Elevate the Debate

chapter fourBetter Presentations: More Effective Speaking

Jonathan Schwabish

Many researchers follow a familiar pattern when they are asked to present their work to an audience: First, they open PowerPoint. Second, they start adding text—it might be new text, but it's more likely pasted from the written report—into bullet points on the slide. Third, they copy and paste graphs or tables—again, often directly from the report. Finally, they create a concluding slide that says “Questions?” or “Thank You!,” save the file, and consider themselves ready to present.

There is a better way to present your research. It doesn't matter if it's a lunchtime meeting with your colleagues, a 15-minute conference presentation, or a keynote address in front of hundreds of people. It starts with recognizing that a presentation is not about the speaker, but the audience. Once you realize that the primary goal of your presentation is to convince the audience of your ideas, hypotheses, and conclusions, you can think about how to more effectively get them to believe you.

A presentation is a fundamentally different form of communication than a written report. When your reader sits down with your report, she can read at her own pace, take notes, highlight, and explore the tables, graphs, or formulas in detail. As a member of an audience, however, she is bound by your pace and how you present the information. ...