10 tips on how to prepare for a selected talk at a conference

So you've been selected for a short talk in the plenary program. Congratulations! But now you remember that you really don't like public speaking...

Don't worry, we're here to help. We've compiled a list of tips from our presenters and science communicators.

So get your notebooks out and sharpen your pencils, because here are a few tips to help you prepare for your next presentation.

1. Less is more

As a general rule, the number of minutes of your presentation should equal the number of slides in your presentation. This is excluding your opening and closing slide. The idea is that this will make sure you won't be presenting too much data (see more about sensory overload at point 3), for your audience to process.
The idea of a selected talk is to generate interest in your research. So that during the breaks you can discuss it with those interested to learn more. If you packed your presentation too much, you'll have to rush through it to get it done. Which will affect the amount of clear information the audience will take away from it.

Tell your audience why are you studying the research you are presenting, and get them interested before you get into the data.
Your audience members might not all be experts in your specific field, so ease into the nitty gritty.
Talk about your hypotheses.
Show the data supporting them.
Get to the conclusions of your research.
Finally, get into where you see your research going in the future.

It's tempting to fill up slides when you have a limit of 1 slide per minute (see point 1). But make sure to avoid too many graphs on a slide, or overly complicated diagrams as your audience will have to listen to you on top of interpreting the slides.
Make sure each slide has a key take-home message, if it doesn't scrap it.
Try to avoid too much text, they won't have enough time to read it all (remember tip 1) and listen to what you have to say.
Make use of bullet points and elaborate on these verbally to strike a balance discussed in the previous point.

Let the audience know what the real-life implications are of your research.
This will show the context of your research and its importance. This ability to show impact is a key skill for future grant applications.

Our advice: Wear what you feel comfortable in. It's not a fashion show.
The more comfortable you are in what you wear, the more comfortable you'll be presenting, which is key in conveying your message.

For many, the big thing about public speaking is how to prevent stress and anxiety. Even seasoned presenters still have jitters. To avoid this there is one simple piece of advice we can give you: Practice, practice, and practice some more.
Practice with a mirror, then a small group of friends, and then your colleagues. So you get as comfortable as possible with the content you're presenting and the act of presenting itself.
You can use short pauses. Try saying Mississippi in your head, if you're unsure how long the pause should be. Use these moments to calm yourself and get back on track.

Avoid talking too fast. If you need to talk fast to include all the slides/data you want to present, cut down the amount of data you're presenting. Your key messages will not be conveyed when you're rattling at light speed.
Leave momentary pauses between important statements.

Question and answer sessions are often the most stressful part for presenters. Because you're not sure what questions will come.
Not knowing the answer to a question should not be a problem. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know" or "this was not in the scope of our research". The question might lead you to see your research in a different light and open up new ways forward.
You can also interpret the audience asking questions as a sign they're interested in the research that you just presented.

Let the passion you have for science show in your presentation.
Don't be afraid to show your geeky side, for instance, tell the audience why you loved a particular data set.

Conferences often use a hashtag to extend the experience on Twitter. In case you have a Twitter account, create a tweet with the hashtag about your talk and include a link to the research that your presenting. If it hasn't been published yet, you can include a link to your research page at your institute. This gives attendees and other interested readers an easy way to your research.

We hope these tips will help you in the future and we look forward to hosting a talk by you at a future conference.