Use keyboard on computer • Or (if computer out of reach) • Ask friend in audience to switch slides

  8. Reduce nervousness: Other techniques • Acknowledge that you are nervous • But DON’T apologize for it • Breathing: • Practice deep breathing can reduce fear by 15% • Exercise: diaphragmatic breathing • 1. breathe slowly in through nose • 2. hold breath for 4 seconds • 3. breathe out through mouth

  9. Reduce nervousness: Other techniques • Mental relaxation: • Listen music • Talk to audience members • Smile • Physical relaxation: • Exercise: hand clenching • 1. form fists with your hands • 2. push arms away from body • 3. slowly open hands

  10. Getting in front of the audience • Generally, you will be announced as a speaker • Sit down, feet flat on floor • Stand up and walk forward confidently

  11. Starting your talk • Without someone introducing you: • Get people’s attention & welcome them • Introduce yourself • Mention purpose of presentation • Mention how to deal with questions • With introduction: • Thank person who introduced you • Do NOT read the title of your presentation

  12. Timing of talks • Long talks: 1h talk should be 45-50 minutes ~ 1 slide/minute • Short talks: time it well • Talk slow! • Respect your audience’s time!

  13. Overview • The presenter • The audience • The talk: structure

  14. Know your audience! • What do they want? • Connect with their expertise

  15. Learning styles • Active vs Reflective (doing ↔ thinking it through) • Sensing vs Intuitive (facts ↔ relationships) • Sequential vs Global (steps ↔ big picture first) • Visual vs Verbal (pictures/diagrams ↔ text) • http://www.jcu.edu.au/office/tld/learningskills/learningst/questionnaire.html

  16. Visual vs verbal: it’s not black and white • Mixed learning style: a bit of both

  17. How to satisfy everyone • Make use of both diagrams AND text

  18. How to satisfy everyone • Make use of both diagrams AND text

  19. Exercise

  20. Attention span = short • 10 minutes: Audience attention <50% • BUT: attention floats away every 30 seconds! Mills, H.R. (1977) Techniques of Technical Training, 3rd Ed. Macmillan, London

  21. Keep audience’s attention: voice • Vary volume, pitch, pace • Pausing • Repeat main points • Draw special attention to major conclusion

  22. Voice • Articulation: • Pronounce consonants (b, c, d, f, g…) well • Open mouth for vowels (e, i, o…)

  23. Keep audience’s attention: other tricks • Start strong: something surprising, provocative • Gaucher disease • Use humor: • Only if you feel comfortable doing it • Not at the cost of others

  24. Keep audience’s attention: other tricks • Use metaphors/stories for illustration Collagen VII TANGO1 Malhotra et al., Cell 2009

  25. Overview • The presenter • The audience • The talk: structure

  26. Preparation • Misconception: ‘good science speaks for itself’ • What is the message?

  27. Preparation • Read & understand the paper(s)! or • Understand your own work

  28. The talk: structure • Attention span of the audience

  29. The structure of a talk • Start broad, end broad! • Begin with the ‘big questions’ • Gradually zoom in on specific topic

  30. The structure of a talk • In general: • Introduction: tell what you will say • Main part • Conclusion: tell what you’ve told

  31. The structure of a talk • Gradually go in depth • Return to non-technical level -> regain general attention Nontechnical General technical Specialist

  32. Short lectures: similar structure • For example: • first a schematic picture, then more complicated data Activity-based Probe (ABP) Tag Spacer Warhead

  33. Give audience time to join back in • Make informative slide titles • Audience may loose attention, but still gets message blabla blabla blablabla

  34. Give audience time to join back in • Make informative slide titles • Audience may loose attention, but still gets message blabla blabla blablabla

  35. Give audience time to join back in • Make informative slide titles • Audience may loose attention, but still gets message • Make ‘overview’ slide that comes back • Clear transitions

  36. Give audience time to join back in Blank out the topics that have passed

  37. Give audience time to join back in • Make informative slide titles • Audience may loose attention, but still gets message • Make ‘overview’ slide that comes back • Clear transitions • Use pictures / clip art Something to look at

  38. End of the talk • Acknowledge people (research talk) • Thank the audience • Take questions

  39. Next part • Communication

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