A young man considering a report

How to make a good scientific report"Biomolecule"

Author: Anna Starokadomskaya with the participation of P. Starokadomsky.

Everyone, one way or another, sometimes has to tell others about their successes and deeds. For scientists, in particular, reports are a mandatory and important attribute of daily activities. However, although almost everyone, starting from their student years, spends a lot of time creating and improving their presentations, only a few people know the simple principles of preparing good reports. Therefore, we are sure that the essay by Israeli scientist Uri Alon “How To Give a Good Talk”, published recently in the journal Molecular Cell, will be interesting to anyone who plans to shine at scientific conferences and not to lose face in the dirt at laboratory seminars. This article will successfully complement the recent one – "Tips for beginners on how to publish a scientific article."

Anyone can make a good report. Everyone can improve their reporting technique. I am writing this article in the hope of sharing my lecture skills (and many others that relate to the public side of scientists' lives). In my understanding, all scientists must know the basics of conducting good reports. This will benefit both the speaker and his listeners. My approach includes both elements of theatrical art and principles of public speaking. The purpose of these principles is not marketing – it is not putting an external gloss on an essentially useless product. The essence of this approach is to give people an idea of the importance of your work, to show it as you see it. There are three main principles of a good report:

• Slide preparation: Each slide should have its own full title;
• Presentation: make eye contact with the audience, look into the hall, not at the screen;
• Questions: Listen to the question, repeat it. Remember, the main thing in the question is its content, not its tone, with which it was asked.

PreparationPreparing a good report should begin with finding a succinct and accurate title for the presentation.

This should be done before you start preparing the slides. Come up with a name yourself. It should describe the topic and purpose of the report in one sentence.

For example, the name may be: "Cells change their shape by regulating the cytoskeleton." And here is an example of how to call a message is not worth it: "The shape of the cell and the cytoskeleton." Why? Because this sentence is not finished, its meaning is not complete. The name is a reference point for you: it will tell you what to include in the presentation and what to leave until the next time. The report should contain only those materials that relate to the title. Do not include dry (even interesting) data in the report if they do not relate to this topic.

Now that you have a common name, expand it through a set of subheadings of individual slides, gradually bringing the listener to the essence of the message. Recall that each slide should have its own title. Following one after another, these headers should form a coherent logical chain.

The title of each slide should be a complete sentence that describes its main idea and subject. The title will help the audience immediately grasp the main message. Avoid calling the slide question forms like "What's going on with the number of cells?" or phrases like "Measuring the number of cells." Instead, use complete sentences that convey the idea you are going to convey to your listeners. Here is a good example: "The number of cells increases over time." Is that better?

It is not easy to come up with the title of the report and headings for each slide. However, these efforts should be considered an integral part of your research; this will help you focus on what is important and essential, and find missed moments. The title will also help to make the slides easy to understand: each slide should contain only what is actually essential. If the slide contains two titles – two important ideas – it is better to split it into two slides. There should not be too much experimental data; otherwise the title can be changed to "I will impress you with the fact that I have done a lot of work."

While preparing for the report, learn the first two or three sentences for each slide by heart. Learn the text of the lecture: practice it until you memorize it. Calculate the duration of the report so as to finish before the allotted time – and never delay! It will be ideal if you calculate your speech so as to meet 2/3 of the allotted time. For example, if you have 60 minutes for a report, schedule a duration of 40 minutes, or 20-30 slides.

It is very important to build the introductory part correctly at the beginning of the report. Remember that the audience does not know much, and they will be pleased to hear the known and obvious things. Therefore, you should introduce students to the problem gradually, gradually moving from the simple to the more complex, from general concepts to specific problems of your work. This will help the audience understand you, and it guarantees the attention of listeners to you.

PresentationA good presentation is a two–way communication with the audience.

Therefore, first of all it is necessary to establish eye contact with the listeners. Don't dig into your slides – this is a sign of fear and uncertainty in front of the audience. As during theatrical performances, the audience sympathizes with the "hero" and identifies itself with the lecturer. In fact, the listeners themselves are interested in making the report interesting. If you "disconnect" from the audience and focus only on the slides, then they will stop following your report. And when you make eye contact and interest the audience, the listeners respond in kind.

Visual contact gives you the opportunity to understand the condition of listeners and adapt to subtle changes in their mood. If you feel that the audience is losing attention – change the intonation or the manner of gestures, pause or say what you feel right now, for example: "It's getting hot" or "I smell coffee" – it doesn't matter what, but something that most people in the audience feel. Such a respite will allow you to rest and restore the broken contact.

When you have accumulated scientific oratorical experience, start turning a formal report into a fascinating story. Tell us a story – from which observation your work resulted, and what were the first steps. Remember how the tension in the foreshadowing of the opening grew. And finally, a flash: "Ah, that's the answer." A well-presented popular story about the origin, formation and solution of the problem is often more informative than the dry language of facts.

Body language is also important for communication. It is very common to see a lecturer in a distorted pose: his shoulders are turned towards the audience, his eyes are fixed on the slides, a laser pointer is in one hand, and a slide switch is in the other. This is a "defensive" sign language, which worsens contact with the audience and increases the tension of the lecturer himself. Make a short video recording of your report, and you will see what is being discussed now. Over time, most people find their "open" sign language, and this helps to feel more relaxed during the presentation. And the sooner you work out your style, the more fruitful your future presentations will be.

In addition, do not forget that you are responsible for ensuring that the audience understands the essence of your work. Don't use questions like: "Do you understand? Is everything clear to you?"; ask "Have I explained it clearly?.." – so you will put the responsibility for the clarity of the presentation directly on yourself and free slightly distracted or tired listeners from the burden of hidden reproaches.

How to answer questionsQuestions are a unique opportunity to get the opinion of specialists and a wider audience about your work.

Although many people consider the questions from the audience to be analogous to student exams and answer too briefly, wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible. Here are some tips that will help you relax, understand the questions and answer them expressively.

First, don't forget about eye contact with people who ask questions. Secondly, repeat the question in the same words so that everyone can hear it (often the adjustment of the microphones on stage and in the hall is different, and other listeners may not understand or not hear the question). It will also give you extra time to better understand the meaning of the above. Check the opponent's reaction to see if you understand the meaning of the question, and if not, do not hesitate to ask for an explanation again or to reformulate the question (this is especially true if the question is not asked in your native language).

Listen to the question: we often start answering immediately after the first two words, as if we expected just such a reaction. But this is often how you can get into a mess.

Now that you have been asked a clear question, agree that the question is worthwhile. Say "yes" to the idea itself, because every idea has the right to exist and discuss. You can honestly admit: "I do not know", "I did not think about it before", "let's talk about it after the lecture" or "this is a very accurate remark".

Unfortunately, some questions in scientific reports are asked in an unmotivated aggressive tone. Here it is important to separate the dramatic performance – the "music" (emotional mood) of the question – from the content. An aggressively asked question can trigger an intuitive defensive reaction, and you will not understand the meaning of the question. If you separate the aggression from the content, then you have a chance to respond correctly and, at the same time, not to test the patience of those present. This will simultaneously negate aggression and add points to you.

The first question is very important, because your manner of answering will determine the tone of the subsequent discussion. It is the beginning of this part of the speech that you should pay maximum time and attention to. And of course, be sure to take into account all the questions asked when preparing for the next performance (start again with the preparatory phase). This way, you will prevent the same questions from appearing again and again and will be able to move on to the "next level" questions.

Overcoming fear of the audienceIf you are concerned about how to make a report, if you are worried and worried, then you are not alone.

Most people have a fear of the audience: the fear that the audience will not understand you or find mistakes in your work, and you will be shamed out of the scientific society. Fear is a terrible feeling that causes "over–preparation" - duplicating every word on slides and presenting unnecessary data. Perhaps the only positive role of fear is that in this case experienced listeners will feel sorry for you and will cheer you up. However, it can no longer be called a success.

One of the best ways to overcome the fear of the audience is to imagine that you are a guide who leads listeners through an exciting story, holding each of them by the hand. Watch carefully so that no one is left behind. If you have friends in the hall, imagine that you are just talking to them, and people are gradually gathering around who also want to listen. Gradually, you will involve the entire audience in the conversation.

Do not hesitate to practice these simple techniques at any presentation, and I promise you that gradually the preparation of your presentations will reach a qualitatively new level, and presentations with seminars will turn into a pleasant pastime (even for you ;-).

You can download the original article (pdf, 0.4 M) here.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru30.11.2009