How to give an effective Fellows Seminar

The Tuesday afternoon "Fellows’ Seminar" series has two overlapping purposes. First, they are a chance to keep your departmental colleagues up-to-date on the status of your work. Keep in mind that the postdoctoral position is a training position and input from the departmental faculty is a part of that training. Second, these seminars are a chance to practice your speaking skills for a future seminar during a job interview.

The Departmental faculty are available for feedback after your talk. If you want feedback, notify Dr. Febbraio or Dr. Ladd ahead of time so she can inform the rest of the staff.

These guidelines are specifically designed with this venue in mind. It should be noted that some of these suggestion may not be appropriate for a talk to a highly specialized audience such as at a Gordon conference. Different rules, not covered here, would apply for those talks.

1. SOME MAJOR SUGGESTIONS

When you attend a seminar take special notice of what you like and don’t like about those presentations. Emulate the things you like and avoid the things you don’t like.
Pay attention to how your talk is organized. Your audience will understand and appreciate a good story that starts with an introduction that gives needed background and leads to relevant data that, in turn, lead to a clear take-home message.
Work hard to keep your talk properly timed. Good targets are 45 minutes for a 1hour slot and 22 minutes for a 30 minute slot. Remember that shorter talks can be more difficult to keep on time. You will need time for questions. If you are giving the first of two talks, you need to respect the time allotted for the other speaker.
Try to make your slides perfect. Don’t allow a good story to be lost with poorly prepared slides. Triple check the spelling. If you are not a native English speaker, have someone who is help you check your slides. Work to make each slide visually appealing through a good use of color, font, and space. Animation can be very effective, but it can also be distracting, so use wisely.
Practice. You will be nervous. Good preparation will help make the presentation go as smoothly as possible.

2. GETTING PREPARED

A. The different time slots:

There are two types of time slots that we use:

1) Most seminar days, there will be two 30 minute talks. Each speaker should be prepared to give a presentation that is about 20 to 22 minutes in length without any interruptions. The additional time will be used for questions (during and after the talk), introductions, and changing between speakers.

2) There will also be a small number of single 60 minute talks. The speaker should be prepared to give a presentation that is about 45 minutes in length without interruptions. The additional time will be used for the introduction and questions (both during and after the talk).

B. Outline of your seminar:

The most common seminar structure includes 5 general sections:

1) Introduction, 2) Data, 3) Summary, 4) Future directions, and 5) Acknowledgments.

The exact amount of time spent in each section depends upon many factors, but suggestions are given with each section below.

1) The introduction

Time = Approximately 10 to 12 minutes of a 45 minute talk or about 5 minutes of a 22 minute talk.

The main goals of the introduction are to: a) Make your audience interested in your data and results, and 2) give them any background information they will need to understand your data and results. Keep in mind that your audience will consist of scientists with a variety of backgrounds, with only a few experts in your field (the other members of your lab). At a job seminar, there may be no experts in your field at the talk. Do not assume that everybody is familiar even with the basics of your field of expertise.

Begin by describing the basic problem that you are working on in broad, but scientifically precise terms. Start simply and gradually get to the more complicated details.
Be sure to give proper credit to the scientists who made the key discoveries in the field. Never give the impression that you or your lab made all those discoveries.
Clearly state your reasons for starting your research project. Define the scientific problem and explain the history. It is OK to say that this has been a focus of the lab and that this lab has already contributed much in the past to solving this problem. If you stumbled on something by accident it is better to say this rather than letting the audience wonder where this project came from.
Explain why your research is important. If you are working on a disease, mention things like the impact of this disease on society, number of patients worldwide, current treatments (or lack of), etc. If you are working on a basic research question, mention possible implications of this work.
State the goals of your studies. Explain the overall question you are trying to answer, why this question needs to be answered, and how the answer to this question will bring the field forward. This information will give the audience context for your talk and a ‘head-start’ on understanding what you are going to talk about.

2) The Data

Time = Approximately 30 minutes of a 45 minute talk or 12-13 minutes of a 22 minute talk.

The next section of the talk will be a data section. Clearly this is the main focus of the presentation. It is also the newest and most complex part, so extra attention to the clarity will be needed.

Don't try to show too much data.

You want to make a good impression and it will be tempting to show how hard you have worked by showing every experiment. This is not necessary! It will also lose the audience.
Keep the goals of your study (stated in the introduction) in mind and focus on the data that support those goals.

Explain the experiment so that your non-expert audience can understand it.

Explain the reason for doing the experiment. For example, “The first question we asked was . . . “
Explain your methods. For example, “I did an immunoprecipitation for actin and blotted for total and phosphorylated kinase. Lane 1 is the control, lane 2 is stimulated with . . . “
Interpret the data for the audience. Specifically point out what they should see in the data and what comparisons they should be making. Specialized data, like histology, may require even more explanation.
Describe how one experiment leads to the next experiment.

Be honest about your data. Talk about your data like a critical scientist.

Don't try to gloss over less than perfect results. It is better to point out that the results of a particular experiment are borderline statistically significant and that you are currently working to improve this.
If a result is preliminary, say that it is preliminary. Remind the audience that you are doing the additional controls or treatments, etc., to verify or solidify the data.
At the same time, don’t apologize for or criticize your own data to the point that it seems meaningless.
Be aware of alternative interpretations of your data, mention them, and justify your interpretation.

Add summary slides along the way

This can help the audience keep up with the presentation by telling them what is important. A particularly effective technique is to show a building model and then use that model in the summary slide. Alternatively, a bullet list can also be effective.

3) Summary

Time = Approximately 5 minutes of a 45 minute talk or 2-3 minutes of a 22 minute talk.

This is an important section because it will be the part of your talk the audience will best remember.
Summarize the various parts of your seminar. This is to remind everyone what your seminar was all about. Continue to be concise! Hit the main points, but don’t reiterate every piece of data.
Explain what your results contribute to the bigger picture. You can be speculative. For example, you can say that your results have led to this particular discovery which suggests that pathway X may be involved in the pathogenesis of the Y disease, and that if this turns out to be true an inhibitor of Z could become an effective treatment.

4) Future directions

Time = Approximately 5 minutes of a 45 minute talk or 2-3 minutes of a 22 minute talk. Be aware that you may need to add time here for a job talk.

For a departmental talk, this section is generally a single slide with two or three ideas of where your work is headed. Input from the audience here may be helpful for you to focus on key points — so listen to suggestions.
If you are giving a job seminar for an academic position, this section is especially important. Your goal will be to outline your future research projects so that your potential employers can judge your pathway to success. You may need to spend 10+ minutes on this part of the talk, and you may wish to have a few extra slides with additional preliminary data. Check ahead with the department you are visiting because some departments will have you give a chalk talk after your presentation. In those cases, you will still want to have a future directions section in your presentation, but you can make it shorter and expand on your plans during the chalk talk.

5) Acknowledgments

Time = 1 minute.

Do not forget collaborators at other institutions. Don't think people will believe that you didn’t do any work yourself if you have a long acknowledgment list. On the contrary, a proper acknowledgment list will show that you are a team player, can coordinate more complex experiments, and appreciate the contributions of others.
ALWAYS end the talk by saying, "Thank you." That is the universal cue for the audience to clap. Without it, there is just an awkward silence.

C. Work hard to have effective, precise, and visually attractive slides:

Good slides will help both you and your audience in many ways:

They will help you remember to make important points and include important details.

They will help you with the timing of the talk.

They will make it easier for the audience to understand your presentation.

They will help keep the audience’s attention by giving them something interesting to look at.

To be as effective as possible, you will need to put effort into creating good slides.

Be careful with the colors that you use. Colors can look very different on the computer screen when compared with the projected image. This difference can result in illegible slides if you are not careful. Also, remember people react to colors in different ways – for example, some people can’t see differences in certain colors, while other people will be distracted by what they consider ugly or harsh colors.
Strike a balance between minimalist black and white slides and super-elaborate backgrounds that can distract from the message. However, if a black and white slide is most effective - use it.
Double check the visibility of certain types of images, such as fluorescence micrographs. It may be better to have dark backgrounds for these types of slides.
Talk about everything that is on your slide, and don’t talk about things that are not on your slide. Don’t use slides borrowed from another presentation without adjustment for your current presentation.
Similarly, avoid using figures from papers exactly as they appear in the paper. Manuscript figures are smaller, may contain multiple types of information, may be in a style that is unlike your other slides, and (unlike a seminar-goer) a journal reader has an infinite amount of time to think about a figure. Take the time to remake those figures as good slides that are consistent with the rest of your talk and contain only the data that you want to talk about.
Pay attention to consistent use of symbols and colors. If your controls are blue circles in one slide, make them blue circles in all slides.
Use larger font sizes for all text (including the labeling on the axes in diagrams, etc.). Arial or Helvetica fonts work best.
Use the width and height of the slide to present your data as large as possible. Endeavor to fill up the slide space, but keep a small border area so that an odd projection doesn’t run parts of your images off the projection screen. Be especially careful with the title and the x-axis of graphs.
Have titles on each slide. As much as possible, use that title to summarize the message of the slide or the result of the experiment. For example, do not say "Effect of ceruloplasmin on myeloperoxidase activity". Instead, say "Ceruloplasmin inhibits myeloperoxidase activity". Thoughtful titles will allow the audience to rapidly see the point of each slide.
Be very careful with abbreviations. It is likely that a general audience will not know some abbreviations that are common in your own lab. Even worse, they may think an abbreviation means something different. If you have to use abbreviations, always define them. In some cases, if forced to use an abbreviation for space (i.e. when labeling a bar graph) it may be useful to say the full term when going through the slide. For example, you may label a part of your graph as “+tBOOH” but then say “tert butyl hydroperoxide treated” when you describe the experiment.
Check and double check your spelling. Misspelled words will make your presentation look sloppy. Too many misspelled words (i.e. more than one!), may be considered a reflection on the accuracy of your work.

D. Practice

Remember that good preparation will help you make the best possible presentation. For job talks, a near flawless presentation is critical because all problems have possible explanations that reflect poorly on you, i.e. poor preparation shows a lack of interest in the job, unclear data shows poor experimental design, an unclear introduction shows limited understanding of the field, etc.

The best way to prepare is to practice, initially by yourself and later with a small, friendly, but constructively critical audience (like your lab mates).

As you prepare, ask your peers to pay particular attention to:

Timing. You must keep to the allotted time without having to talk as fast as you can. Talks that go too long are unacceptable because the audience will have other activities planned for after the seminar and/or the next speaker will need their allotted time. You may need to take out a slide or two to reach your time goals. Be aware of where you are in your time slot and have a plan to adjust your talk if it should go long as a result of interruptions.
Effectiveness of the slides. Tailor your slides to the points you wish to make. Is there anything missing? Is there extraneous data that needs to be removed? Is it clear what is going on in an experiment?
The overall structure of the talk. Does it present a clear and understandable story?
Did you convince the audience that your work is important?
If you are not a native English speaker, ask your peers to point out any mispronounced words.

3. DURING YOUR SEMINAR - TAKE CHARGE AND TELL YOUR STORY

A. Before you start:

Overall, be ready to take control of the room so that your presentation will be seen and heard correctly.
Be ready to use the computer, pointer, and microphone. Know where the appropriate buttons are on the computer and pointer. It is hard to look like a sophisticated scientist when you don’t know how to advance your slides. Be ready to turn the microphone on without making a loud screeching sound.
Check the lighting in the room. Take steps to adjust the lights appropriately for your slides.

B. Speaking and interacting with the audience:

Speak at a moderate pace and enunciate clearly. Try to use your voice to emphasize important points. Also, show enthusiasm for your work with your voice. Avoid giving the entire seminar in a monotone.
Don’t let you voice trail off at the end of a sentence.
Pay attention to how your voice is reaching the audience. If using a microphone, then be aware of the volume. Microphones can be awkward to use. It is probably best to consider them as aids to help project your voice, but you still want to act as if your are talking to the audience and not just to the microphone. If you have a louder voice and it makes your voice too loud, turn down the volume. If you have a softer voice, turn the volume up to help, but be prepared to speak louder then you may be used to speaking. It is your responsibility to make yourself heard.
Go methodically through your slides. Talk about everything that is on a slide; if there is extra information that you won’t talk about, take it out of the slide. Similarly, if there is missing information that you want to include, add it to the slide.
Do not use lab slang! (e.g. "lambda" instead of "microliter" or "bugs" instead of "bacteria" or "beta" instead of TGF-beta"). One of the real challenges to a formal presentation is speaking in a precise and formally accurate manner using correct terminology that is widely understood. Speaking in code will lose the audience instantly.
Face the audience as much as possible. Talk to the audience, not the ceiling or the projection screen or your computer. Practice making eye contact with many people in the audience. Looking at the audience will help keep their interest in you and what you are saying.
Use the laser pointer wisely. Do not have it on all the time pointing all over the wall. Do not continually circle each part of a slide.
Keep your eye on the time. It is your responsibility to keep on time even if it requires adjusting your talk as a result of questions from the audience, a slow start, etc.
The only exception to the timing rule would be at a job talk where there is a big problem that is beyond your control (such as needing to replace a projector bulb or problems with the computer). In those rare instances, seek the advice of your host about how long to talk and inform the audience what the new ending time will be.

C. Questions:

As a starting point, consider the questions a chance to continue the explanation of your work and why it is important. Talk with the audience as colleagues that share an interest in your field. Do not to treat the questions as a test with right and wrong answers.
At the same time, understand that doing a good job answering questions is an important part of your presentation. For a job seminar, the question and answer time may actually be more important than the presentation. Anticipate certain questions as you prepare and practice clear and concise answers to those questions.
Always give the person time to finish the question. Don’t interrupt and start your answer before they are finished.
If you do not understand the question, ask for it to be repeated. As an alternative, repeat the question as best as you understand it and ask if this is what the person is asking.
Never begin an answer with: "As I already said during the talk ...”
Never just say "I don't know" and go on to the next question. It is OK if you don't know the answer and you should say this, but the audience is looking at you as an expert who can think out loud and speculate, give an opinion, or propose a hypothetical experiment that might help answer the question.
Continue to keep your eye on the time. If there are many questions (many hands raised) and your allotted time is nearly over, you may need to shorten your answers. If there are still questions at the end of your time, offer to answer questions one-on-one at the podium or after the seminar is done if you are the first of two speakers.
Never try to go back through your slides to find a visual aid for an answer. The lost time and awkwardness of flashing back through your talk makes this a losing proposition.

4. A FINAL RECOMENDATION

After your talk is complete, take a little bit of time to review how you think it went. Make the effort to correct any problems with your slides, make notes about the questions that were asked and any issues that came up during the presentation. It will certainly be a great relief to have completed your talk and be able to get back to your other work BUT, this is actually a great time to get a head start on preparing for your next talk. At the very least, you don’t want all your hard work to simply go away and need to be redone the next time you talk. Many parts, like the introduction and key data slides, will likely still be useful a year later, so making them perfect now will definitely be a help. More importantly, it is simply a very good idea to keep a talk ready to go on short notice. Many job opportunities will require you to act quickly and having a good presentation prepared, practiced, and ready will be a real advantage if you apply for one of those jobs.