How can you improve your scientific presentation by making it more focused and concise?

1 Define your goal and audience

Before you start designing your presentation, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and who you are talking to. What is the main message or take-home point of your presentation? What are the expectations and background knowledge of your audience? How much time do you have to deliver your presentation? These questions will help you narrow down your scope and tailor your content to suit your purpose and audience.

2 Structure your presentation

A well-structured presentation will help you organize your thoughts, guide your audience, and avoid unnecessary distractions. A typical presentation structure consists of three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. In the introduction, you should provide some context, motivation, and objectives for your presentation. In the body, you should present your main results, methods, and arguments, using logical transitions and clear headings. In the conclusion, you should summarize your main points, highlight your contributions, and suggest future directions or implications.

3 Simplify your slides

Your slides are a visual aid for your presentation, not a transcript or a report. Therefore, you should avoid cluttering your slides with too much text, data, or graphics. Instead, you should use simple and consistent design elements, such as fonts, colors, and layouts, to create contrast and hierarchy. You should also use clear and concise language, bullet points, and keywords, to emphasize your main points. Moreover, you should use relevant and effective visuals, such as graphs, charts, diagrams, or images, to illustrate your data or concepts, and avoid unnecessary or confusing details.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?