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Designing Effective Scientific Presentations. BIOS 313 3/29/06 Dr. Mary Purugganan maryp@rice.edu Cain Project in Engineering & Professional Communication www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj. Topics We’ll Discuss. Getting started Displaying text Displaying graphics Animating Presenting
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Designing Effective Scientific Presentations BIOS 313 3/29/06 Dr. Mary Purugganan maryp@rice.edu Cain Project in Engineering & Professional Communication www.owlnet.rice.edu/~cainproj
Topics We’ll Discuss • Getting started • Displaying text • Displaying graphics • Animating • Presenting • Critiquing sample slides
Getting Started • Create a slide show that is an outline, not a script • Use the slide show... • to select important topics and issues • to organize content • to create a hierarchy
Getting Started To select a design, ask yourself: • What professional image do I want to project? • In what type of room will I give my talk? • Well-lit room: use light background / dark text and visuals • Dimly-lit room: use dark background / light text and visuals
Getting Started • Set up Slide Master • Allows you to design the “look” of your slide show • Browse design templates • Enables you to select pre-designed presentation templates • Create new slides • Choose from 24 “master slide styles” to build your show
Selecting Content • Consider your audience! • State problem/ question clearly & early • Include significance--the big picture; why does it matter? • Keep background relevant
Selecting Content, Part 2 • Explain experiments: include the how & the why! • Hypothesis (WHY) • Method (remember audience) (HOW) • Show data and guide audience through (WHAT WAS OBSERVED) • Draw conclusions (WHAT IT MEANS) • Speculate about future investigations
Suggested Content • Title: as concrete & accurate as possible (1 slide) • Problem, background, significance (5-7 slides) • Methods (2-4 slides) • Results, conclusions (3-6 slides) • Future investigations (1-2 slides)
Displaying Text • Remember that your audience... • skims each slide • looks for critical points, not details • needs help reading/ seeing text • Help your audience by… • Projecting a clear font • Using bullets • Using declarative titles • Using short phrases • Using grammatical parallelism
Project a Clear Font • Serif: easy to read in printed documents • Times New Roman, Palatino, Verdana • Sans serif: easy to see projected across the room • Arial, Helvetica, Geneva
Use Bullets • Bullets help your audience • to skim the slide • to see relationships between information • organize information in a logical way • For example, this is Main Point 1, which leads to... • Sub-point 1 • Further subordinated point 1 • Further subordinated point 2 • Sub-point 2
Use declarative titles • “Results” suggests the content area for a slide • “Substance X upregulates gene Y” (with data shown below title) shows the audience what is observed
Use Short Phrases • Use phrases in your slide show outline • Generate phrases that make your point clearly & accurately • Write complete sentences only in certain cases: • Hypothesis / problem statement • Quote • ???
Use Grammatical Parallelism • Lists should be in same grammatical form--to help audience skim phrases • Not Parallel: • Lysed cells in buffer • 5 minutes centrifuging of lysate • Supernatant was removed • Parallel: • Cells were lysed in buffer • Lysate was centrifuged 5 minutes • Supernatant was removed
Displaying Visuals • Incorporate visuals that enhance understanding • Data: evidence for argument • Figures that enhance understanding of background, method, big picture, etc. (from WWW, published reviews, drawn yourself) • Design easy-to-read visuals • Draw attention to aspects of visuals
Simplify and Draw Attention http://www.indstate.edu/thcme/mwking/tca-cycle.html
Displaying Visuals Harvey et al. (2005) Cell 122:407-20
Cite others’ visuals Harvey et al. (2005) Cell 122:407-20 http://www.bioc.rice.edu/~shamoo/shamoolab.html
Animating • Custom animation allows you to animate text, visuals, or line work • Custom animation should be used purposefully (and sparingly!) • To aid in the audience’s ability to comprehend your message • Not solely for aesthetic purposes
Animating • Use professional animation methods for text (avoid fly in, typewriter, reverse order, etc.) • Use mouse-click to advance
Presenting • Delivery • Handling questions
Worst Practices Block screen Cross feet Rock, sway, pace Slouch Lean Best Practices Chin up Feet under hips Shoulders relaxed Weight distributed Knees slightly bent Stance and Posture
Fidgeting Fingers Pen or laser pointer Pockets Hair Hands on hips Crossing arms Gripping podium Clasping hands Fig leaf Behind back Gestures to Avoid
Worst practices Stare at screen Glance at floor or ceiling Read slides or notes Eye Contact • Best practices • Direct • Sustained • Distributed
Handle Questions • Anticipate questions • LISTEN • Repeat or rephrase • Watch body language • Don’t bluff • Wrap up well
Sample Slides Features to consider: • Text • Fonts, phrases, parallelism • Graphics • Readability, drawing attention • Slide design • Organization/ hierarchy • Titles, Bullets, arrangement of information, font size
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The myocardium of control (left) shows necrosis (N) and fibrosis (F). The transplanted smooth muscle cells (right) formed muscle-like tissue (T) . Grafting smooth muscle cells into heart