Oral Presentations


A scientific talk is an opportunity to both show and tell. If done properly, it provides your audience with knowledge presented in a way that best enables them to absorb and retain it.

Studies show that we retain much more of what we see than what we hear. If so, why give oral presentations at all? Why not simply prepare handouts, distribute them to an audience, wait while the information is read, and call for questions? In fact, why have meetings at all? With the advent of electronic presentation tools and high-speed Internet connectivity, why don’t we just have virtual meetings? There are several reasons besides “that’s just the way it’s done.” The primary reason is that studies also show that we retain best what we both see and hear together. A scientific talk is an opportunity to both show and tell. If done properly, it provides your audience with knowledge presented in a way that best enables them to absorb and retain it.

Thinking about why you give an oral presentation helps in defining how to give a good talk.

• Oral presentations are interactive experiences between the audience and the speaker. The speaker presents herself or himself, as well as the talk, to the audience. The speaker and the audience exchange signals. A speaker brings the subject to life for the audience through personal involvement and familiarity with it. Good interaction with the audience helps the delivery and aids the retention of the material by the audience.
  
  
• The audience has an opportunity to “meet” the speaker. For some members of the audience, there can be excitement in personally hearing a recognized authority in a given field. An introduction to a newcomer or lesser-known individual with something innovative and relevant to discuss is always interesting.