Help researchers communicate work clearly to a live audience. The medium is not a paper — it is a story with one memorable takeaway.
1. Oral presentations
Structure (story, not IMRaD read aloud):
- Hook / motivation — the real-world problem in one slide (why care?).
- Gap & question — what's missing; your specific question.
- Approach — method at the right altitude (audience-appropriate; don't drown in detail).
- Key results — 1–3 findings, each on its own clean slide, with the figure doing the work.
- So what — contribution, implications (academic + industry), limitations honestly, next steps.
- Takeaway slide — one sentence you want remembered + contact/QR to paper.
Slide design:
- One idea per slide; few words, large font (≥24 pt body, ≥28–32 pt headers). Headlines that state the point ("Detection F1 improved 0.74→0.88"), not labels ("Results").
- Figures > text; reuse the paper's figures but simplify for projection (bigger fonts, fewer series,
colour-blind-safe — see
scientific-figures). High contrast; avoid dense tables and equations dumps. - Progressive reveal for complex builds; minimal animation.
Timing & delivery:
- ~1 slide/minute as a rough cap; rehearse to the exact slot (e.g., 12 + 3 min Q&A at ISARC/CRC). Never overrun. Have a hard "if short on time, skip to slide X" plan.
- Practice aloud, standing; know your opening and closing cold. Signpost ("First… now the key result…").
- Face the audience, not the screen; use a pointer sparingly.
Q&A:
- Anticipate the obvious questions (validation, generalizability, scalability, comparison to baseline, practical adoption). Prepare honest answers and a few backup slides (extra data, methods detail).
- Repeat/clarify the question; answer concisely; "I don't know — good question, here's how I'd find out" is a strong answer. Don't bluff.
2. Posters
Goal: readable from ~1.5 m, understood in <1 minute, with you adding depth in conversation.
Modern "better poster" format (recommended):
- A large central panel stating the single main finding in plain language (the "billboard"), with supporting method/results/implications in side columns and a small "ammo bar" of detail.
- Minimal text, generous white space, one hero figure.
Classic format (if required): Title/authors → Introduction & gap → Methods → Results (figure-led) → Conclusions → key references + QR to paper/data.
Design rules:
- Clear visual hierarchy and reading order (columns, numbered sections). Big title; legible body (~24–32 pt equivalent at print size). Colour-blind-safe, consistent palette. Vector graphics; check at full print scale. Include a QR code to the paper/preprint/data and your contact/ORCID.
- One takeaway sentence, prominent. Cut everything that isn't needed to land it.
3. Lightning / 3-minute talks
- One problem, one finding, one slide if mandated. Memorize it. End with the takeaway + where to find more.
4. Graphical / visual abstracts
- A single self-explanatory figure of the core idea/finding (see
scientific-figures). Reuse for the poster billboard and the takeaway slide for a consistent identity.
5. Integrity
- Present only real results; don't overstate findings for a live audience any more than in print. Acknowledge
collaborators and funding. Disclose limitations honestly (
research-ethics-integrity).