effective communication: the art of oral presentation
TRANSCRIPT
Effective Communication: The Art of Oral Presentation
Buddy D. RatnerUniversity of Washington Engineered Biomaterials (UWEB)
Seattle, WA 98195
If you cannot -- in the long run -- tell everyone what youhave been doing, your doing has been worthless.”
Erwin Schrödinger
The ability to communicate may be THE most valuable skill you
will learn.
• to teach• to persuade• to defend
Verbal Written
YourSeminarToday
There are different types of talks with different styles(a “cultural” thing)
• The contributed scientific talk (10 min - 20 min.) (Focus heavily on the data)
• The invited talk at a scientific society or University (30 min - 1 hr.) (Some “philosophy” and “teaching” are expected)
• A talk to the general public (entertain, inspire and teach)
• A talk to business people (teach and then sell, sell, sell!)
• A talk to science people at a company (teach, reasonable amounts of data, and then a bit of selling)
• A talk to a class (teach, gauge the experience level)
Some people absorb material visually
Others primarily learn what they hear.
It is your job to ensure that both groups get your message.
Gripping Graphics + Vibrant Vocal = Persuasive Presentation
Step 1 for any talk:
Write down, in one sentence, what you primarily want your audience to take away from the talk.
For this talk:
“I want this group to receive a set of skills that they can use to become more effective communicators.”
Three general considerations for professional presentation:
AV
Audience
Q & A
1
2
3
Three general considerations for professional presentation
Check it
Know it
Control it
Delivery Skills:Stance
Eye Contact
Voice
Gestures
Movement
Confidence
Graphics
Good posture; no fidgeting
Relaxed; 3-5 sec. at a time; focus around room
Vary pace and volume; use silence strategically
Use them; use them naturally
Don’t rock; don’t sway; move purposefully
Be fearful but do it anyway; Command!
Clear; concise; informative; interesting
Techniques for Degrading Your Own Scientific Talk
1. Include lots of unrelated items
2. Don’t waste time introducing the topic
3. Fill your slides with detail
4. Represent trends by tables of numbers
5. Omit compound name and x,y axes labels
6. Include loads of slides
7. Use lots of vertical slides
8. Create slides with lots of misteakes
9. Present every experimental detail
10. Speak in a low voice
Based on an article by J. Bunnett (1995)
TOTAL TOTALumol/ml ug/ml
Ala 0.0198 1.410Arg 0.0219 3.421Asp 0.2323 26.742Cys/2Glu 0.0251 3.235Gly 0.1683 9.608His 0.0070 0.963Ile 0.0046 0.521Leu 0.0080 0.901Lys 0.0233 2.988Met 0.0003 0.041Phe 0.0000 0.000Pro 0.0172 1.666Ser 0.0193 1.680Thr 0.0087 0.876TrpTyr 0.0086 1.402Val 0.0001 0.012
Clever quotes can spruce up a talk, but use them judiciously and appropriately
Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment. Anon
Many stumble over discoveries, but most of pick themselves up and walk away. Winston Churchill
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards. Vernon Law
Talk is cheap because the supply exceeds the demand. Anon
Cartoons can be effective, but use sparingly and appropriately.
Handling Questions
• Anticipate• Prepare• Answer Directly and Control
Be conciseDon’t argue -- don’t sound defensiveRepeat the questionControl the question through eye contactWhen YOU are ready, ask for the next question
PREP (your Point of view; the Reason; an Example; summarize with your Point of view)
Q. Ratner, why are you so fixated on non-fouling surfaces?
A. I believe non-fouling surfaces may be the foundation forbiomaterials of the future.
I hypothesize that non-specifically adsorbed protein filmsare not recognized and are therefore “suspected” by thebody as being a foreign invader.
Consider the surfaces of living cells -- they don’t non-specificallyadsorb protein.
Therefore, I believe we should create biomaterials that do not adsorb protein, that is, non-fouling surfaces.
PREP (your Point of view; the Reason; an Example; summarize with your Point of view)
P
R
E
P
When you get up onthe podium, prepareto go into battle!
There are people out therewho may want you tolook bad.
Defend yourself! (smartly)
About PowerPoint:
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION! It comes bundled with the software.
Let’s discuss graphics, particularly in the context of PowerPoint
These days, I use a light colored background in my talks.
If the projection room is bright (afternoon sun, poor light controls, etc.),dark type on this background will show up well. On dark blue backgrounds, often you cannot read any type color.
24 pt. type
Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Light colors are problematicalLight colors are problematicalLight colors are problematical
But, if you want a light color for effect, a shadow can helpBut, if you want a light color for effect, a shadow can helpBut, if you want a light color for effect, a shadow can help But, if you want a light color for effect, a shadow can help …… maybe maybe
24 pt.
32 pt.
Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Light colors are problematicalLight colors are problematicalLight colors are problematical
Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Light colors are problematicalLight colors are problematicalLight colors are problematical
Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Light colors are problematicalLight colors are problematicalLight colors are problematical
Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Many font colors work out well in this format…Light colors are problematicalLight colors are problematicalLight colors are problematical
This slide is in 18 pt. Type. Orange looks good here. This slide is in 18 pt. Type. Orange looks good here.
This slide is in 18 pt. Type. Orange looks good here. This slide is in 18 pt. Type. Orange looks good here.
If you insist on a blue background,throw away your blackthrow away the accursed redthrow away greens
The color palate useful on blue background is:White, yellow, a judicious orange … but try pastels,… but try pastels, … but try pastels, … but try pastels
What about font sizes? 12 pt.
What about font sizes? 18 pt.
What about font sizes? 24 pt.
What about font sizes? 32 pt.What about font sizes? 36 pt.
Bullets are excellent to enumerate points• clarity• conciseness• logical order
Bold can makesmaller typemore readable
Italic for emphasisor specialwords
Use multiplefonts with the greatest ofmoderation!
Boxes and highlightcolors can be
effective
Don’t overcrowdyour slides and keepa bit away from the edges -- your thoughtsmay get cut off.
UUniversity of niversity of WWashington ashington EEngineered ngineered BBiomaterialsiomaterials
An NSF Engineering Research Center
Want my opinion on Microsoft PowerPoint templates?
A picture canhelp your audienceremember a message!
•• IOLs (>2,700,000/yr) (PMMA, silicone)
•• Hip and knee Prostheses (>200,000/yr) (titanium, steel, PE)
•• Vascular Grafts (>100,000/yr) (Teflon, Dacron)
•• Heart Valves (>80,000/yr) (carbon, fixed tissue)
•• Percutaneous Devices (>25,000/yr) (titanium, silicone)
•• Stimulatory Electrodes (>25,000/yr)(platinum, iridium)
•• Catheters (millions/yr)(silicone, PVC, PEU, Teflon)
•• Stents (800,000/yr)(stainless steel)
Success in BiomaterialsSuccess in Biomaterials after ~50 years of research and development:
Millions of lives saved / The quality of life improved for millions more
U.S. healthcare market (1998) > $1 trillion
Bo JacksonBo Jackson
From a talk for the general public
MedicineMedicine
EngineeringEngineering
ScienceScience
http://www.chinavista.com/travel/greatwall/greatwall.html
Vascular density and capsule thicknessof foreign body capsules in control and TSP2-null mice
genotype material vessels/capsule
Thbs2+/+
Thbs2-/-
PDMS
Ox-PDMS
PDMS
Ox-PDMS
10±10
12±8
100±20
90±14
Capsule thickness facingdermis (µm) body wall (µm)
55±8
58±7
91±7
95±8
24±3
25±4
36±5
38±5
Data of Kyriakides, Leach, Hoffman, Ratner and Bornstein
(4 week implantation)
Materials in Heart ValvesAt the close of 20th Century
Dacron or e-PTFE
carbon
“leather”
Delrin or polypropyleneor metal
stainless steel
titanium
Cipro. Released from Plasma-depositedpoly(HEMA) Coated Films
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0 5 10 15 20 25 30Time, hrs
Cum
ulat
ive
Rel
ease
, mg Uncoated film
20W80W
PHEMA Coatingswere relatively
ineffective in controlling release
C. Kwok
Ethics and the WWW?
Frankly, it’s too easy to “lift” stuff
Cite the WWW site!
Where the site requests permissionbefore use, ask permission!
There are many reference sources to help you out:
Many books on public speaking (for example, “Public SpeakingFor Dummies” or “The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense”)
On graphics, look at:
“Visual Revelations,” Howard Wainer, Springer-Verlag, NY, 1997
The three books of Edward Tufte
“Elements of Graph Design” S. Kosslyn, W.H. Freeman, NY, 1994
“Information Graphics” P. Wildbur, Van Nostrand Reinhold, NY, 1989 (advanced and “arty”)