This document provides tips for scientists to improve their public speaking skills when presenting research data at national meetings. It discusses engaging the audience by appealing to their heart in addition to their mind. The expert recommends developing an outline with a few key points and a story to provide context. Only essential data that supports the key points should be presented. Audience engagement can be improved with well-planned questions. The talk should be concluded powerfully to leave a lasting impression. Applying these tips along with simplicity, clarity and a cohesive structure will help ensure the presentation is a success. The expert offers individualized communications training and speaking opportunities.
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Public Speaking For Scientists
1. Public Speaking For Scientists
Key Success Factors to Communicate
Research Data Effectively
Brought to you by Principal Investigators Association
Expert comments provided by Rick Parmely, founder of Polished and Professional LLC.
www.principalinvestigators.org Phone: 1-800-303-0129 Email: info@principalinvestigators.org
2. Communicating Data-Rich Results – Key Success Factors
article can be found in Science Pro Insider, Vol. 1 – Issue 2,
published by Principal Investigators Association.
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Expert comments inside this article provided by Rick Parmely.
Rick Parmely is the founder of Polished and Professional LLC, a training company that specializes in
improving the communication skills of presenters everywhere, from the individual investigator to large
groups of trainers. He can be reached at rick@polishednprofessional.com
Polished and Professional provides communications coaching and mentoring on-line as well as on-site
to groups as diverse as Merck & Company, Restek Corporation and associations like the Association of
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audiences and meetings.
3. Reader question:
I struggle with converting my research results
and data into interesting discussions at national
meetings.
Are there any tips that can help me to enliven
my presentations and still keep a focus on the
meat of my research – the data?
4. Expert Comments:
By Rick Parmely
Many presenters we hear at national meetings do struggle to provide
more than a recitation of facts and data. To a large degree, audiences
have even come to expect that a serious research project will contain
facts, figures, plots, and tables, and little else.
While presenting your data is essential, audience engagement does
not have to suffer when revealing results of great research.
What can be done?
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Inside November’s Issue:
• Communicating Data-Rich Results – Key Success Factors
• How to Leverage Connections for Private Funding
• R01 or R21? Choose The Appropriate Grant Type
• Dealing with the ‘Negative’ Staffer in your Lab
6. It is necessary at the outset to appreciate a
basic principle of all public speaking:
In order to appeal to the mind of a listener….
you must first find a way to appeal to the
heart.
Why?
If the heart is not engaged, the mind starts to wander.
Once the mind of your listener starts to wander, very little of
what you say will be heard or remembered.
7. So when you begin to build the outline for your next presentation, ask yourself:
• What aspects of my research will touch the audience?
• What key concepts absolutely must be communicated?
• How can I tell the story of where we began this project, who was involved,
what has been accomplished by others, and how important the completion of
this project is to the science or to people’s lives?
• What data must be presented to tell that story?
• What can the listener take away from my discussion?
Answering these questions will enable you to develop the “skeleton,” the
outline, from which you can then build a powerful talk.
8. Now, start putting
“meat on the bones”
of your skeleton outline!
Develop a story from history, a recent news item,
an observation in nature or another event that
illustrates the essence of your talk.
Hold your presentation to a few main points
and then limit your data to only the
essential graphs, charts and tables that
support those few key points.
Further involve the audience with well-
planned questions that cause them to think
and stay engaged.
9. Finally, don’t forget a powerful conclusion!
Often, we as speakers end with one slide containing one word:
Questions?
10. Ideally, questions will be entertained and answered
throughout your talk. However, if the meeting format
does not allow for that, but you are still seeking to elicit
audience questions and feedback at the end of your talk,
does that eliminate the need for an effective conclusion?
NO!
In this case, the wise presenter still concludes
powerfully, either just before the Q and A section or
immediately afterward. Why? The last words spoken
will stay in the mind of the listener the longest. So
make those words your best words!
11. Introducing Science Pro Insider
The only Free Monthly eNewsletter
focused on providing best practices on
obtaining grant funding, lab management,
career advice and much more!
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Visit http://bit.ly/SciencePro
Inside November’s Issue:
• Communicating Data-Rich Results – Key Success Factors
• How to Leverage Connections for Private Funding
• R01 or R21? Choose The Appropriate Grant Type
• Dealing with the ‘Negative’ Staffer in your Lab
12. Now Try It!
Develop an outline with a few key points,
wrapping the entire presentation in a
reasonable story or illustration.
Apply simplicity to your data; avoid
delivering data that is not critical to your
argument or data that lacks clarity.
13. Finally, conclude powerfully, tying the many
parts together into a neat, cohesive package.
With these few tips, your talk will actively
engage your audience and your presentation
will indeed be a great success!
14. Rick Parmely
Polished and Professional, LLC
www.polishednprofessional.com
rick@polishednprofessional.com
Phone: 814-470-0598
Services:
On-site communications training, recording and
analysis of communications and presentations.
Call or Email Rick to set up individualized training or
invite him to speak at your department and
university.
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