Engaging Your Audience During Science Talks

Everyone loves a good story. You should be using your data to tell one every chance you get. The importance of narrative in scientific communication cannot be understated. And that includes communication in traditionally technical environments! One thing that gets beaten into you in graduate school is that a scientific presentation is a technical affair. Communicating science is fact based, it's black and white, here's the data, this is the conclusion, do you have any questions? Actually, I do. Did you think about what story your data could tell before you put your slides together? I know this is a somewhat provocative question because a lot of scientists overlook the importance of telling a story when they present results. But if you want to keep your audience engaged and interested in what you have to say, you should think about your narrative! This is true for a presentation at 'The Mountain Lake Lodge Meeting on Post-Initiation Activities of RNA Polymerases,' the 'ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting,' or to a class of 16 year old AP Biology Students. The narrative doesn't need to be the same for all of those audiences, BUT IT SHOULD EXIST! There is nothing more frustrating to me than seeing someone give a presentation filled with killer data only to watch them blow it by putting the entire audience to sleep with an arcane technical overview of the scientific method. Please. Tell. A. Story. With. Your. Data. Here's how: 1. Plot - the series of events that drive the story forward to its resolution. What sets the scene, the hypothesis or initial observation? How can the data be arranged to create a beginning, middle, and end? 2. Theme - Good vs Evil, Human vs Virus, Day in the life of a microbe? Have fun with this (even just as a thought experiment) because it makes a big difference. 3. Character development - the team, the protein, gene, or model system 4. Conflict - What were the blockers and obstacles? Needed a new technique? Refuting a previous finding? 5. Climax - the height of the struggle. Use your data to build to a climax. How did one question lead to another and how were any problems overcome? 6. Resolution - What's the final overall conclusion and how was the conflict that was setup in the beginning resolved by what you found? By taking the time to work through what story you can tell, you can engage your entire audience and they'll actually remember what you had to say!

You’ve heard the advice, “Use stories in your presentations because people respond to stories!” Great advice. BUT… Your story won’t grab your audience’s attention and communicate your message unless it has these 6 elements. In fact, it could even have the opposite effect! Every story you use as the foundation of your high-stakes presentations needs to have: 1. A logical structure. A story needs a beginning, middle, and end with clear turning points between each section. Don't just jump between ideas randomly. Map your presentation flow on paper first so you can physically move sections around. The most persuasive structure builds toward your most important point. 2. An Emotional structure. In the middle of your story, create a rise of conflict where tension builds. This might be when your audience realizes their current approach isn't working or market conditions are changing rapidly. Plan moments where this tension rises before providing a cathartic resolve. Your audience will stay engaged through this emotional journey from tension to resolution. 3. A clear goal. The protagonist in your story must have something they're seeking–an objective that drives the narrative forward. In your presentation, position your audience as the hero pursuing something important. Whether it's reconciliation of different viewpoints or finding the solution to a pressing problem, make sure this goal is crystal clear. 4. Meaningful conflict. Every story needs the hero to face obstacles. This conflict might be with themselves, with others, with technology, or even with nature.  When preparing your presentation, identify what's standing in the way of progress. Is it internal resistance? Market challenges? Technical limitations? Acknowledging these conflicts shows you understand the real situation. 5. A resolution. Every narrative needs to resolve the conflict, though resolution doesn't always mean a happy ending. It could end positively (comedy), negatively (tragedy), or be inconclusive, requiring your audience to take action to determine the outcome. For business presentations, this inconclusive ending can be particularly effective as it prompts decision and action. 6. A lesson worth learning. While rarely stated explicitly (except in fairy tales), every story teaches something. Your presentation should leave your audience with a clear takeaway about what approaches to emulate or avoid. The quality of your story often determines the quality of your high-stakes presentations. Take time to really think through the stories you’re using. Hand-selecting the best ones will help you leave a lasting impact on your audience. #Presentation #StorytellingInBusiness #PresentationSkills

I have a confession to make. I have been guilty of putting people to sleep during my presentations. Unfortunately, not once, but many times. I could blame it on the complexities of tech topics or the dryness of the subject. I could always console myself by saying that at least it's not as sleep-inducing as financial presentations (sorry, my friends in Finance). Deep down, though, I knew that even the most complicated and dry topics could come alive. As with anything, it's a skill and can be improved upon. Thus, I turned to my friend Christopher Chin, Communication Coach for Tech Professionals, for some much-needed advice. He shared these 5 presentation tips guaranteed to leave a lasting impression: 1/ Speak to Their Needs, Not Your Wants Don’t just say what you like talking about or what your audience wants to hear. Say what your audience needs to hear based on their current priorities and pain points: that sets your presentation up to be maximally engaging 2/ Slides Support, You Lead Slides are not the presentation. You are the presentation. Your slides should support your story and act as visual reinforcement rather than as the main star of the show.  Consider holding off on making slides until you have your story clear. That way, you don’t end up making more slides than you need or making slides more verbose than you need 3/ Start with a Bang, Not a Whisper The beginning of a presentation is one of the most nerve-wracking parts for you as the speaker and one of the most attention-critical parts for your audience. If you don’t nail the beginning, there’s a good chance you lose the majority of people. Consider starting with something that intrigues your audience, surprises them, concerns them, or makes them want to learn more. 4/ Think Conversation, Not Presentation One-way presentations where the speaker just talks “at” the audience lead to dips in attention and poorer reception of the material. Consider integrating interactive elements like polls and Q&A throughout a presentation (rather than just at the very end) to make it feel more like a conversation. 5/ Finish Strong with a Clear CTA We go through all the effort of preparing, creating, and delivering a presentation to cause some change in behavior. End with a powerful call to action that reminds your audience why they were in attendance and what they should do as soon as they leave the room. By integrating these, you won't just present; you'll captivate. Say goodbye to snoozing attendees and hello to a gripped audience. 😴 Repost if you've ever accidentally put someone to sleep with a presentation. We've all been there!

When you're making a presentation, questions from your audience don’t have to derail your flow. They can actually improve the experience for your audience *and* you. This is especially true when you're presenting complicated data analysis. The secret is keeping strategic control of the room by opening the floor at key moments. By doing so, you improve your audience's understanding of your content while gaining -- not losing -- momentum. Here’s how you can do it: 1. Anticipate Audience Questions Be prepared. Reflect on who your audience is and review your presentation in that context. Create a list of possible questions in advance. Identify complex concepts, key points, and surprising insights where your audience may want clarity. Prepare responses to those concerns *before* you step on stage. 2. Initiate Questions with a "Framing Prompt" This is a powerful technique that is the key to a great Q&A. After sharing a key point that you've identified as something your audience may want to clarify, invite them to discuss it with a clear and direct statement: “What questions do you have about [topic]?” This simple statement is your Framing Prompt. It gives the audience permission to engage by signaling that it is time for them to participate [Prompt]. More importantly, it allows you to control the topic being discussed when you name the specific topic you're looking to clarify (i.e., the one you were just presenting!) [Framing]. 3. Use Purposeful Pauses Initiate questions with a framing prompt and then pause — for seven seconds. Let the silence work. Don't be afraid of it! It gives your audience time to think and respond and muster the courage to speak. As the presenter, you may feel like the weight of the audience is squarely on you — but your audience feels that weight, too! Hold eye contact and remain still, which creates a safe and welcoming moment for your audience. If no one speaks up, continue with confidence. These techniques help you control both the timing and topic of audience questions, keeping your presentation engaging while maintaining flow and confidence. Tomorrow I’ll show you the 6 steps process you can use to handle those questions when they come. Art+Science Analytics Institute | University of Notre Dame | University of Notre Dame - Mendoza College of Business | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | University of Chicago | D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University | ELVTR | Grow with Google - Data Analytics #Analytics #DataStorytelling

On delivering a great conference presentation. Conference presentations are tricky. Whether your content is good or not, may or may not matter. However. Where it is a good presentation or not will open and close doors on your career. And. A bad one, esp. as a senior PhD student, can close minds and doors on the ejob market. So five quick points to consider as you plan your talk. 1. Structure your talk like a SHORT story You have just 15 to 20 minutes. So use a simple structure to describe your research, like this: Hook – A question, puzzle, or surprising insight Background – What we know, what we don’t Research question – The gap you address Method – How you explored it Key findings – What you discovered Implications – Why it matters for research or practice Example: “We wanted to know why remote teams struggle with onboarding. So we interviewed 22 tech firms. What we found challenges how we think about informal mentorship.” 2. Design slides that focus attention on you. One idea per slide. Keep it visual. Define key terms and highlight relevance. Let your voice do the explaining. Example: Instead of pasting your abstract on a slide, show a graph, a quote, or a concept map. 3. Practice, practice, practice Rehearse with time limits. Ask peers to simulate Q&A. Emulate having people come in and out of the room. Example: If your session is 15 minutes, aim to finish in 12. Have a friend play the "skeptical reviewer" in practice and push back on your logic. 4. Deliver with intention Speak slowly and clearly. Make eye contact. Pause for breath. Think before answering questions. Example: Nervous speakers rush. A short pause after your main point helps your audience absorb it—and makes you sound more confident. 5. Respect the room Visit the room before the talk. Know the room layout. Hook up your computer to present. Bring your slides on a USB stick. Finish 1–2 minutes early. Example: If you’re speaking in a hybrid session, arrive early to check audio levels and screen sharing. Even if you are a great speaker, things go wrong. The more prepared you are, the less you will be put off by things going wrong. So. Practice. Build your confidence. Visualize greatness! Then execute. Best of luck! #conference #academicjourney