EASA-450 Scientific Communications, Spring 2003

Martha Davis - Chapter 13, Scientific Presentations

1. Departmental Seminars 

• most academic departments have formal seminars (e.g. by external speakers) and informal seminars (e.g. grad student presentations).

• if you are part of a group, you are expected to attend the seminars

• seminars are part of your education - they broaden your interests

• they may provide you a new perspective on your own work

• they introduce you to the real world of research - with its successes, failures and the fallibility of scientists

• they are essential practise for yourself and you can learn from the success of other speakers

2. Professional Meeting

• much of the benefit of conferences and meetings are in the informal discussion with colleagues

• if you are presenting (and most people are) make sure your are prepared before you arrive! It is almost impossible to make up important work at the last minute

• plan carefully how you will spend your time, you will usually attend all the talks and posters in your area, but you should also keep note of other interesting talks and sessions of special interest

• be aware of how others are doing in their presentations - take the opportunity to judge the presentation style of others and what seems to be effective

• observe the leaders of your discipline and how they conduct themselves

• do not be disappointed if everyone doesn't want to talk to you every time they see you

• plan social events with your peers - this can be very valuable

3. Professional Presentations

• these can be the most important aspects of your career - your peer group will learn a lot about you through these presentations

• review the tips on Oral and Poster Presentations

• your oral statements are more important than your slides or overheads

• most people are interested in your science than in you

• the most important issues are:

  • remember your audience may not be experts in your topic

  • avoid excessive use of jargon and keep you language simple

  • make sure to emphasize the most important points you want the audience to remember in your talk

  • be conscious of your body language, e.g. do not keep your hands in your pockets, look at the audience, keep a pleasant clear voice.

4. Job Interview

• you will probably be asked to give a seminar on your work

• make sure the topic of the seminar is designed for the particular occasion, i.e. that it addresses the interests of the people in the audience

• before you arrive, ask who will be at the seminar (i.e. people with what background)

• most people are more interested in you than in your science

• anticipate the type of topics and questions you may face at the interview

• make yourself familiar with the institute or department you are visiting, know the names of key people (the Department Chair, the Dean, the College).

• the questions you get may not have much to do with your research or your talk - but people are trying to gauge how well you will fit in their department.

5. Question and Answer Session

• it takes serious work to make the best of these situations, don't underestimate their importance!

• listen carefully to the question, and don't interrupt the question even if you think you know how the questioner will conclude

• repeat the question to the audience if appropriate

• if you don't understand what is being asked, ask for clarification before you launch into an answer

• try and answer the question directly, for example if eventually you will get around to saying 'yes' or 'no', it's better to say this first and then explain why you answered as you did afterwards

• a short pause while you think about the question is acceptable - but not too long!

• don't use the question as an opportunity to go into a new part of your talk

• admit ignorance

• be tolerant of all questioners

• never loose your cool! 

6. Moderator

• moderators generally chair sessions to make sure the presentations go smoothly

• make sure you know who will be in your session and the titles and authors of the talks

• introduce each speaker, giving name and affiliation and professional background

• keep speakers to the correct time

• handle the question and answer session

• help speakers with technical difficulties

• who owns them?

    [back]    [home]