Monthly Archives: January 2009

Presentation traps 5 – the title trap

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Time after time, presenters repeat the same mistake: the title slide is on the screen behind them, they turn towards the screen, read the title, and possibly also read their name (why stop now), then immediately move on to the next slide.

Dear presenter (you don’t mind if I call you dear, do you, for I really care for you), WHY DO YOU DO THAT?

The audience can read; the chairperson can read and has probably already read aloud your name and title anyway; and I have no doubt the audience already know you can read :)

The title is there, on the screen, simply because it is also on the conference program, and the participants eager to attend your talk want to make sure they are in the right room when they come in. The title is not meant to be read: it is meant to be explained, to be paraphrased, to be demystified. To prepare for that, simply picture yourself having to explain your title to someone who is not quite an expert. Listen to him or her ask: “So what does it mean?”. That is what you tell the audience while your title slide is displayed. There is no need to even look once at the screen. You want total eye contact with your audience during the whole time your title slide is on the screen.

No reader ever spends much time on the title page of a book, so why should the presenter spend more time on the title slide than it takes to read it? You do not need to spend more than 30 – 45 seconds on the slide, but you definitely cannot spend less than 5 seconds. People in the audience need to reset their attention on you and on your topic as they move from one presenter to another, and that takes time. They need time to look at you, absorb you, move from a neutral to a positive attitude and like you (don’t push it though, they don’t need to love you :) ) and know a little more about your title than its dry condensed word-encoded meaning. Some, usually half of your audience, the non experts, need a little help from you to increase or validate their understanding of your title. They need time to see who else is working on your research or who else is sponsoring you to trust you as an authority on your topic.

In summary,

Your  Title Slide – don’t face it, don’t read it, and don’t rush it.

And you’ll be –          more affable, more audible, more credible, and more understandable.

Image source: Flickr, Author: Docman

What can the scientist who presents learn from Churchill (Part 2)

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Are you frightened to speak because you have an accent or a speech impediment? Consider Churchill’s problem, as described by his granddaughter Celia Sandys in the book “We shall not fail”.

“Churchill had to overcome a speech impediment that might have silenced many prospective public speakers.[...] Churchill spent countless hours trying to get his tongue around sentences featuring the dreaded letter s. [...] Fortunately, he did not entirely succeed and the defect became his oral signature”

What struck me in that last sentence was the word fortunately. We think that our accent should be completely eradicated, but it the end, it reflects who we are, and testifies to our origins. I have a French accent and will always have it. It is not so strong that people can’t understand me. Sometimes, I even “turn it on” and slightly increase it because people find it charming.  Accent is good. It provides identity, and even charm. But if your accent is heavy, if it gets in the way of people understanding you, like Churchill, you have no choice but to practice and practice some more to lessen your accent. I often observe that researchers with a strong accent tend to speak their native language in their research lab, as well as watch TV programs and read newspapers in their native language. This prevents them from making rapid progress in their spoken English. Practice reshapes your mouth, lips, and jaws to make your foreign sounding English words sound English. Correcting an accent is done through speaking, and comparing your sounds with those of a native English speaker. Do not be fooled by the fact that your lab colleagues understand you. They have had months or years to get used to your accent. The audience you will face during your presentation will have had no time to get used to your accent.

“He began pacing about. Inspiration came and he began dictating, voice rising and falling, hands gesturing as if making the actual speech.”

Rehearsing your talk is never done silently in front of a computer screen. I witnessed ex-Apple Chairman, John Sculley, rehearse a talk in his Cupertino office. He was speaking aloud, gesturing, walking back in forth, stopping now and then only to press the spacebar of his Mac keyboard to go to the next slide. Words come to you in action. Speaking aloud with intonation and gestures helps you anchor your words to your body movements and convey your conviction and your passion. Rehearsing aloud, you create a path for the words to travel from your mind to your lips. Later, once the path is set, the same words will easily return and travel on the same path back to your lips.

What can the scientist who presents learn from Churchill (Part 1)

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In her book We Shall Not Fail the granddaughter of Churchill comments on her grandpa’s speaking skills. Here are sentences that are of immediate value to the scientist who presents.

“[...]strike when the voice or pen is hot.”

If you have just published a paper, or  better, before you submit it for publication, find any opportunity to present its contents… to your peers, to your group. Don’t wait for the invitation, arrange the talk. Your pen is still hot, may be your paper has reached the final draft stage, and you want feedback. Everything is still fresh in your mind. It is by presenting that one becomes a better presenter.

“The best speakers share a common trait. [...]. They never end a speech without asking their audience to rise to an occasion or to meet a challenge.”

Read President Obama’s last sentences of the inaugural address, you’ll find a call to action. But what is the call to action for a scientist? What occasion? What challenge? The occasion of partnering with you. The occasion of commenting on your work. The occasion of financing your work or extending the research scope. The challenge of removing the limitations you faced. The challenge to prove you wrong :) or confirm your findings.

“Becoming a strong speaker, however, is not something to be learned from a book. Leaders need role models.”

Who is your role model? Who presents really well? Find out why. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Ghandi said that. Let their style inspire you. It does not need to be a nobel prize winner. Churchill was inspired by Bourke Cochran, a charismatic Irish American democrat, whose Google hits score less than 600 compared to Churchill’s 24.6 million!

“[Churchill's] central tenet was simple and applies to nearly all forms of business as well as political communications: find the strongest reason in an argument and marshal all the available facts behind it.”

This also applies to scientific communications. The effect of a drug overdose is similar to that of an overdose of facts and slides during a scientific talk. The audience is in stupor. Focus on only making one point per slide. Do not present all the possible graphs that help you make that point. Use the most convincing one, and be ready to defend it and explain it in the most minute detail – if need be.

“Society still cherishes its gifted speakers”

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I am very much indebted to Lisa B Marshall, a colleague working in another part of the world, for introducing me and her blog readers to an interesting 1922 resource now in the public domain.  In the 14 October 07 entry, you find a link to the “Public Speaking Today” manual written by Dr. Frank Lockwood (U. Arizona), and Clarence Thorpe (U. Oregon).  Time stood still on the subject of public speaking. ”Today” in 1922 is today in 2009. Judge for yourself.

 " Society still cherishes its gifted speakers;
and every national crisis gives added proof of their value.
[...]In times of great national danger and excitement it is almost
necessary to reach the people thus, by direct appeal through the
eloquent voices of trusted leaders. Great reforms are seldom
carried through without the aid of impassioned orators.[...]
There is no surer or simpler way to effect this change from cold
knowledge to urgent conviction and flaming action than
through the living personality of the orator. But the speech
can be no greater than the speaker; eloquence is chiefly char-
acter put into words and deeds."

Getting your project proposal accepted and funded is as much a matter of scientific excellence as one of character and of attitude towards your audience. Later on in the manual Dr. Lockwood defines that attitude.

The men who have most constantly won their way into the
hearts of audiences have been the men who have shown genuine
interest in the people. They have desired to be on good terms
with their listeners, and they have made this plain in the
frankest and most unmistakable ways.

So smiling at the beginning of your presentation is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Showing a genuine interest in your audience cannot be done unless you have prepared your talk with your audience in mind. What interests the people attending your talk? Are you tailoring your talk to deliver what they need or do you hope one size (your size) fits all? When difficult questions come during the Q&A, do you answer in a way that demonstrates you wish to remain in good terms with the questioner? The audience hears the depth of your science in your assured voice, but does it also hear the whisper of your heart? :)

001What does the audience remember

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What do people in the audience remember once your presentation is over? The answer may surprise you! Our two guests, Dr. Mark Sinclair and Dr. Alastair Curry share their experience. Dr. Sinclair suggests that the presenter, not just the audience, may also be given something to remember. Early in his career, one insightful question from a friendly questioner led to a breakthrough in his research. Now is your chance to be my next guest on this podcast by adding your comments. Here are my questions to you.

What do you usually remember two days after a scientific talk?

Which talks where particularly memorable to you? Why?

Do you agree with Dr Sinclair’s statement that the presentations “that don’t take you to the [presenter's] paper, they fade away; they’re gone [...] in just a day or two”?

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-20707d74f1a9238af9d0cea5685c6d5f}

How much of your talk do people remember? [ 8:46 | 8.06 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (924)