Michael Alley (Penn State) 3: Attaining Confidence in Your Scientific Presentations

www.ibiology.org/professional...
Michael Alley shares his expertise on how to design presentation slides and confidently deliver an effective scientific talk.
Michael Alley has been teaching scientists and engineers how to design presentation slides and deliver effective scientific talks for over three decades. In this three-part lecture, you will learn (a) how to design your PowerPoint or Keynote slides, (b) how to organize your talk, and (c) how to confidently deliver your research seminar. This series will help trainees and research scientists alike improve their presentation skills.
Speaker Biography:
Michael Alley holds a master of science in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University and a master of fine arts in writing from the University of Alabama. Alley is a teaching professor of Engineering Communication at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of three popular textbooks: The Craft of Scientific Presentations (2013), The Craft of Editing (2000), and The Craft of Scientific Writing (2018).
www.assertion-evidence.com

[@joelarnoldngassa8720]

Great presentation thank you, I really learn a new way to build my presentation.

[@maalavika6060]

An extremely useful and perfectly articulate series. Thank you!

[@nellymostajo7706]

That was really helpful, thank you. Is there a suggestion to present discussion or own future questions, perspective work?

[@mitapollito]

Great advice, thanks! Do you have some recommendations for the zoom era?

[@michaelalley4896]

Mitapollito--your question deserves a much longer reply than what I will give here. However, from the perspective of confidence, an advantage of preparing a conference presentations on Zoom is that often you are allowed to record your presentation. In such cases, you can re-record weak portions. Although re-recording is an advantage, it is easy to lose the natural energy that arises when you present before a live audience. One challenge for you the presenter is to present in an energetic fashion even though no one is there. Another challenge is that your voice be natural, even if you are reading. Overcoming those challenges requires effort. When you are presenting to a live audience through Zoom, a challenge is remain energetic, even though you are not receiving the visual feedback of a live audience. My best advice is to practice the talk before colleagues in a Zoom setting so that you have confidence in the content. Also, make sure about the logistics--for instance, that your slides are in fact shared on the screen (I once gave an entire lecture and forgot to share the screen).

[@mitapollito]

Michael Alley thank you! 😊