Presentation skills
telling a compelling scientific story | tailoring to your audience | slide design | delivery | managing nerves | handling questions | acknowledging contributors | engaging your audience | using a laser pointer effectively
Get training
- Observe others give a presentation of similar format. What did they do that was effective? What could have been done better?
- Attend a workshop on scientific presentations
- Read books or articles about giving a scientific presentation
- Attend someone else’s practice talk, to learn from the feedback they receive
- Present your research or give a journal club presentation for a local research group sharing interest in your field
Practice
- Present your talk in an empty lecture hall, mimicking the true experience in every way but without an audience. Videotape yourself!
- Give a practice talk to peers or scientists within and outside of your field
- Participate in a cBCD Research Talk Clinic (coming soon - watch for publicity via student/postdoctoral listservs)
Get feedback
- Ask someone to give you feedback during any of your opportunities to practice
- Request feedback in specific skill areas you want to improve (delivery, slide design, engaging the audience, etc.)
- Videotape and review your presentation
- Participate in a cBCD Research Talk Clinic (coming soon - watch for publicity via student/postdoctoral listservs)
Self-reflection
After each presentation, consider this:
- What went well? What would you do differently in the future?
- Did you elicit the response you wanted or expected from your audience? What would you do in the future to change audience response?
- Were you able to effectively manage and answer audience questions? What went well, what would you change?
Local resources
- Annual workshops on presentation skills offered by Office for Postdoctoral Scholars or cBCD
- Presentation skills section in the cBCD Special Collection in the Lamar Soutter Library