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Improving Academic Presentation Style
Matt | Oct 1 2007
I give a lot of talks, and I've been trying to improve my presentation style, but I'm not sure how to do it in the context of my field. I am in a fairly quantitative science. I have to give presentations where I present results; I am 'selling' the result to the audience, but not in the same way, I think, that one would sell a product, or an idea, or a concept. I'm attempting to convince them that it's right, and that I was diligent in pursuing the result. One common technique is to simply overwhelm the audience with lots of facts and charts and bullet points. Obviously this is a bad idea -- but on the other hand, if you don't give enough 'serious-looking' plots, you run the risk of being dismissed by members of the audience. So how do I strike a balance? How do I keep my presentations in the manner of a good narrative, with appropriate display methods, when constrained by an audience that has a certain expectation of a larger number of quantitative figures and numbers? 31 Comments
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 Presentation PerformanceSubmitted by Dramagirl on October 2, 2007 - 4:21pm.
I second and third Jonathan's comments. I happen to be an actor, and also an academic, and am mindful that the skills I possess as a performer are very, very useful in presenting to an audience ... for entertainment, learning, whatever ... . What I do know is that whatever approach you use (and reading slides is NEVER a good approach, neither are lots of bullet points and little fonts) the human presence, your energy and dynamic is the most important element in the entire communication process. Tell the story, be engaged with your material, reach out and communicate, people. This is what will be remembered, and hopefully get your audience to want to learn more. » POSTED IN:
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