Lael Wentland
Lael is the FY21 Local Programming Liaison and a 4th year Bioengineering PhD student. She placed 1st in 2020 WE Local Conference: San Diego research pitch competition.
General Research Talk: A short presentation on your research to an audience outside your field. Often spikes fear in the hearts of graduate students due to its undefined nature.
I was first introduced to the challenge of the general research talk when I had the opportunity to give a research pitch, PechaKucha style. This means I had 3 minutes and 6 slides on a 30 second timer to tell a story about my research. The short format was daunting and I was nervous about being able to connect with a general audience.
Be forewarned, it was a long process of preparation for my short PechaKucha presentation. Surprisingly, after the presentation I found myself more comfortable describing my research in interviews or general conversation. I had already done the hard work of boiling down my research to its main motivating components. Furthermore, I had a script and images that I could use for future presentations.
The process of preparing for your first general research presentation can be arduous but simplifies your work for the future. I view general research presentations as having two components: the preparation and the actual presentation content. This blog will focus on preparation and “Part 2” will focus on content. Hopefully some of the methods that I use will be helpful in preparing for your own general research talk!
Preparation: It is always recommended to practice, practice, and practice more but graduate students need to use our practice time wisely. We have so much else on our plate.
1. Write a script: General research talks will often be short, so every word counts. Scripts make sure you say what is needed in the time allotted. They can also alleviate nerves because you know exactly what you want to say (though don’t be afraid if you deviate a little).
Additionally, you want to make sure you will be using words your audience understands. When nervous, I often found myself using language specific to my field. It took practice for me to automatically use more accessible language or imagery to describe my research.
This script should NOT be paragraphs taken straight from your paper. Instead, start by actually speaking what you want to say aloud and then write that down. The script should be conversational, no need to worry about grammar. You may also be able to copy your script into the notes section of your presentation. The script should only be there to help you get back on track if lost because you have the script memorized. I’ve found scripts work best for presentations 10 minute and under but I still recommend writing out key sentences for longer talks.
2. Record yourself: It can be strange listening to yourself speak but this method allows you to remember the cadence of your words. You can focus on the inflection of your voice, diction, and most importantly. . . when you pause. I had a joke in one presentation and needed to practice that extra long pause so the joke could really take effect.
I recommend using an audio recording app on your phone so you can easily listen to yourself. At the start of writing the presentation, I would also listen to myself to help edit my script. If you can, record yourself at least once using video to make sure you are not making any distracting body movements (i.e. hand waving or pacing).
For practice, record yourself often and start recording yourself without reading from the script. On the day of my presentations, listening to myself speaking calmly and slowly has helped reduce my nerves.
3. Practice presenting to someone outside of your field: This is pretty straightforward but make sure you ask your “audience” what kind of feedback you want before your present. This includes “Please note if and when you get lost” or “Please note any words or images you did not understand”. If you have slide numbers, this makes that task easier.
Afterwards, ask your mock audience if they have any questions and if they can explain in a few sentences your research goal. Before asking for outside help, it may be useful to practice with colleagues and your professor to check if the presentation content is accurate.
1. Write a script: General research talks will often be short, so every word counts. Scripts make sure you say what is needed in the time allotted. They can also alleviate nerves because you know exactly what you want to say (though don’t be afraid if you deviate a little).
Additionally, you want to make sure you will be using words your audience understands. When nervous, I often found myself using language specific to my field. It took practice for me to automatically use more accessible language or imagery to describe my research.
This script should NOT be paragraphs taken straight from your paper. Instead, start by actually speaking what you want to say aloud and then write that down. The script should be conversational, no need to worry about grammar. You may also be able to copy your script into the notes section of your presentation. The script should only be there to help you get back on track if lost because you have the script memorized. I’ve found scripts work best for presentations 10 minute and under but I still recommend writing out key sentences for longer talks.
2. Record yourself: It can be strange listening to yourself speak but this method allows you to remember the cadence of your words. You can focus on the inflection of your voice, diction, and most importantly. . . when you pause. I had a joke in one presentation and needed to practice that extra long pause so the joke could really take effect.
I recommend using an audio recording app on your phone so you can easily listen to yourself. At the start of writing the presentation, I would also listen to myself to help edit my script. If you can, record yourself at least once using video to make sure you are not making any distracting body movements (i.e. hand waving or pacing).
For practice, record yourself often and start recording yourself without reading from the script. On the day of my presentations, listening to myself speaking calmly and slowly has helped reduce my nerves.
3. Practice presenting to someone outside of your field: This is pretty straightforward but make sure you ask your “audience” what kind of feedback you want before your present. This includes “Please note if and when you get lost” or “Please note any words or images you did not understand”. If you have slide numbers, this makes that task easier.
Afterwards, ask your mock audience if they have any questions and if they can explain in a few sentences your research goal. Before asking for outside help, it may be useful to practice with colleagues and your professor to check if the presentation content is accurate.
COVID-19 has caused speaking opportunities to go virtual but they are still worth your time! Giving a talk virtually can be a lower stress experience from the comfort of your home. Virtual conferences have also provided me the opportunity to create a short presentation for people to view my work asynchronously. I’ve had good experiences with Prezi’s video recording feature which enables you to record your voice over a high quality video of your presentation. Furthermore, now I have a pre-made presentation with a link I can share with family or recruiters.
If the idea of giving a research talk increases your heart rate, I really recommend you seek out opportunities for giving a general research talk. Your audience will likely be friendly and not ask tricky technical questions. In a nutshell, practicing public speaking will increase your confidence.
The annual SWE and WE Local conferences both have research pitch conferences that provide a supportive environment for you to present research. More information on the upcoming 2021 WE Local research pitch can be found here and applications are due on November 10th.
Do you have any methods that help you prepare for research talks? Post in the comments to share!
Stay tuned for Part 2, where I share more about creating the content for a general research talk.
If the idea of giving a research talk increases your heart rate, I really recommend you seek out opportunities for giving a general research talk. Your audience will likely be friendly and not ask tricky technical questions. In a nutshell, practicing public speaking will increase your confidence.
The annual SWE and WE Local conferences both have research pitch conferences that provide a supportive environment for you to present research. More information on the upcoming 2021 WE Local research pitch can be found here and applications are due on November 10th.
Do you have any methods that help you prepare for research talks? Post in the comments to share!
Stay tuned for Part 2, where I share more about creating the content for a general research talk.
