How to give a talk

How to give a talkHow to give a talk

What is the point of a What is the point of a ““talktalk””??

COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION

• Specifically communicating scientific results, ideas

• Less about impressing them with the amount of work you’ve done, the complexity of mathematical models, the exoticness of your field site, the cuteness of your study organism….

• What makes a good/bad talk?What makes a good/bad talk?

• What makes you a good/bad talker?What makes you a good/bad talker?

• Mechanics & StyleMechanics & Style

TodayToday’’s talks talk

• IntroductionIntroduction

• MethodsMethods

• ResultsResults

• DiscussionDiscussion

*but maybe don’t make a slide like this

Background MethodsMethods Results Future Directions

But first: acknowledgments!But first: acknowledgments!

The People and the MoneyThe People and the Money

Nick ColegraveNick Colegrave

Sue HealySue Healy

Tom LittleTom Little

Tom TregenzaTom Tregenza

A good talkA good talk

(1) The content!(1) The content!


(1)(1)The content!The content!

(a good story and some fun biology)(a good story and some fun biology)



(2) A confident speaker(2) A confident speaker




(3) Clear, engaging presentation(3) Clear, engaging presentation




(3) Clear, engaging presentation(3) Clear, engaging presentation

(4) Good timekeeping(4) Good timekeeping


Be confidentBe confident

““SharingSharing”” your work your work

People People wantwant you to succeed you to succeed

Being a good speakerBeing a good speaker

A bad talkA bad talk

(1)(1)A A ““badbad”” speaker speaker

(too fast, too quiet, too nervous, too (too fast, too quiet, too nervous, too cocky…)cocky…)



(2) Boring story (=no story?)(2) Boring story (=no story?)




(3) Too long(3) Too long




(3) Too long(3) Too long

(4) Unappealing slides(4) Unappealing slides


3-way interaction3-way interaction

Be confident:Be confident:

-look at the audience-look at the audience

-speak to the audience-speak to the audience

-practice-practice

-go to other talks-go to other talks

-never apologise…!-never apologise…!

Being a good speakerBeing a good speaker

Telling a good storyTelling a good story

Telling a good storyTelling a good story

Have a narrative:Have a narrative:

Have a clear question and Have a clear question and gogo somewhere with itsomewhere with it

-for example, pose a question, but then -for example, pose a question, but then return to the question at the end, and make it return to the question at the end, and make it clear if you have/have not answered it. clear if you have/have not answered it.

Actually giving a talk:Actually giving a talk:

(1) Timing(1) Timing

(2) Speaking(2) Speaking

(3) (3) ““StagecraftStagecraft””

Mechanics & StyleMechanics & Style

Very important!Very important!

1 slide = 1 minute1 slide = 1 minute

Use a watch Use a watch

Multiple places to STOPMultiple places to STOP

Be prepared to STOPBe prepared to STOP

TimingTiming

Part of getting timing right is just beingPart of getting timing right is just being

realistic about how much you can fit inrealistic about how much you can fit in

10-15 min talk = 1 experiment10-15 min talk = 1 experiment

20-30 min talk = 2-3 experiments20-30 min talk = 2-3 experiments

40-50 min talk = 2-3 40-50 min talk = 2-3 sectionssections**

TimingTiming

*give people a break…*give people a break…

• Marks dip during sessions (2002)

• This effect WORSE for tutors! (P<0.001)

10-15 min talk = 1 experiment10-15 min talk = 1 experiment

20-30 min talk = 2-3 experiments20-30 min talk = 2-3 experiments

40-50 min talk = 2-3 40-50 min talk = 2-3 sectionssections

60 min talk = 60 min talk = what?!what?!

TimingTiming

Introductions are nearly Introductions are nearly

ALWAYSALWAYS

too longtoo long

TimingTiming

Important!Important!

LOUD and CLEARLOUD and CLEAR

Be naturalBe natural

Be prepared to alter how you speakBe prepared to alter how you speak

Mechanics & Style: SpeakingMechanics & Style: Speaking

Using a microphoneUsing a microphone

Important!Important!

Be yourselfBe yourself

Try and be comfortableTry and be comfortable

But…But…

Perform, burn energyPerform, burn energy

““StagecraftStagecraft””

Should I try and be funny?Should I try and be funny?


Crudgington and Siva-Jothy 2000Crudgington and Siva-Jothy 2000


RSPB images

≠not RSPB images


≠

StyleStyle

Keep it simpleKeep it simple

Style and slidesStyle and slides

PowerPoint is really great and PowerPoint is really great and never fails?never fails?

Quiz time:Quiz time:

TRUE or FALSE?TRUE or FALSE?

FALSEFALSE

MMake sure you test your talk on multiple ake sure you test your talk on multiple computers, AND where you will give the computers, AND where you will give the

talktalk

Learn how to Learn how to ““embed fontsembed fonts””

““InsertInsert”” pictures c.f. drag & drop pictures c.f. drag & drop

Compress picture sizesCompress picture sizes

Email yourself your talk/put on websiteEmail yourself your talk/put on website

Powerpoint

Images: Red cross of death…Images: Red cross of death…

Images: Decompress TIFF files of death…Images: Decompress TIFF files of death…

Cannot decompress TIFFTM file





Anything wrong with this slide?

Avoid tests of sex-linkageAvoid tests of sex-linkage

Anything wrong with this slide?Anything wrong with this slide?

Easy things to forgetEasy things to forget

Pictures versus text?Pictures versus text?

• Text can be an Text can be an aide memoireaide memoire• Something to fall back onSomething to fall back on

BUTBUT

Some people hate being told what is already on Some people hate being told what is already on the screen…the screen…

Pictures versus text?Pictures versus text?

Text: remember, you do want them paying Text: remember, you do want them paying attention to attention to youyou

IntroductionNatural populations frequently show considerable genetic variation in immune functions (e.g. Kurtz & Sauer 1999; Ryder & Siva-Jothy 2001; Cotter et al. 2004) and pathogen resistance (e.g. Lively 1989; Henter & Via 1995; Carius et al. 2001; Koskela et al. 2002). This seems paradoxical because immune defence is closely associated with organisms’ fitness, and natural selection is expected to erode genetic variation in fitness related traits by eliminating the least fit alleles from populations (reviewed by Roff 1997). What then maintains genetic polymorphism in immune functions? One likely factor that can maintain such variation is the high diversity of pathogens the hosts are exposed to. When the outcome of infection depends on the combination of both host and pathogen genotypes (GH × GP interaction; see Schmid-Hempel & Ebert 2003) pathogens impose a heterogeneous selective pressure on their hosts, which promotes maintenance of genetic variation. GH × GP interactions have been described from several plant–pathogen (e.g. Burdon & Jarosz 1991; Salvaudon et al. 2005) as well as animal–pathogen (e.g. Dybdahl & Lively 1998; Carius et al. 2001) systems, suggesting that they play an important role in maintenance of genetic polymorphism in resistance.GH × GP interactions, however, can effectively maintain genetic variation only in defence mechanisms which are highly specific to different pathogen genotypes. Pathogen resistance is often not strictly specific, but consists of defences that are independent of the genetic identity of the pathogen (i.e. non-specific immune defence; Frank 2000, Moret 2003). This part of immune defence is typically controlled by several genes and evolves through selection on heritable additive genetic variance (Cotter et al. 2004; Schwarzenbach et al. 2005). Therefore, mechanisms other than GH × GP interactions are needed to explain the maintenance of high polymorphism in immune functions. It has been suggested recently that genetic variation in pathogen resistance could also be maintained by environmental heterogeneity and physiological trade-offs (reviewed by Lazzaro & Little 2009). Several facts

Text: remember, you do want them paying Text: remember, you do want them paying attention to attention to youyou

Introduction

• Natural populations show considerable genetic variation in immune functions

• This seems paradoxical because immune defence is closely associated with fitness

• What maintains genetic variation for immune defence?

Roughly as you would in a Roughly as you would in a paperpaper::

incl. sample sizes, type of test, incl. sample sizes, type of test, PP value value

((minimumminimum))

Explaining figures and experiments takes Explaining figures and experiments takes longerlonger than you thinkthan you think

Presenting dataPresenting data

Adaptive sex allocation across speciesAdaptive sex allocation across species(64 species, 87 studies)(64 species, 87 studies)

NULL HYPOTHESISNULL HYPOTHESIS

Age of parasitised hostsAge of parasitised hosts

GLM with binomial GLM with binomial errors, N = 30-59errors, N = 30-59

Treatment: Treatment: P P = 0.003= 0.003Excl. Excl. ““2424””: : PP = 0.09 = 0.09

Decreasing competition with unrelated malesDecreasing competition with unrelated males

Enjoy yourselfEnjoy yourself

Be generousBe generous

Welcome questions*Welcome questions*

*you will after a while…*you will after a while…

Finally…Finally…

How to give a talk

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