Introduction
You’ve just finished your latest research project, and you’re dying to share it with the world. But how do you make sure that your presentation is clear, engaging, and accessible? And what should you keep in mind when practicing for your talk? We talked to some researchers who have given talks about their work to find out. Here’s what you should know.
Sometimes Researchers Need to Share Their Research Before It Gets Published
Sharing your research early with a non-traditional audience has several benefits. Research sharing is a key part of the scientific process. First, you may find someone who can help you with your project or give you feedback on it. Second, sharing your work early can help you get funding for it if the right person sees it at the right time and is able to connect you with an organization or agency that could fund the project.
Thirdly, sharing your research early might even lead to new collaborations in which other people take part in doing more research and writing up their results (and getting credit for them). If everyone else is doing this type of thing, then one day it might be valued enough to pay well!
Sharing Your Work Usually Means Giving a Talk at a Conference or Meetup
Sharing your work usually means giving a talk at a conference or meetup. Research sharing is a great way to learn from the mistakes of others, and to save yourself time and money by avoiding them.
When you share your work, it can mean a lot of things. You can share it by writing blog posts, making YouTube videos, or even just posting on social media!
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to share everything you do publicly—sharing doesn’t have to be public at all! That said, there are lots of reasons why sharing is important:
Here’s Some Advice on How to Do That
When it comes to presenting your research, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First and foremost is being prepared. That means having everything ready to go before the session starts. That includes practicing your talk, making sure you have everything you need (slides, microphone or other equipment). And knowing what kind of questions you might expect from an audience—both the type of questions they’re likely to ask and how best to respond.
You’ll also want to use slides because they help guide the audience through what could otherwise be an overwhelming amount of information for them; this also lets them take notes on what’s significant as well as makes sure no one misses anything important!
If possible, try having someone else record video/audio during presentations so that people can hear later if there’s something worth listening back on again later (e.g., Q&A).
Share What You’re Most Excited About First
One of the most critical things to remember when you’re writing a paper is that you want to share what you’re most excited about first.
- If you’re not excited about your project, why should anyone else be?
- If you’re not excited about it, it will be hard for you to convey your excitement.
- If you’re not excited about it, people will lose interest.
Let People Know if There Are More Details on the Slides That You Don’t Have Time to Talk Through
Make sure to let people know if there are more details on the slides that you don’t have time to talk through. If you’re not able to cover everything, consider including a link to the slides in your email so that people can follow up with questions about anything that wasn’t covered in class. It’s also helpful for those who were unable to attend if you post an audio recording of your presentation somewhere online.
Make Sure People Know What They’re Getting Into
When you’re writing a research paper, it’s important to make sure that your audience knows what they’re getting into.
- Start with an overview of what you’ll be covering in the talk.
- Explain if there’s a paper or code sample to read beforehand, so people have time to do that during the presentation.
- If you’re giving a talk at an academic conference or event, consider uploading your slides as PDFs and making them available for download before the talk starts. That way, those who want to follow along can see the same content on their screens as you’re presenting in person.
- If there is any video or audio recording of your presentation available online, share that link in advance as well (if applicable).
Add an Accessibility Slide at the Beginning
To make sure your talk is accessible to everyone, add a slide at the beginning that explains what accessibility is and how it affects your talk. Include a link to the slides you’re using, so people can follow along with you as you go through them. If there are specific things in your talk that might be inaccessible, explain how they can be made more accessible.
You should also mention that this information will be shared on any future talks you give, and include contact information for anyone who wants to get in touch for questions about accessibility or request an interview.
Avoid Technical Jargon as Much as Possible
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of your research and forget that not everyone has a background in the field.
If you’re writing for a general audience, it’s important to avoid using technical jargon as much as possible.
This is especially true when sharing research on social media. It may be tempting to use some of those fancy words you’ve been working on, but don’t do it! Make it accessible for everyone.
- Don’t assume everyone knows what you’re talking about. Instead of saying “I used a combination of experimental and computational methods,” try “I performed experiments, then I used them to inform my computer simulations.”
- Don’t use jargon when you can explain it in a simpler way. Instead of saying “we applied our algorithm to several other datasets and found that it worked well.,” try “our algorithm works well on all kinds of data.”
- Don’t assume everyone is familiar with your research area—or even with science in general! If you’re writing for an audience that may not be familiar with research methodology or methods, then explain everything as clearly as possible, so there are no gaps in comprehension.
Remember That Not Everyone Is a Native English Speaker
Remember that not everyone is a native English speaker (or speaker of whatever language you’re giving the talk in). You can use words that are common in the language you’re using, but if you’re not sure of their exact meaning, don’t use them. Even if it’s just one tiny word out of context, it can throw off an audience and make your message seem less clear.
If you’re using a language that isn’t your first, then consider getting someone to help proofread your slides, so they sound natural when spoken aloud by another person who also isn’t familiar with the language.
Explain Any Abbreviations and Acronyms
If you’re using an acronym, be sure to explain how it is pronounced.
You may also want to include a pronunciation guide for any abbreviation that might be unfamiliar to your audience, as well as its meaning. In some cases, the acronym or abbreviation itself can be used interchangeably with the full term (in this case “NSF”), while in others there will be no direct equivalent.
Master Your Slides — Practice Early and Often
Practice your slides. Practice early and often. Avoid reading from them if possible, but use bullets instead of full paragraphs when you do need to read from them.
Make sure to practice navigating through your slides. This is essential for giving a good presentation, as it will help you keep track of where each slide is in the order, which means less time spent looking at notes or flipping back and forth between slides while speaking.
You’ll Probably Get Questions After Your Talk
It’s likely that you’ll get questions after your talk, so you should prepare for them. It’s possible you’ll have time to come up with answers on the spot, but it’s always good to be mentally prepared for what might come up in Q&A.
For example: What research subjects did you interview? What are some implications of your study? How does this fit into the larger contexts of [insert field] or [insert discipline]? Has anyone else done similar work? If so, how do they compare to your findings/methods/etc.?
Giving a Good Talk Takes Practice, but It Can Be Fun
You can practice your talk early and often. It’s important to practice your slides, because the visual design of your presentation is half the battle. But don’t just practice it on your own; you should also be practicing in front of people! Go to a conference and accidentally give a talk where there isn’t an official slot for you, or get some friends together and do it at their house.
Ideally, these are people who are willing to give honest feedback about what worked and what didn’t work for them. In fact, ask them how they felt about the talk before you even finish giving it! If they’re too polite to tell you that most of your ideas were unoriginal or confusing. Then try again later with someone else who won’t hold back their true feelings about how terrible the whole thing was (or wasn’t).
Another way to prepare: try practicing in front of a mirror—this will let you see if things look like they make sense visually as well as audibly. Or maybe even try practicing in front of a cat—they’re good listeners!
Conclusion
The sharing of research can be a difficult and confusing process, but it is an important one. The bottom line here is that you don’t have to follow all of this advice, but if you keep these things in mind when sharing your work, it’ll help make your talk more accessible, informative and enjoyable.