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ORAL
PRESENTATION
Lj. Vučković-Dekić
Institute for Oncology and Radiology of
Serbia, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
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Keywords:
Scientific meeting; Scientific communication; Presentation,
oral |
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"Education
and scientific progress are so closely allied with personal communication
that everyone involved needs to develop an ability to communicate
well"
Martha Davis (1)
When you have obtained the results you think they might be of interest
for scientific community and merit reporting, you'll probably apply
for the presentation at suitable scientific meeting. This presentation
serves two goals - to communicate your results to your peers, and
to obtain the criticism that will improve both your research and
subsequent paper(s); thus, you follow the general rule - talk before
you write!
After your application has been successful (that means that it has
been accepted for presentation by scientific committee of the meeting),
you will receive information about how your results will be presented
- orally or in poster.
Should your presentation be given orally, you are expected to prepare
it (well in advance!) according to the general rules and specific
requirements of the organizers of the meeting. The preparation consists
of three main items: selection of material to be presented, organization
of the presentation, and preparation for the question-answer section.
Preparation phase starts with selection of results to be
presented. It is important to limit the amount of material
and to explain fully these limited number of points. These
two rules enables the speaker to concentrate to main results and
adjust his talk within allotted time - which are prerogatives for
an effective communication.
Organization of the speech basically follows the logical
pathway of a written article, i.e., using the IMRaD formula (Introduction,
Methods, Results and Discussion), with
two important exceptions.
Firstly, the Methods section usually lacks details required for
written paper (reproducibility), or even may be completely ignored.
Secondly, it is not necessary to provide a long list of references;
you probably shall mention a couple of authors while presenting
(and simultaneously discussing) your results, thus relating your
study to that of other researchers.
An effective presentation is achieved by connecting audience via
all communication channels.
At the very beginning, try to attract the attention of the audience
with a couple of introductory sentences, which should explain why
the study was undertaken. Keep this attention by clear explanation
of the aim of your investigation, e.g., what problem are
you addressing. How did you do the study will be rather shortly
explained (see above), details of which you may give in the Questions
and answers section, should it be needed.
The Results section (what did you find) is the most important
part of presentation: it usually takes approx. 80% of allotted time.
During presentation of results, discuss them simultaneously, i.e.
explain how your results fit (or not) with other people's published
evidence. This is the best way to keep the attention of the audience
alive. Finally, you shall clearly state the conclusions (one or
two, no more!) you have drawn from your investigation; in the same
time, you may emphasize whether or not your prior hypothesis stood
up to your test, should it be modified or even abandoned.
In short, it is important that you orient your talk around one central
idea; therefore, the scope of your subject should be restricted.
The amount of material you present should be limited. You are expected
to distinguish between big points and the little ones; basic points
should be emphasized, explained thoroughly and presented vividly.
Visual aids. You will probably facilitate your conveying
the message by using slides. The slides are one of primary communication
tools; they enhance verbal communication and enable the audience
to concentrate on important items. To be effective, your slides
must be brightly lit and convey a simple thought. Bad slides can
ruin your speech; few simple rules will help you to make a success
of your presentation:
• One slide - one message
• One slide - one minute
• Textual slide - no more than six lines (less is better!)
• Legibility - must be visible and legible from the last seat
in the hall!
• Simplicity - success
• Coordination with the speech
• Good composition of word slides, photographs, figures or
tables.
• Avoid tables, unless they are necessary and simple
• Quality - clear, attractive, and aesthetically pleasing
The slide presentation must be coordinated with the speech: the
slide supplements what the speaker is saying at the time the slide
is on the screen. The text on the slide should never be read verbatim,
but explained with other words. Coordination of the speech and visual
aids reinforces main points of presentation: the same message, received
by two senses (eye and ear) is better understood. Visual aids also
help compensate for language barriers on international meetings.
The audience· It is important to consider in advance
who you are talking to. The audience may consist of experts
in a specialized field, or be more heterogeneous; you should prepare
your presentation accordingly. This means that your presentation
should be pitched at a more general level if you are speaking to
a diverse auditorium. Anyone who listens has right to understand
your words; therefore, unless you are addressing a small group of
your own research peers, try to avoid technical jargon. The same
is true for the use of abbreviations.
You are obliged to respect and to be considerate to your audience·.
Many of them have traveled long and spend money to attend the meeting
- and to hear you, among others. Don't waste their time. First of
all, give your speech within the allotted time (typically, no more
than ten minutes); several minute overtime is inexcusable. Do not
speak too fast; slow down is a leading rule. This will facilitate
the convey of your message to persons whose maternal language is
other than the official one.
The question and answer session is often the best part of
an oral presentation. It serves the audience to clarify points or
add to their knowledge of your subject. It is also an opportunity
for the speaker to surmise the strengths and weaknesses of his research;
in addition, the questions posed by the interested and knowledgeable
colleagues will certainly improve his communication skills.
During the preparations, try to predict what questions might be
asked about your report; these might be the same posed on previous
occasions you have used to discuss your results (departmental seminars,
discussions with collaborators, job interviews, grant proposals);
prepare your answers accordingly.
When answering the questions, it is important to maintain a professional
attitude. That means that you listen closely to the question, repeat
it aloud if it is not heard or understood, pause few seconds to
think, then answer briefly and directly··.
Your clear and concise answers allow others to ask about something
else; if you think that the question deserves answering beyond reasonably
short time, you can suggest colleague to meet after the session
in order to discuss the matter further. Make use of these discussions:
constructive, professional criticism is always beneficial for both
the beginning scientist and the experienced professional.
· Since the communication
is a two-way process, the audience itself has its own responsibilities:
to be quiet and attentive are the first of them . To listen is a
matter of both courtesy and professionalism..
·· Don't be afraid to say "I don't know", if
the question is unrelated to your subject. You can refer to the
literature as a source for an answer, but don't guess!
CONCLUSION
It is not easy to give a good oral presentation, but good planning,
serious preparation and training, will make you a good speaker.
Such a speaker avoids cardinal sins that make a boring presenter:
running long minutes overtime, reading the text, showing unreadable
slides, mumbling, underrating the audience…After having gained experience,
he will soon become an accomplished speaker. Providing that he is
committed to get the most from attending professional meetings (including
learning from memorable presentations and presenters), he
will gradually improve his communication skills.
With time, you shall learn to fit the occasion properly: to condition
yourself, to look alive and enthusiastic, to maintain good eye contact
with audience throughout the talk, to speak clearly and aloudly,
not letting the words get lost among physical distractions, to coordinate
speech and visual aids, to use body language, to please the audience
by your physical appearance, dress, mannerisms and personality.
You may argue that you are a scientist, not an actor. I disagree:
when on stage, you are not only an actor, you are (or should be)
a star!
Should you keep in mind these simple rules, you certainly shall
be able soon to move from good speaker to a position of excellence.
We demand excellence in scientific writing - there is every reason
to expect it for presentations at scientific meetings too!
SELECTED LITEARTURE
1. Davis M. Scientific papers and presentations.
San Diego:Academic Press, 1997.
2. Day RA. How to write and publish a scientific paper. 5th ed.
Phoenix:Oryx Press 1998.
3. Sharp D. Kipling's guide to writing a scientific paper. Croat
Med J 2002;43:262-7.
4. Vučković-Dekić Lj. The way I communicate at scientific meetings
(in Serbian). Stom Glas S 1999;46:41-6.
5. Marušić A. Scientific report. In: Marušić M, Petrak J, Petrovečki
M, Marušić A, editors. Introduction in scientific work (in Croatian).
2nd ed. Zagreb:Medicinska naklada 2000, p. 163-73.
6. Savić JĐ. How to write, publish and evaluate scientific work
in biomedicine (in Serbian). 3rd ed. Beograd:Kultura; 2001. |
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