Communicating your work effectively is the cornerstone of success in science. Whether you are giving an in-house Works in Progress or an International Investigator Award talk, how you organize and present your information can influence how your audience perceives your work. Motivating and engaging a broad audience is difficult to accomplish with just data. To make your data rich presentations “come alive” you need to make sure you and your message, and not your PowerPoint slides, take center stage.

1. Key Success Factors to Communicate
Research Data Effectively
Brought to you by Principal
Investigators Association
Expert comments provided by
Rick Parmely, founder of
Polished and Professional LLC.
www.principalinvestigators.org
Phone: 1-800-303-0129
Email: info@principalinvestigators.org
Public Speaking For Scientists

2. I struggle with converting my research results and data
into interesting discussions at national meetings.
Are there any tips that can help me to enliven my
presentations and still keep a focus on the meat of my
research – the data?
Reader question:

3. Many presenters we hear at national meetings do
struggle to provide more than a recitation of facts and
data. To a large degree, audiences have even come
to expect that a serious research project will contain
facts, figures, plots, and tables, and little else.
ExpertComments:
By Rick Parmely

4. While presenting your data is essential,
audience engagement does not have to
suffer when revealing results of great
research.
What can
be done?

5. to appreciate a basic principle
It is necessary
at the outset
of all public speaking:

6. In order to appeal to
the mind of a listener
you must first find a way
to appeal to the
Heart

7. If the heart is not engaged,
the mind starts to wander.
Once the mind of your listener starts to wander,
very little of what you say
will be heard or remembered.
Why?

8. So when you begin to build the outline for your next
presentation, ask yourself
What aspects of my research will touch the audience?
What key concepts absolutely must be communicated?
How can I tell the story of where we began this project, who was
involved, what has been accomplished by others, and how important
the completion of this project is to the science or to people’s lives?
What data must be presented to tell that story?
What can the listener take away from my discussion?
these questions
Answering these questions will enable you to develop the
“skeleton,” the outline, from which you can then build a
powerful talk.

9. of your
skeleton
outline!
Now, start putting “meat on the bones”

10. Develop a story
from history, a recent news item,
an observation in nature or
another event that illustrates the
essence of your talk.

11. Hold your presentation to a few
main points and then limit your
data to only the essential graphs,
charts and tables that support those
few key points.

12. Further involve the audience with well-planned
questions that cause them to think and stay engaged.
This That
or

13. Finally, don’t forget a
powerful conclusion!

14. Often, we as speakers end with
one slide containing one word:
Questions?

15. Ideally, questions will be
entertained and answered
throughout your talk. However,
if the meeting format does not
allow for that, but you are still
seeking to elicit audience
questions and feedback at the
end of your talk, does that
eliminate the need for an
effective conclusion?

16. NO!

17. In this case, the wise presenter
still concludes powerfully, either
just before the Q and A section or
immediately afterward. Why? The
last words spoken will stay in the
mind of the listener the longest. So
make those words your best words!

18. Now Try It!

19. Develop an outline
with a few key points,
wrapping the entire
presentation in a
reasonable story or
illustration.

20. Apply simplicity to
your data; avoid
delivering data that is
not critical to your
argument or data
that lacks clarity.
And
finally

21. Tying the many parts together
into a neat, cohesive package.
CONDLUDE
POWERFULLY!

22. With these few tips, your
talk will actively engage
your audience and your
presentation will indeed
be a great success!

23. Rick Parmely
Polished and
Professional, LLC
Services:
On-site communications training, recording
and analysis of communications and
presentations.
Call or Email Rick to set up individualized
training or invite him to speak at your
department and university.
www.polishednprofessional.com
rick@polishednprofessional.com
Phone: 814-470-0598

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25. A wRITING gUIDE
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This 90-page guide has been
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26. During this insightful Webinar, your
expert presenter will highlight the key
steps and practical tips you can apply
to become a successful presenter at
regional and national scientific
conferences.
During this interactive Webinar your
expert presenter will explore how
scientists can effectively present data
and results in an exciting, convincing
manner.
In this detail-oriented Webinar, we will
explore the aspects of developing
content aimed at producing
PowerPoint slides that are properly
formatted to achieve high-impact
results.
Learn More
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
Award Wining
Communication for
Scientists
How to Give an Award
Winning Data Rich
Presentation
How to Design a High-
Impact PowerPoint
Presentation
How to Prepare and Give Award-Winning
1 2 3
Webinar Pack