Seminar in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (694:483) Presentation Information

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Lecture: Wed 10:35-11:00 AM
Waksman, Rm. 1001

Course Instructors:
Dr. Sam Gunderson 445-1016
Dr. Garth Patterson 445-7181

Course Description • Syllabus • Grading System
Information on Giving a Talk • Presentation Critique

General Tips for the presentation of an effective research seminar.

Consider your seminar as an opportunity to improve your professional communication skills. They will be useful when you interview, whether it be at a company or Graduate or Medical school, and the interviewer asks you what your research project was on. These people will often be scientists and may have M.D's or Ph.D.'s as well, so it is important not to stumble your way through a description of your research project.

1. Organization. The key to an interesting and exciting presentation is good organization and a thorough understanding of the material. Choose only the crucial experiments (one or two) that answer the questions raised or critically test an hypothesis, i.e., only those that are essential for the understanding of your topic. A carefully conceived, deliberately and logically presented seminar will have a much greater impact on your audience than a detailed and exhaustive collection of figures and tables.

2. Overall your talk should be designed to be a coherent framework for presenting the material. Therefore carefully consider the following points.
	a. What you are trying to prove.
	b. The key experiments supporting the conclusions.
	c. Whether the evidence is sufficient to justify the conclusions.
	d. Additional experiments necessary to prove or disprove hypothesis.
3. Avoid jargon and unfamiliar phrases. Make sure you fully understand the material at the outset (get clarification of anything not understood from your P.I. or members of the laboratory).
4. Use of visual aids- make sure they are uncomplicated and easy to read and comprehend - avoid large tables of data and complicated figures that will confuse and dismay the audience.
	a. It is most effective to use simple graphic presentations or to draw straightforward schemes, graphs and tables that are clearly labeled.
	b. Clearly label all important parts of a Figure in simple, easily understood terms.
	c. If a blackboard is used, write clearly and plan sketches carefully for maximum clarity.
	d. Simple flow diagrams are useful for illustrating experimental plans.
5. Verbal communication- this is the most important part of your talk.
	a. Prepare a draft of your talk and read it to yourself several times so that important points are recognized and there is a smooth flow of statements from one part to another.
	b. Prepare an outline for yourself to aid in the presentation so that the talk need not be read and can be presented extemporaneously.
	c. Preview your seminar with your colleagues to get constructive criticism and feedback (it may be worthwhile to tape record your seminar).
6. During the presentation.
	a. Keep voice up, speak clearly with confidence and authority. Avoid delays in presentations when changing slides or overheads.
	b. Maintain eye contact with your audience and do not rush your presentation.
	c. Relax, don't be nervous.
	d. Limit amount of material.
	e. Ask if there are questions as you go along
	f. Allow at least 2 min per slide or transparency. This means:
	DO NOT RUSH THROUGH SLIDES AND TRANSPARENCIES AND REMOVE THEM BEFORE AUDIENCE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO ASSIMILATE THE MATERIAL.
7. Discuss material presented on summary slides rather than merely reading it, use voice dynamics to emphasize points.

HOW TO GIVE A TALK

For a general overview of the lab (which is for the Fall semester talk):

1) Describe the question the lab is interested in answering, or hypothesis the lab is trying to test or problem the lab is trying to solve. Explain relevance to human health. (e.g. "The Schmucker lab is interested in understanding how transcription is regulated because regulation of transcription is a major way that cells adapt appropriately to the external environment.")

2) Give brief background on what is already known regarding item 1 above.

3) Experimental approach used by lab (e.g. study interaction of X with Y and how they relate to Z; or structural approaches, genetics etc..)

4) At least one example of results that the lab has gotten that relate to 1 and 3. (if there are no results then use a hypothetical example) and explain briefly the technique.

5) What the results mean, in terms of the question in 1.

6) What your project is and how it relates to the above.

7) References.

Almost every time you show a slide, you should talk about the following four things:

This will result in a more effective presention and force you to clarify and organize your thinking. These points are applicable no matter whose lab you work in, and apply whether you are giving the introduction, presenting an experiment, or describing future plans. The points are not meant to be rigidly followed. You may have an occasional slide that does not conform, but it should be exceptional, and you should have a rationale for why it doesn't.

1) Purpose of the slide. What is important about the slide? Why are you showing it? What do you want the listeners to remember about it? e.g. "My project involves NMR, so I want to use this slide to define what NMR is." or "I am studying regulation of splicing, so I would like to introduce the general mechanism of splicing".

2) Explanation of the slide. What is actually on the slide? "This slide shows a diagram of an NMR machine and an example of the output." or "this slide is a cartoon that shows the proteins and protein RNA complexes that are bound to the pre-mRNA during splicing".

3) Description of what is on the slide (Here you would actually lead the listeners through the material on the slide, explaining all of the elements).

4) Conclusion/Take-home. Describe how the facts in part 3 relate to the point you made in part 1, or state what is important to remember about the slide with reference to the Purpose you described in part 1 or transition to the next slide (what you need to remember from this slide to understand the next slide).