AsianScientist (Nov. 7, 2016) – Considering the number of presentations we have to give as part of our careers, a modern scientist is likely to have some pretty killer public speaking skills.
But not all scientists are born public speakers. After all, it is often quoted that more people claim to be afraid of public speaking than of death—a claim that was supported by research in 2012!
Attend enough talks and you’ll start to find that there are particular presentation styles that everyone can be sorted into. Here are some of the more obvious ones:
- The Excited Explainer
Whether it is presenting a poster at a conference, delivering a project status report to the rest of the team, or giving an invited lecture, these people are showing you their best results, AND THEY WANT YOU TO BE JUST AS EXCITED ABOUT THEM AS THEY ARE!!! They’re probably speaking really loudly and/or really quickly, bouncing around in front of their poster or waving their arms around, and pointing at key elements on their PowerPoint slides.
You’ll walk away from these presenters feeling either incredibly inspired by what they’ve done, or simply exhausted after trying to keep up with what they were saying.
- The Comfortable One
You can’t help but feel a bit impressed at the comfortable presenter’s ability. Watch in awe as they casually stroll up to the lectern, effortlessly deliver their talk at a reasonable pace and tone, coolly address all the questions delivered to them, and then saunter away.
But sometimes, these ones can be a little too comfortable while delivering their talk: one friend who is known to be a Comfortable One is now forever remembered as having referred to the person who discovered her area of interest as “The dude who discovered this disease” in one of her talks.
- The Totalitarian
As the name suggests, this presenter can be quite the enforcer, and more than a little bit scary. These are the kinds of presenters who will pause as latecomers take their seats, and they don’t think twice about shaming the people chatting during the presentation, telling them to stop or leave the lecture theater instead.
The mental image of the Totalitarian presenter is probably a senior lecturer addressing a hall full of first-years, but I can say from experience that Totalitarians come from every level. During one departmental presentation, I once witnessed a student pause his talk and ask a professor if they were sleeping. Everyone sat up a little straighter after that!
- The Perpetual Motion Machine
Some people, no matter how much they try, can’t stand still behind the lectern while presenting. I don’t mean the arm waving that Excited Explainers do; I’m talking about people who like to pace around during their talk.
How they pace depends on the room layout where the talk is being delivered: they could be pacing back and forth in front of the screen, or they could be doing multiple rounds of the lecture hall.
These kinds of presenters can be unintentionally amusing though. I once attended a thesis defense lecture where the defender turned out to be a Perpetual Motion Machine; this unfortunately clashed with the high heels she was wearing and the lecture had to be paused after the introductory slides as she removed her shoes and commenced pacing.
- The Nervous Nellie
Let’s face it, no matter what kind of presenter we might be now, at one point or another—probably around time of our thesis defense lectures—we’ve all been a Nervous Nellie.
The sweaty palms, the wavering voice, the inability to look away from the slides and make eye contact, we all know the signs because we’ve all felt it. Getting up in front of a crowd of people and talking is always a little nerve-wracking, especially since we know that we’re being judged.
But whenever you’re feeling nervous, just remember what my PhD supervisor told me in the time leading up to my defense:
“No one knows this topic and your work better than you. Everyone in the audience wants you to deliver a good talk and anyone who wants you to give a bad one is a !$%&* and who cares what they think?”
My supervisor was a wise one.
- The Drunk
And then there are some who deal with being a Nervous Nellie by fortifying themselves with some liquid courage. I’ll never forget the student who dealt with the nerves of their defense lecture by downing some beers beforehand. Never.
Excited, Comfortable, Nervous, or even Drunk, whatever style you might be when you’re presenting, always remember that you’re doing something that people would rather die than have to do—and give it your best shot!
This article is from a monthly column called The Sometimes Serious Scientist. Click here to see the other articles in this series.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Shutterstock.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
