How to give a talk

At the scientific meeting today, there were three back-to-back-to-back talks that illustrated how and how not to give a talk. No doubt your advisors will take it upon themselves to educate you on this important topic, but, just in case, allow me this exercise.

First, let's start with Dr. Young But Already A Star. The problems?

1. Too much background material. You have about 12 minutes (out of 15) to make your point(s). Don't spend a third to half of you time going over stuff that most, if not all, of your audience already knows. Background is good. Informing your audience is something they might be unfamiliar with is good. But you have to assume they have a certain level of basic knowledge and give yourself enough time to teach them something new.

2. Too much background material. On the powerpoint slides, I mean. Please do not choose a picture that's too complicated or a lousy color or just too distracting. It makes it difficult to read what's there. Speaking of which,

3. Too much text. Way too much. They're competing with the figures. Don't put words all over the place. Put enough there to lead into what you're going to say. And when you do,

4. Don't read everything on the slide. You can get away with it if there's not a lot there, but you want to introduce the important points and tell us more, like what you would have put there if you were going to put everything on the slide.

5. Some figures were too small. that can happen when there's too much text on the slide. Even when there's not, make sure axes, labels, symbols, etc., are large and easy to see. Please.

6. When you're done, make sure that if/when you answer a question, make sure everyone can hear you. If the session chair is the questioner, don't turn and speak directly to her, facing away from the mike, if it's not clipped to you. And consider repeating the question for those of us in the back who might not have caught it.

To be honest, overall it wasn't terrible, but Dr. YBAAS should know better.

Next up was Prof. Seasoned. Great talk. Why?

1. Good choices of fonts, colors, and background pictures (none). It was easy to read what was up on the screen and you could get through it quickly (i.e., not too much there) and not miss out on what was being said, which was a

2. Well thought-out narrative. Prof. S had an excellent overall story to tell and each slide led logically into the next, starting with

3. Just the right amount of background, setting up the main points of the talk and putting everything into context.

But the best talk of the bunch was the first, given by Dr. Up and Coming, despite that (or because) the computer ate her presentation. "How's that?" you ask? Well, Dr. UAC plunged straight into it. She knew her stuff and what should have been there and took us through it. She didn't need to look at her slides to know what to say; she just said it. She told us a story, complete with beginning, middle, and end, and we hung on every word.

Having now sat through two fantastic presentations like this (the first was even better; years later I still remember it), I have decided that, any future students of mine, in addition to practicing their talks normally, will practicing them without slides. By Bob, they will know what they're saying and what they're showing. They will know where it came from and how it was made. They will give a talk, and not be a powerpoint parrot.

So help me Bob.

Chronicle Forums