For Today's Scientist, Skill In Public Speaking Is Essential

A scientist's ability to get up in front of an audience and give a good talk is no longer just an incidentally useful skill. Indeed, for today's investigator, the art of engaging a group of listeners is apt to be integral to success in the research world. Many scientists find, for example, that if they don't give talks at professional meetings, their peers are less likely to find out what they're doing, since, these days, publishing one's work is not enough. With the abundance of science journals now in circulation, few researchers have the time to read as much as they would like and miss out on many important articles. Besides, the face-to-face interaction that occurs in an oral presentation leaves a stronger impression than words on a printed page. Prepare way ahead of time and review what you will say about a week before the talk, and then again the evening before. Unless you have been introduced by someone always start your talk by introducing yourself. The audience wants to know what gives you the authority to talk to them. Keep slides simple and easy to read. Don't mix fonts on a slide. More than one word in all capital letters is hard to read. Use simple diagrams. For long talks, vary the color and style of your visuals to avoid mesmerizing an already saturated audience. Interject humor and human-interest stories when appropriate, but don't make jokes (for example, ethnic jokes) that may hurt people's feelings. Don't insult your audience or put them in a position of having to admit their ignorance. Don't ask, "How many of you don't know . . .?" Rather, say, "Some of you may not know . . ." Avoid doing things that distract the audience; nervous habits like playing with the microphone cords or noticeable repetitive hand motions tend to have a hypnotic effect on the audience. Dress appropriately. The audience may get distracted by unusual clothes or egg on your tie. Stay on schedule. (This includes leaving time for questions.) --L. R.-L. Unfortunately, while most scientists have to give talks at one time or another - or are required to give oral presentations if they are site-visited by a grant-review board - their training rarely prepares them for this challenge. Since public speaking is a learned art, it's a good idea for scientists to get used to giving talks by offering to give them rather than avoiding them. The best ways for scientists to combat nervousness are to talk about things that really excite them, know their subject matter, and be well prepared. I arrived at graduate school having never given a talk, and was shocked to hear that each first-year chemistry student had to give two oral presentations. I spent weeks preparing and then practicing. Despite my rehearsals, I was so nervous and talked so fast that I finished my memorized speech 15 minutes early and had to ad lib to fill up the time. In retrospect, I sometimes wonder whether that last bit might not have been the best part of the talk. As someone who now talks easily for four to six hours with nary a butterfly in my stomach, I've come a long way. There are definite techniques to help you ease the pain. Whether you plan to speak for 10 minutes or an hour, it pays to make an outline for your talk. Plan what to say about each point in the outline and focus on what the audience needs to know about the subject rather than on what you want to tell them. You may be all excited about some innovative method you used to obtain a given set of data, but the audience may respond more positively if you just show them a summary of the data and convince them through your discussion that you reached a logical conclusion from your findings. It helps a lot if your delivery has a logical progression that the audience can follow easily - even if they are not familiar with the subject. Try to present supporting material for each major subtopic in easily digestible units of information. Illustrate your points with a small number of uncluttered slides or overheads. Slides are generally better for a short talk, while overheads, which often require more of your involvement in showing them, tend to create a more informal atmosphere and are best left for longer presentations. The preparation time for your talk should be commensurate with the occasion. A very formal hour-long talk to a group of esteemed colleagues at an important international meeting may warrant an appreciable amount of your attention over a period of several weeks. But spending all your work hours for three weeks preparing for an informal in-house journal club is a waste of precious research time. For brief presentations, in which the timing is fairly critical, it is advisable to memorize the talk or to use only a single index card listing the key words as a mnemonic aid. Not having to shuffle through notes will allow you to speak unhaltingly. Making frequent eye contact with the audience conveys an air of confidence and knowledgeability about the subject matter. Keep a copy of the text at hand, on the off-chance that stage fright causes you to have amnesia. For a short talk, it is best to stick to a single major message. First, tell the audience what you are going to tell them. For example, "We have gathered an overwhelming amount of evidence that drug X is the underlying cause of syndrome Y. I'd like to outline for you what made us suspect this connection and how we arrived at this conclusion." That gives people something to "hang their hats on"; most people learn by making connections with things they already know. Then tell them what they need to know about the topic. Finally, tell them what you told them. Even in a long talk, good speakers do not try to cover too much ground, sticking instead to the elegant development of a single theme. But you have more options when you have more time. For an hour-long presentation, you might want to write the topics you plan to cover on a flipchart or overhead, or present them on a slide. Then, start with the "bottom line," that is, the conclusion, and present it as a strong, enticing opening statement. If the audience is small and the topic and atmosphere appropriate, it often breaks the ice to get the audience involved in discussing the subject or asking questions early in the presentation. That is, try to establish rapport early. Audience members will decide in the first few minutes whether they will listen to you. It's important to make them want to hear what you have to say. There are many ways to develop your subject. It is best to choose a way that is in keeping with your personality. Some people do well by presenting a scientific study like a mystery story. Others prefer a more straightforward approach but may successfully incorporate humor in a way that helps keep the audience alert. The judicious use of a few relevant cartoons can do a lot to keep people from getting drowsy. Once you have introduced your subject, it is advisable to provide some background, and perhaps say a bit about how you became interested in the topic. Then discuss your approach to the subject or problem. Don't give too many experimental details unless the method is the main point of the talk. For each set of data, explain the significance of the findings. Don't assume that the audience will know what you mean. Looking around at the faces will help you assess whether people are nodding in agreement or looking puzzled. Clue the audience in when you are about to make a transition from one topic to another: "Now I'd like to tell you how . . ." If you are not pressed for time, stop once or twice during the talk to summarize and ask if anyone has any questions or comments. That helps reinforce what they have learned in the minds of the listeners and is especially useful for those who got derailed. It makes the information easier to digest if you say what you have to say directly and concisely, and don't ramble or get off the track. Try to get some sense of the size of the audience and their heterogeneity with respect to their knowledge of the subject. If they are all in your specific field, have a ball with jargon. If it's a mixed audience, ask for the indulgence of the more experienced people when you explain things to those who are less well-informed. Whenever possible, provide the audience with a handout outlining what you plan to say - that lets them concentrate on listening to you, rather than being distracted by madly taking notes. Providing a bibliography in case people want more detail is another thoughtful touch. Think about good tone and timing so you don't drone or race. Speak loudly and clearly or use a microphone. If the audience has to strain to hear, it's easier for them to lapse into their own thoughts. Be prepared, if necessary, to alter what you had planned to say to accommodate the needs of the audience. Let's say you planned to talk primarily about subject A and to mention subject B in passing. Ten minutes into the talk you surmise that your audience is much more interested in subject B. If you are well prepared, you'll probably be able to change the emphasis of the presentation (without changing the contents too much) to maintain the audience's attention. Don't get into a power struggle with someone in the audience. Always graciously agree that factors that neither of you had considered may account for a difference in results or conclusions. Because it detracts from a presentation when things go wrong, it's a good precaution to call or write ahead to ensure that the host institution will have all the equipment you need for your talk: projector with remote control, back-up projector (or, at least, a spare bulb), flipchart with markers that work, pointer (with extra batteries if it is battery-operated), and microphone. I make do with whatever equipment the host institution provides; however, juggling wires from a projector remote control, an electric pointer, and a microphone can be awkward, so I always ask whether wireless equipment is available. On the day of your talk, get to the room early and check that everything is as you want it and that the equipment works properly. If at all possible, load your slides into the projector and preview them before you speak. Preview rooms are now available at many large meetings. With good preparation, a positive attitude toward the audience, and a little experience, you're likely to find that the jitters will quickly fade from your oral presentations. Liane Reif-Lehrer, author of Writing a Successful Grant Application (2d ed., Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Boston, 1989) is president of Erimon Associates, a consulting firm based in the Boston area.

For Today's Scientist, Skill In Public Speaking Is Essential

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