Effective verbal communication in the basic biomedical sciences can be an essential ingredient of a successful career. The ability to communicate effectively can have a favorable impact on your career as a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, or principal investigator.
What, then, are some of the factors that make for an interesting and effective seminar? Well, of course, you should have something worth talking about to an audience. Assuming this to be the case:
Are they experts or novices in your field? The answer will determine how much introductory or background material to present and how much detail to go into during the seminar.
Often it is best to provide conclusions up front and then provide the evidence, rather than to present the seminar as a mystery with answers (e.g., "The butler did it") coming at the end. Will the audience stay awake until the end?
Beware of complicated visuals with ...
