Being tasked with giving a presentation on a science topic can be overwhelming. With all the available literature, how are you supposed to summarize the “relevant” information and keep the presentation within the time limits? This article will break down the process of developing a presentation designed for an audience with a diverse background.
Before you can begin developing slides you must first have a strong grasp of the material. To start, identify the main topic you want to present on. You may refine your focus as you learn more about the topic, so stay flexible! Once you have an idea of the What you want to talk about, it is time to see what the scientific literature says! Digging through scientific literature can be overwhelming and is often the biggest hurdle students face. So, let’s begin by choosing articles designed to be a general introduction to the literature topic… Review papers! Set your filter for Reviews and identify the most recent publications that are a close match to your chosen topic. Reviews can be very long; it is important to stay focused. Ask yourself, is this section relevant to my interests? If not, keep scrolling! Notice I say interest not topic. This is a part of being flexible, you may find yourself interested in a topic you were previously unaware of! As you go through the papers, highlight the sentences that are most relevant to you. At the end of each review paper, make a note of the primary literature and authors cited as providing the information you highlighted.
Now we have developed a general understanding of the topic and seen it be discussed in context. This will give you the background needed to understand the research articles. You are finally ready for an in-depth examination of the primary literature. Going back to the search engine, remove the Reviews filter and begin by searching for the authors or titles you just identified. It is important to remember that the principal investigator is often the name listed LAST. This is the name that will likely have more publications associated with the topic. Now explore! It is okay to browse the titles of the papers to decide if it is worth your time reading. Identify people and papers cited, try to find more recent papers that have cited the literature you have already found. This work will make you more confident with the information and better prepare you for the presentation. During this time, ask questions and seek the answers. Remember your audience, you do not need to spend hours focusing on a specific, highly technical question if you are presenting to a general audience.
Once you feel confident in the material and you have refined your presentation topic, it is time to start making slides! A general rule of thumb is to have one slide for every one minute you are presenting. If you need to leave time for questions, account for that. Organize your presentation by asking yourself, “what is (insert topic here)?”. The answer to this question will be the meat of your presentation. Once you have identified what you want to say about the topic, now we need to take a second look at what you have said. Does your answer match your audience? What information is needed to understand your answer? You will generate slides that go before your meat that will serve to introduce the topic and relevant background material. KEEP IT RELEVANT. If you mention anything specific in your meat, be sure to introduce and explain its relevancy during the background section. As you fill in the background and meat of the presentation, practice what you are to say during these slides. A good presenter says only what is necessary for the audience to follow the story. Your story should be specific to your topic. As you conclude the presentation, fall back on your original question “so, what is (insert topic here)?”. In one to two slides, summarize your answer. “ (insert topic here) is this. This is what is known.” You can also follow this with a very brief “and this is what remains unknown”. Science is ongoing. No question has a complete answer. You do not need to spend much time on the unknown but introducing the idea of what’s next can be a great way to conclude you presentation. Now show your citations and ask the audience if they have any questions!
The art of giving a scientific presentation is in the story telling. Identify the question, give the information needed to understand the answer to the question, and show how the answer is a product of the current literature. The more you understand about the scientific process addressing the topic, the more confident you will be in your presentation. Most importantly, breathe. You spent all this time and energy building this presentation, you likely know more about this topic than anyone else in the room. And if you are asked a question, you do not know the answer to, that is okay! Being a good scientist is knowing the limitations. Simply say that. “I am not sure of the answer to your question, but I do know this (insert possibly relevant information)”.
