How to Give a
Scientific Talk
Using Digital Media Support
Rob Schadt, Ed.D.
Teaching and Digital Learning
Boston University
School of Public Health

Some Examples
Research project

Some Examples
Conference presentation

Elements of Communication
Speaker
Message
Presentation
Technology
Audience

Content is the most important part of your presentation..… Really?
• So how do you like it when I “hide behind my slides”
• Read word for word off the slides and
• I don’t pay attention to you whatsoever…
• Blah, blah, blah, blah
• Blah, blah, blah, blah Blah, blah, blah, blah
• Blah, blah, blah, blah Blah, blah, blah, blah
• Blah, blah, blah, blah Blah, blah, blah, blah
• Blah, blah, blah, blah Blah, blah, blah, blah
• Blah, blah, blah, blah

Elements of Communication
Audience
Speaker
Message
Presentation
Technology
Audience

Know Your Audience and Your Venue

Know Your Audience
• What is their background on my topic?
• What are their expectations for my talk?
• What is my story?
• What is in it for them?

Know Your Audience and Your Venue
• What is their background on my topic?
• What are their expectations for my talk?
• What is my story?
• What is in it for them?
• How much time do I have?
• What is the venue like?
• What is the time of day?
If the audience could remember only one thing what would it be?

Engage the Audience
• Eye contact

Engage the Audience
• Eye contact
• Be enthusiastic and expressive
• Project your voice
• Include purposeful pauses

Engage the Audience
• Eye contact
• Be enthusiastic and expressive
• Project your voice
• Include purposeful pauses
• Avoid over-dependence on notes

Learning Theory Applied to
Multimedia Presentation
Your Audience:
• uses dual channels
 Include both verbal and visual
Multimedia Learning - Mayer, 2001

Learning Theory Applied to
Multimedia Presentation

Use graphics to augment your words
Beverage Sugar Levels
• Whiskey: .05 grams
• Beer: 2 grams
• Wine: 5 grams
• Soda: 5 grams

Use graphics to augment your words

Use graphics to augment your words

Learning Theory Applied to
Multimedia Presentation
Your Audience:
• uses dual channels
 Include both verbal and visual
• has limited capacity
 Exclude extraneous visual materials
• uses active processing
 Provide a mental structure that can be integrated into prior knowledge
Multimedia Learning - Mayer, 2001

Use Written Text Sparingly
• 16 million kids (1 out of 5) in
America struggle with hunger
• Hungry kids are more likely to experience serious short- and long-term health issues
• Food insecurity is most common in large cities but still exists in rural areas, suburbs and other outlying areas around large cities

Use Written Text Sparingly
• 16 million kids (1 out of 5) in
America struggle with hunger
•
Hungry kids are more likely to experience serious short- and long-term health issues
• Food insecurity is most common in large cities but still exists in rural areas, suburbs and other outlying areas around large cities

Use Written Text Sparingly

Elements of Communication
Message
Speaker
Message
Presentation
Technology
Audience

Steps in Designing an Effective Message
• Collect
• Select
• Reflect
• Connect

Healthy Start Logic Model
“..it seems like I'm not connecting with the audience..”

Maria Montoya
“I was scared…”

Maria and
Miguel Montoya

Maria and
Miguel Montoya with
Doctor Rameriz

Structuring an Effective Message
• Capture the audience's attention with an interesting opening
• Choose an appropriate organizational design
• Historical, cause/effect, problem/solution
• Keep your purpose in mind
• An informative talk should focus on clarity of information
• A persuasive talk should focus on the acceptance of ideas
• End with a strong, memorable conclusion
Opening - - - - - Conclusion

Elements of Communication
Message – Presentation Design
Speaker
Message
Presentation
Technology
Audience

Use of Colors: Bad Combinations
 
Ouch.
Ouch.

What?

Use of Fonts
Sans Serif

Helvetica
Arial
Verdana
Serif

Times New Roman
Garamond
Georgia
Use 30 point font as a minimum

Present Visually with Illustrations
Illustrations present a viewpoint or interpretation

Present Visually with Illustrations
Brain Keyhole (www.billywatts.com)

Present Visually with Illustrations
Illustrations present a viewpoint or interpretation

Present Visually with Photographs
Close up of neurons
Interdisciplinary Science and
Math Initiative
Carelton College

Research that shows this generation is as much as
40 percent less empathetic than their counterparts of
20 to 30 years ago.

Present Visually with Online Resources
“31% of college students report feeling so depressed in the last 12 months that it was difficult to function. As many as 18% of undergraduates have thought about suicide.”
Dori Hutchinson
Behavioral Medicine Department at Boston University

Create a visual collage paired with verbal information

Present with a Metaphor
War

Tables – Why bother?
Tables you
“have to show”
Tables that
“show what you mean” ”

Reverse Osmosis
• Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO)
Salt Concentration: 10,000 - 50,000 mg/l TDS
Membrane Feed Pressure: 800-1400 psi
Sources: Surface Waters or Beach Wells
• Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis (BWRO)
Salt Concentration: 500 - 5,000 mg/l TDS
Membrane Feed Pressure: 100-600 psi
Sources: Recycling, Groundwater, Surface
Water, Industrial Water
• Nanofiltration (NF) / Membrane Softening
Salt Concentration: 100 - 500 mg/l TDS
Membrane Feed Pressure: 50-300 psi
Sources: Boiler Feedwater, Potable or Ultrapure applications

Reverse Osmosis
Seawater
Reverse Osmosis
(SWRO)
Brackish Water
Reverse Osmosis
(BWRO)
Nanofiltration
(NF) Membrane
Softening
10,000 - 50,000 mg/l TDS
500-5,000 mg/l
TDS
100-500 mg/l TDS Salt
Concentration
Membrane Feed
Pressure
800 - 1,400 psi
Sources
100-600 psi
Surface Waters or
Beach wells
Recycling,
Groundwater,
Surface water
Industrial water
50-300 psi
Boiler Feedwater,
Potable or
Ultrapure applications

Cumulative Totals
Totals
Item 1
179.880
128.864
34.221
129.775
378.664
198.856
746.599
286.675
196.999
185.868
2661.767
Item 2
423.3660
345.7670
678.4440
654.9980
379.6000
189.9570
879.9560
385.7689
285.8678
289.8786
5058.3140
582
334
233
188
299
6737
Item 3
967
860
773
1887
431
377.89
867.73
286.57
296.97
185.90
4869.13
Item 4
334.07
287.74
982.21
658.89
295.50

Cumulative Totals
Tell why a number is important
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4
Totals 2661.767
5058.3140
6737 4869.13

Urban Zip Codes
% White, non-Hispanic
Median income in 1999
% with Education beyond High School
Population density n=105
Mean
67.8%
$47,351
56.6%
10,513
Median
73.3%
$44,033
55.8%
7,979
SD
23.7%
$21,136
20.6%
8,173
Minimum Maximum
1.3% 97.2%
$12,307 $145,394
20.7%
3,554
95.2%
61,197
Suburban Zip Codes
% White, non-Hispanic
Median income in 1999
% with Education beyond High School
Population density n=294
Mean
92.9%
$60,966
60.8%
990
Median
95.0%
$57,705
60.9%
715
SD
6.5%
$20,669
14.4%
775
Minimum Maximum
54.3% 100%
$0 $153,918
0.0% 100%
205 3,492
Rural Zip Codes
% White, non-Hispanic
Median income in 1999
% with Education beyond High School
Population density n=89
Mean
96.2%
$49,651
57.7%
97.7
Median
97.1%
$49,500
56.9%
86.7
Table 1. Demographic characteristics of communities studied.
SD
3.3%
$9,219
12.3%
60.8
Minimum Maximum
84.2% 100%
$22,292
23.8%
5.1
$80,993
100%
199.5

Practical Tips - Charts
• Choose the right type of graph or chart
• Minimize details as much as possible
• Use simple, 2-dimensional graphics
Close

Is this graph’s message clear?

Is this graph’s message clear?

Change scale to emphasize variation
Percent of Cambridge High School Students Who Reported Weapon Carrying and/or Staying Home Out of Fear in the Last 30 Days (2004, 2006)
100%
Cambridge 2004 Cambridge 2006
80%
60%
40%
20%
14%
11%
6%
7%
8%
7%
0%
Carried Weapon* in School
(30 Days)
Carried Weapon* Outside of
School (30 days)
Stayed Home From School because of Fear for Safety**
(30 days)
* Respondents were asked about a weapon such as a knife, gun, or club.
** This item asked “During the past 30 days, on how many days did you not go to school because you felt you would be unsafe at school or on your way to or from school?”

Percent of Students Reporting
Weapon Carrying and/or Staying Home in the Last 30 Days (2004, 2006)
During the past 30 days, on how many days did you not go to school because you felt you would be unsafe at school or on your way to or from school?”
20%
11%
14%
6%
7%
8%
7%
0%
Carried Weapon in
School (30 Days)
Carried Weapon Outside of School (30 days)
Stayed Home From
School because of Fear for Safety (30 days)
2004
2006

Practical Tips - Charts
Start with a zero point.
Or make it obvious that there is not one.

Practical Tips - Charts
Give enough context to the story so that the graphic supports your point

PowerPoint Can Output….
• Screen shows using LCD projector
• Speaker notes
• Handouts p.63
• Outlines
• Web pages
• Web conferencing
Detailed notes page provides a
“high resolution” output

Elements of Communication
Audience and Venue
Speaker
Message
Presentation
Technology
Audience

Control Your Environment
• Leave the lectern … and the laptop
• Keep the lights on

Connect with Your Audience

Connect with Your Audience
• Eye contact
• Use stories or other examples
• Use clean, simple presentation design
• Basic readable font
•
Limit colors to three if possible
• Use multiple slides and handouts for complex ideas
• Use a variety of images/ clear graphics
Engage your audience!!

Elements of Communication
Speaker
Message
Presentation
Technology
Audience

Putting It All Together
What’s the first step you’ll take when you design your next presentation?

Comments !
Questions ?
Thank you…

Good Resources
Find our handout online:

March on Washington