Academic Presentation
Academic Presentation #1: Start with One Clear Message
Start with One Clear Message
A good research talk gives the audience a clear answer to a useful question.
LESSON 01 OF 08 · READ + PRACTISEYou may have worked on a project for two years. Your audience may have only ten minutes. You cannot show every test, equation, and failed idea. First decide what you want people to remember after they leave the room.
THE IDEA IN ONE PICTURE
Swipe across the diagram to see the full picture.
Begin with the listener
Ask three questions: Who will listen? What do they already know? What do they need to understand? A specialist may know your method. A student from another field may need a simple diagram and a short definition. Explain an unfamiliar term when you first use it. For example: “Thermal conductivity tells us how easily heat passes through a material.”
Write the answer before making slides
A topic is “Cooling systems.” A message is “In our test, wider channels reduced the maximum temperature.” The second sentence tells us what you found. Include a condition such as “in our test” when your evidence is limited. Do not promise that one result works in every device.
Build a path to that answer
Give the problem, the question, the essential method, the result, and its meaning. This is a path for the listener; it does not need to follow the order in which you did the research. Keep details that help people judge your answer. Put extra calculations in backup slides for questions.
WATCH A REAL EXAMPLE · RESEARCH COMPETITION EXCERPT
A clearer purpose: use less energy to dry paper
Watch a researcher connect an everyday material to an engineering problem. This excerpt comes from a longer competition recording; it is not the whole event.
Use the YouTube link if the player does not load. Turn on English captions in the player settings when available; automatic captions may contain errors.
What to notice
- 37:04–37:40: Find the practical problem before the technical explanation.
- 38:18–39:15: Listen for the proposed approach and the difference between projected improvements and initial results.
Try it: In one sentence, explain what the research is trying to improve. Leave out jokes and specialist terms.
Check your viewing task
The research aims to reduce the energy needed to dry paper. A clear summary gives the problem and purpose; projected savings should not be reported as established results.
The player starts at 37:04 and stops at 39:15. The YouTube link starts at the same point; stop there yourself when watching on YouTube.
Video credit: Koushik Sampath · University of Minnesota · 2023 3MT winner. Source and attribution ↗
Your turn · 2-minute practice
Write one sentence beginning “After my talk, I want you to remember that…” Then choose three pieces of evidence that support it.
See a model answer or self-check
Example: “After my talk, I want you to remember that wider channels reduced the peak temperature under our test conditions.” Support it with the channel diagram, a fair comparison, and the temperature result.
Further reading: MIT Communication Lab: Slide Presentation.
Explore all eight lessons
Academic Presentation · Science & Engineering · Original teaching examples. Numerical examples are illustrative, not published research results.
同じコースの他のレッスン
Academic Presentation中級 / Intermediate
Academic Presentation #2: Open Clearly and Guide Your Audience
ACADEMIC PRESENTATION / MAKE THE PATH VISIBLEOpen Clearly and Guide Your AudienceHelp list…
Academic Presentation中級 / Intermediate
Academic Presentation #3: Design Slides People Can Read
ACADEMIC PRESENTATION / SHOW THE POINTDesign Slides People Can ReadLet the slide show the …
Academic Presentation中級 / Intermediate
Academic Presentation #4: Explain Graphs and Uncertainty
ACADEMIC PRESENTATION / MAKE EVIDENCE READABLEExplain Graphs and UncertaintyGuide the eye …