Presenting
Talks
Best Practices
Structure
Research talks at conferences will often have this structure:
- Background & Significance
- This should cover the context of the field and any information needed for people to understand your research.
- This section should describe why your work is important, why it is needed, and how it contributes to the field.
- Methods
- In this section, researchers briefly describe the general methods used.
- Specific details should be covered if they are necessary for describing your work.
- If you are using an unusual or new method that you developed, more detail should be provided.
- Results
- This is where you show figures and statistics of your results.
- It’s essential to explain what your results mean and their possible limitations.
- Impact and Future Directions
- In this section, researchers describe what they plan to do next and the significance of their findings.
- Thank you
- In this section, researchers show who was involved in the work and provide the grant number that funded it.
Make sure you follow any guidelines required or suggested by the speaking opportunity.
Best Practices
It is a good idea to keep track of what talks you do (including when and where) on your CV!
Simple is often better
People can only retain so much information at conferences; make sure the key information is clear.
Focus on the impact and significance, especially for short talks.
People can ask for additional details.
Tailor your talk for your audience
- Even though there may be experts, remember that there are likely attendees who are totally new to your subject area.
Practice your talk!
- Be careful about how fast you speak, try not to talk too fast!
Show up early to test opening your talk and advancing slides.
Have a backup version of your presentation in another format, in case there are technical difficulties.
- A PDF version works well!
Preparation
Draft the slides
Determine the time limit required.
Draft slides according to the time limit.
- Focus on visuals over text
- Keep slides simple!
Check your slides
Check for language clarity.
Check that fonts are large enough, size 18 or larger is often recommended.
Check that figures are large enough and aren’t blurry.
Check that all jargon is explained (outside of what is broadly typical).
Check that all acronyms are spelled out the first time.
Check that images cite sources if not original.
Practice your talk
Practice giving your talk by yourself and adjust to fit the time limit.
Get feedback from others where possible (including your PI and lab mates). Be prepared to iterate and change your talk several times.
Share info!
- Include your contact information, so others can reach out.
If it is OK with your PI:
Optional: Consider adding your talk to your professional website.
Optional: Include a link or QR code so others can find your talk easily! Tools like Bitly can help!)
Ways to Improve:
- Watch talks! Pay attention to good speakers and emulate them.
- Practice makes perfect. The more experience you get, the more comfortable you will get!
- Keep track of your talks. Keep your old talks to reuse content.
Answering Questions
- Prepare for questions
You can come up with a list of questions you think people might ask and prepare answers for those questions.
With more experience it will be clear what kinds of questions are typically asked.
- It is OK to say you don’t know
You can speculate, but be clear that you are speculating.
- People may ask too many questions
You can tell people that you would like to discuss more with them later.
- People may not have questions
Just because people don’t ask you questions, doesn’t mean they weren’t engaged. Stick around after the talk to see if anyone approaches you.
Talks at the end of sessions or before lunch, or shifting to a new topic sometimes don’t get the same level of attention.
