When The Scientist Presents

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Nothing reveals personal expertise better than questions; therefore,… Apr 11, 2010

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Image source: Flickr; Author :Tintin44 They were certain that their expertise would be seen through the high density of information on their slides. They were certain that removing an ounce of proof would be like losing a pound of flesh – a tragedy of Shakespearian dimension. They were certain that confidence displayed would translate into … Continue reading "Nothing reveals personal expertise better than questions; therefore,…"

025 Speech Synthesis for the ESL Presenter Apr 01, 2010

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Flickr Image. Author: fatboyke (Luc) Do you feel that speaking English is like driving your car on the left side of the road when you are used to driving it on the right? Is your spoken English bad because you are slowed down by researchers from your own country who insist you speak to them … Continue reading "025 Speech Synthesis for the ESL Presenter"

Look at things as if for the first time Mar 30, 2010

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Image Flickr. Author Jeep Novak! While reading the great little book “Advice for a young investigator” by Santiago Ramon y Cajol, Nobel laureate 1906, I stumbled upon a quote the author attributed to another Spaniard, Perez de Ayala: “Look at things as if for the first time”. Somehow, this quote sent me back in thought … Continue reading "Look at things as if for the first time"

023 Speech synthesis and the presenter Mar 29, 2010

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Image source Flickr / Author: Yandle Rarely do we think about speech synthesis (written text spoken by a computer voice) when it comes to presentations. After all, the presenter is the host. But what if the host had a soar throat, or had an English accent to pronounced that the audience is likely to give … Continue reading "023 Speech synthesis and the presenter"

Rules of thumb for presentations – how good are they? Mar 17, 2010

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Photo Flickr – by Lintmachine People like formulas. They are expedient rules of thumb that guard against dangerous extremes. “Plan for one minute and a half per slide”, some say, “and never put more than 5 bullets point and more than 5 words per bullet point”. Under these rules lie hidden assumptions about people’s attention … Continue reading "Rules of thumb for presentations – how good are they?"

Effective Variant on the Assertion – Evidence Paradigm Mar 16, 2010

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The Assertion – Evidence paradigm, promoted by Michael Alley, does indeed force the presenter to limit the information on each slide (and less is mostly more, even in scientific presentations – see limitations). But does Assertion follow Evidence, or Evidence follow Assertion as in the traditional scientific order? To determine which order is more effective, I seeked the opinion … Continue reading "Effective Variant on the Assertion – Evidence Paradigm"

020 The TED presenter Feb 21, 2010

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The Apple flag gives you a hint. Our next guest is from Apple, in Cupertino California. His name is Ken Eddings – and he is the man behind Apple’s DNS. But it is not the IT guru I are interviewing, it is the Ken Eddings who frequently attends TED conferences worldwide… reason is, he provides … Continue reading "020 The TED presenter"

Is “Less is more” a presentation law as universal as the law of gravity? Feb 04, 2010

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Image Flickr. Cesar Rincon. “There is no spoon” Most people who browse websites covering presentation skills stumble on the maxim “Less is more“. Usually, this principle applies to the content of PowerPoint slides. Less slide (text) content to be read by the audience is seen as more beneficial to the speaker. As scientists, we should … Continue reading "Is “Less is more” a presentation law as universal as the law of gravity?"

Presentation traps 7 – the cultural trap Feb 03, 2010

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Image from Flickr; “The return of Edward Hyde” by Luis Carlos Arauio. I have much respect for authors who go to great lengths to get an attractive title for their paper. “The Inflammatory Macrophage: A story of Jekyll and Hyde”* is a fantastic title… for westerners familiar with Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 book “The Strange … Continue reading "Presentation traps 7 – the cultural trap"

Presentation traps 6 – the conclusion traps Feb 01, 2010

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Think about it. You have done your best to gather the interest of your audience around your topic for a full eleven minutes. The chairperson just looked at his watch, and corrected his sitting position to move closer to the microphone. Your talk officially ends in one minute. If you play the prolongations, it will be … Continue reading "Presentation traps 6 – the conclusion traps"

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