untitled

down. The remainder of the talk should be

organized around your slides and jotted

down in outline form only. Do not attempt to

write down and memorize the entire talk.

However, prepare your conclusion in the

same manner as your introduction, with one

or two summary sentences written on a note

card. This advance planning will insure that

your ending will be strong and that you sum-

marize to your audience exactly what you

wanted to say.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice your presentation several times,

alone and then in front of a group. Invite your

labmates and friends to be your audience, but

also invite colleagues outside your immedi-

ate field since they will be able to comment

on whether you have successfully conveyed

your points to a general scientific audience.

Hold your practice in a relatively large room,

and have your audience critique the visibili-

ty, as well as the information content, of your

slides. Make a conscious effort to speak slow-

ly when you practice, because you will sure-

ly speed up at your talk. The most effective

speakers use a strong, expressive voice and

speak slowly in order to allow their audience

time to absorb the information they present.

Another way to enable the audience to

absorb the information is to insert pauses

throughout your talk. Pausing will also pro-

vide you with the time necessary to recall

your next slide or remember what you want

to say next. Use your practice sessions with

an audience to help you to prepare for ques-

tions, but do not spend too much time trying

to predict questions and prepare answers.

Your efforts need to be focused on the content

of your talk.

Familiarize Yourself with the

Room and the Audiovisual

Equipment Ahead of Time

Sometime before your talk, visit the room

in which you will be speaking and try out the

laser pointer, microphone and visual equip-

ment. Request a podium, if there is not one

available. A podium provides an anchor for

fidgety speakers and a physical barrier to

lessen the feeling of being out there on the

stage all alone. In selecting what you will

wear on the day of your talk, make sure your

clothes are neat and comfortable. You should

not have to think of your clothes at all during

your presentation. Far better to wear your old

stand-by that you know will hold up to reach-

ing and bending than to splurge on some-

thing new to make you look “great” only to

learn on stage that it has a faulty zipper.

Implement Self-Calming

Strategies Directly Before

You Talk

There are a variety of techniques profes-

sional speakers use to calm those pre-presen-

tation jitters and, as you gain experience in

public speaking, you will find a routine that

32 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS

Stage fright peaks at the

moment immediately before you

are introduced and it is not at

all uncommon for you to

“blank out.”

... invite colleagues outside

your immediate field since they

will be able to comment on

whether you have successfully

conveyed your points to a

general scientific audience.