50. Top 6 ‘Best of’ episodes: How to give a better science talk

We’re very excited to hit episode 50 today!! This is Season 7 and for something a bit different, we’re excited to be revisiting our 6 most listened-to episodes. Each episode has a new introduction in which Jen and Michael reflect on why the topic resonated so much with our listeners and what we’ve learned about the topic in the interim.

Coming in at number 5 is ‘How to give a better science talk’.

All scientists need to give talks but being able to give a brilliant talk takes skill. Are you wondering how to best keep your audience’s attention? How to explain your work clearly and concisely and in a way that will make sense to your audience? How to design slides that enhance, rather than distract from what you’re saying? And how to tackle your inevitable nerves?

Listen for our thoughts and advice on how to plan, design and deliver a fantastic talk plus tips from two of our UniMelb SciComm alumni, Randy Mann and Stephanie Wong (who is also one half of our brilliant production team!)

Here are a few good reads to help next time you’re preparing a talk:

Reframing stress - stage fright can be your friend . Very nervous about speaking in public? You're not alone, and there are ways to harness that fear to your advantage.

Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement  This paper talks more about reframing anxiety by taking stress and turning it into excitement. We actually use the tip "say I am excited out loud" all the time and it works!

Use PowerPoint as a Tool, don’t be a Tool for PowerPoint  PowerPoint is full of pitfalls. How many slides are too many? What should your slides have on them? How do you use the slides in your talk? This article answers all that and more.

How to avoid death By PowerPoint | David JP Phillips | TEDxStockholmSalon A TED talk that’s worth your time – it includes plenty of excellent advice on how to use slides more effectively.