1. Giving Research Presentations Jacky Austermann, Stephanie Pfirman, Martin Stute, and the Environmental Science Senior Seminar Faculty and Students, Barnard College & Columbia University
Points to make in addition:
- No reference slide!
10/20/2018

2. Outline of your talk Preparing your slides Giving your talk An example
Preparing for the unknown

3. Preparing your slides

4. Outline of your talk Title, authors, acknowledgements
Introduction (overview/reason for research)
Thesis statement (project goals)
Methods and approach
Preliminary results (analysis/discussion)
Broader implications (summary/next steps)

5. Outline of your talk Title, authors, acknowledgements
Introduction (overview/reason for research)
Thesis statement (project goals)
Methods and approach
Preliminary results (analysis/discussion)
Broader implications (summary/next steps)
Don’t use this exact outline in your presentation (either fill in more information or don’t show it)

6. Outline of your talk Title, authors, acknowledgements
Introduction (overview/reason for research)
Thesis statement (project goals)
Methods and approach
Preliminary results (analysis/discussion)
Broader implications (summary/next steps)
10 minute presentation + 2 minutes discussion
On average 1 slide per minute

7. General guidelines Know your audience Avoid jargon
What do you want the audience to learn?
Tailor your presentation to the situation
Avoid jargon
Basic rule – repetition is good
Say what you are going to say
1-3 main points in the introduction
Say it
Give the talk
Then say what you said
Summarize main points in the conclusion

8. Methods and approach Use photos or diagrams to describe setup
Indicate data source if they are not your own
Don’t delve into details

9. Methods and approach Zhong et al., 2014
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technology in molecular biology used to amplify a single copy or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence
Zhong et al., 2014

10. Methods and approach Gas chromatography Ion Chromatography
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technology in molecular biology used to amplify a single copy or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence

11. Model and approach
Create a summary cartoon, flow chart or concept map with major findings, or an illustration of the processes or problem
Consider showing it at the beginning and the end
You can use web sources for figures
Include reference!

12. Presentation of Data and Results
Avoid using tables unless for small amounts of data
Use figures instead of tables whenever possible
Indicate data source if they are not your own

13. Esopus Creek Hydrology
J. Lawrence
Discharge of the Esopus Creek (Coldbrook, NY) and precipitation at Slide Mountain, NY (source: USGS & NCDC)

14. Esopus Creek Hydrology
Explain axes on the figure
Discharge of the Esopus Creek (Coldbrook, NY) and
precipitation at Slide Mountain, NY (source: USGS/NCDC)

15. Using figures instead of words
Figures (slides) should be readable, understandable, uncluttered
Include reference for data and images on figure
Include units
Keep figures simple, use color logically for clarification
Blue = cold, red = warm, dark = little, bright = a lot
Invisible color
Meaning attached to colors (~10% of population is color blind)

16. Emk1 knockdown inhibits lumen formation in MDCK cells:
RT-PCR: EMK1 is effectively knocked down in MDCK cells 24 hours after transfection with P-SUPER (control) or P-SUPER-siEMK1 plasmid; knockdown confirmed on the right with antibodies to EMK1.
Collagen overlay assay: cells cultured 24 h on collagen I before being overlaid with additional collagen on the apical surface, analyzed 24 h later. Note the lack of lumen in EMK1-KO cultures.
Ca switch: control or EMK1-KO cells were plated in low Ca medium 24 h upon transfection with pSUPER or pSUPER-KO. After 12 h, cultures were switched to normal medium for 24 h. Transmission EM of cells sectioned perpendicular to the substratum shows lack of microvilli in EMK1-KO cells.
Too many figures
Too much text
Can use bullte points to guide you through presentation
for Preparing and Giving an Effective Scientific Presentation using Powerpoint

17. Using figures instead of words
Walk people through your figure (explain axes!), your audience sees this figure for the first time
You can add bullet points or brief descriptions on a slide for the audience AND as a reminder for you

18. Esopus Creek Hydrology
Discharge of the Esopus Creek (Coldbrook, NY) and precipitation at Slide Mountain, NY (source: USGS & NCDC)

19. Esopus Creek Hydrology
Explain axes on the figure
Discharge of the Esopus Creek (Coldbrook, NY) and
precipitation at Slide Mountain, NY (source: USGS/NCDC)

20. Preparing the Presentation
No random effects, logical animations OK – not these!
Powerpoint, PDF are standard
Avoid others, convert Keynote to PDF files
Use a simple powerpoint template (or none at all)
Use 3-7 bullets per page
Avoid writing out, and especially reading, long and complete sentences on slides
Consistent slide appearance: font, colors, animations
Speelcheck
Don’t put important things at the bottom of your slide
Technical side of things

21. What font to use 36 point 28 point AVOID USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
Serif
Sans Serif
annoying
Type size should be 18 points or larger:
18 point
20 point
24 point
28 point
36 point
AVOID USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
BECAUSE IT’S MUCH HARDER TO READ
* References can be in point font

22. What color to use Dark letters against a light background work
Best for smaller rooms, especially when lights are on

23. Light letters against a dark background
What color to use
Light letters against a dark background
also work
A dark blue or black background can work best for talks in a large room

24. Giving your talk

25. Rehearsing Practice – actually stand up and say the words out loud
Discover what you don’t understand
Develop a natural flow and come up with better phrasings and ways to describe things – no uptalk!
Stay within the time limit
Try speaking too loud to get a feeling where the upper limit is
Don’t memorize the talk

26. What to Wear … Dress up – maybe wear a jacket?
More formal attire makes you appear more authoritative and you show you care enough to try to look nice
“Snappy Casual”
Dark clothes are more powerful than light clothes
Shirts or blouses with collars are better than collarless ones
Clothes with pressed creases (!) are signs of power
Depends on customs in the field, Earth scientists are viewed with suspicion if they wear a tie
Depends on customs in the field, Earth scientists are viewed with suspicion if they wear a tie
“Ask Dr. Marty” AnimalLabNews (Jan-Feb 2007)

27. Starting and Finishing
Starting out is the hardest part of the talk
Memorize the first few lines so that you are confident looking directly at the audience …
“Hello, I’m Jacky Austermann. The title of my talk is, ‘How to Give a Research Presentation.’ By the end of this presentation you should feel confident giving a talk ….’”

28. Starting and Finishing
Think carefully about your final words and how to finish your presentation strongly
Don’t just drift off … “I guess that’s all I have to say …”
You may want to actually memorize your ending lines, just as you do your starting points
Ending your talk
Say “Thank You” … pause for applause … then
Say “Any questions?”

29. Eye contact Experienced speakers Inexperienced speakers
Speak freely and look directly at audience
Remember to roam around the room – don’t lock onto 1 person!
Inexperienced speakers
Put outline and key points of your presentation on your slides
This procedure helps you be more comfortable
You don’t have to remember what to say
Eyes are on the slide not on you
Key points are there in case you forget to say something and also for people who weren’t listening or who are visual learners

30. Presenting Stand where the slides can be seen
Track your talk using the monitor
Not the screen – you lose eye contact with the audience
Not all monitors show notes, next slides
Pace yourself
In case there is no timer, figure out which slide is your half- way mark and use that to check your time

31. Some Don’ts Don’t apologize or make comments about yourself
“I hope you’re not bored”
“I was working on this ‘til 3 am”
Don’t overuse the pointer
Don’t try to be cute and don’t force being funny
Stay formal
Don’t forget acknowledgements, always give proper credit
Don’t try to build suspense and then unveil a surprise ending

32. Concluding Have only a few concluding statements
Come back to the big picture and summarize the significance of your work
Extend logically beyond your limited study – but don’t overreach
Open up new perspectives
Describe future work, raise questions, potential implications
Leave your conclusion slide up during questions
Don’t end with a slide of references!

33. Example
Evaluate me!

34. Detecting Holocene re-advance of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in sea level data
Jacky Austermann, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Mentor: Jonny Kingslake, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Advisor: Martin Stute, Environmental Science, Barnard College

35. The Antarctic ice sheet
East Antarctic
Ice Sheet
Weddell Sea
West Antarctic
Ice Sheet
3.8 Mio (USA) (Mexico)
5.4 Mio
Ross Sea

36. The Antarctic ice sheet
East Antarctic
Ice Sheet
Weddell Sea
West Antarctic
Ice Sheet
3.8 Mio (USA) (Mexico)
5.4 Mio
Ross Sea

37. The Holocene Current geologic epoch: 11,650 years ago to today
Epoch following the last deglaciation
Time of climatic stability (interglacial)

38. Kingslake et al., 2018

39. Thesis statement
Some observations and models predict a re-advancement of the West Antarctic ice sheet over the Holocene.
I will test whether this re-advancement can be detected in sea level observations.

40. Existing sea level data
Correct for local effects – based on local observations and models
Or for postglacial rebound – models we have
All of that has uncertainty!!
2. Model eustatic effects – even though they are eustatic they might also vary spatially, e.g. ice sheet melt!
=> You have a set of processe that cause sea level change -> you use statistics to find out how much each contributes so that you best fit the data
Kahn et al., 2015

41. Modeling sea level change
When ice sheets grow, they cause land subsidence and exert gravitational attraction on the surrounding ocean. This leads to a distinct global pattern of sea level change.
Correct for local effects – based on local observations and models
Or for postglacial rebound – models we have
All of that has uncertainty!!
2. Model eustatic effects – even though they are eustatic they might also vary spatially, e.g. ice sheet melt!
=> You have a set of processe that cause sea level change -> you use statistics to find out how much each contributes so that you best fit the data
New Scientist

42. Preliminary results
Calculate the sea level signal of the Holocene re-advance.
Use ice sheet model as input.
Local sea level change (m)

43. Summary
Sea level models of a re-growth of the West Antarctic ice sheet produce a spatially distinct pattern of sea level change.
The largest changes are seen in on Antarctica (0.5m sea level rise) and the US (0.4m sea level fall),
Next steps
Identify relevant sea level curves
Perform statistical test to see if the ice sheet growth signal can be detected in the sea level record

44. Thank you for your attention
Jacky Austermann, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Mentor: Jonny Kingslake, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Advisor: Martin Stute, Environmental Science, Barnard College

45. Preparing for the unknown

46. What can go wrong Uncertainty about material Interruptions
Running out of slides
Running out of time
anxiety/images/grap6.jpg

47. Uncertainty about the material
Best is if you are sure about the material you present
Trim the other parts out – if possible
If you have to address something important that you are unsure of …
Acknowledge the gap in your understanding
“I’m working on this part” or “I’m looking into it”
Pose the issue in the future research section at the end
Or raise it as a question yourself

48.
Finish too fast
Short talks are better than long ones – opens up times for questions
What to do
Don’t make a personal comment
“hum, I’m running out of slides …”
Stretch it a little -- see if you can think of an example, or story, to bolster your points
Conclude unhurriedly, summarizing your main points, but don’t be repetitious
Go to 49 then back to 43

49.
Running out of time
Avoid this – impolite to other speakers and the audience: if it happens
Do not assume that you can carry on past your time
Do not skip all of your slides looking for the right one to put on next
Conclude – on time wherever you are in your talk -- by making your main points
In Powerpoint you can just type the number of your concluding slide and press Enter to skip right to it

50. Questions
Questions after your talk help you in writing up your research
Identifies parts the audience did not understand
Focuses and adds dimension to your analysis
You can repeat the question (or ask for clarification)
This gives you time to think
The rest of the audience may not have heard the question
(If you heard the question incorrectly, it presents an opportunity for clarification)

51. Preparing for answers If you don't know the answer
Usually you have thought more about the material than anyone else -- this puts you in a stronger position than you may think
Keep your answers short and to the point -- don’t respond with another lecture
Anticipate typical questions and prepare for them
Generalizability of your findings to other times? Other places? Other conditions?
Methodological bias? Uncertainties? Exceptions? Priorities?
If you don't know the answer
Don't feel that you have to invent an answer on the fly -- you are only human and you can't have thought of everything
Say “That’s a good point, let’s discuss it afterwards”

52. You are in good shape
Senior Thesis Seminar is a good platform to develop and improve your presentation skills and confidence
Available to you: the amazing ‘Barnard Speaking Fellows’

53. Summary
Presenting your research is critically important in advancing both your ideas and your reputation
Structure your content in a way that is comfortable for you and understandable by your audience
Use your own style to your advantage – be authentic
Think ahead about where you might encounter difficulties and figure out ways to overcome it