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DESCRIBING YOUR RESEARCH IN FIVE MINUTES OR LESS. Presented by Dr. Kimani C. Toussaint, Jr. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering Affiliate in Departments of Bioengineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering.
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DESCRIBING YOUR RESEARCH IN FIVE MINUTES OR LESS Presented by Dr. Kimani C. Toussaint, Jr. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering Affiliate in Departments of Bioengineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering The Institute on Teaching and Mentoring October 22-25, 2009 (Arlington, VA)
OUTLINE • Motivation • Effective communication • Recognizing your audience • 3 important questions about my research • DEMO • Concluding remarks Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
MOTIVATION • Important to communicate your thoughts and ideas to any audience • In Academia, communication (written and oral) is everything • Signals how well you understand your work Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION • Always speak up • Speak clearly (no mumbling) • Maintain eye contact with audience or individual • Keep your energy level high (appear excited about your work) • Be confident! • Remember that often you know your work better than your audience Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
RECOGNIZING YOUR AUDIENCE • Technical level of your talk depends on your audience • Is the audience primarily composed of specialist in my area? • Am I speaking to a non-specialist but an academic in the general area? • How would I describe my work to the average person (e.g., family or friends)? Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
3 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT MY RESEARCH • What is it about? • Why is it important? • How is it accomplished? Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
WHAT IS IT ABOUT? • Think about summarizing the essential points of your research within the first 1 min • For > 1 min, expand a little bit on the details • Always think about your audience Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? • What is the big picture? • How would you describe the merit of your work to a funding agency or potential employer? • How does your work stand in comparison to similar work in the field? Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
HOW IS IT ACCOMPLISHED? • How do you do what you do? • Explaining your methods concisely • Be careful about being “boring”!!! • If time permits, explain where you currently are in your work Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
DEMO • Let’s give it a try!! Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
CONCLUDING REMARKS • Know your audience • Be confident and concise • Remember the 3 questions about your research (What, Why, and How?) Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • Institute on Teaching and Mentoring/Compact for Faculty Diversity Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2009)