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Improving Academic Presentation Style
Matt | Oct 1 2007
I give a lot of talks, and I've been trying to improve my presentation style, but I'm not sure how to do it in the context of my field. I am in a fairly quantitative science. I have to give presentations where I present results; I am 'selling' the result to the audience, but not in the same way, I think, that one would sell a product, or an idea, or a concept. I'm attempting to convince them that it's right, and that I was diligent in pursuing the result. One common technique is to simply overwhelm the audience with lots of facts and charts and bullet points. Obviously this is a bad idea -- but on the other hand, if you don't give enough 'serious-looking' plots, you run the risk of being dismissed by members of the audience. So how do I strike a balance? How do I keep my presentations in the manner of a good narrative, with appropriate display methods, when constrained by an audience that has a certain expectation of a larger number of quantitative figures and numbers? 31 Comments
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Another book recommendationSubmitted by michael.mccracken on October 2, 2007 - 1:28pm.
I would recommend Robert R. H. Anholt's "Dazzle 'em with Style", a great book with advice on planning, writing, practicing and giving solid scientific presentations. It is very practical, with concrete suggestions and examples, and has been very useful for me. I agree with the previous recommendations to read Tufte and to go to his seminar. I have used his advice in several important documents and presentations and I usually get positive feedback about my presentation style. » POSTED IN:
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