PRESennnnt Data!

My team of soon to be qualified molecular evolutionistas have finished their exams and have been requested and required to give a talk today, Tuesday. I sent them some Uncle Bob advice at the end of last week.

• You have 10 minutes + 5 for questions or 12+3
• be kind to your peers and think up a question to ask
• prime your BFF with a question so you can say "I'm glad you asked that"
• practice the timing in the bathroom (easier to mop up anxiety puddles)
• don't gabble, speak clearly, don't mumble
• The slides
• Title slide shd have title, yr name & affliiation, my (de gaffer) name
• swoopy transitions don't make the pres easier to follow
• never show more than 5 numbers on a slide in a table or otherwise
• never say "ignore these numbers, look at this one"
• be careful of coloured backgrounds/text, they may look readable on yr laptop  but on the  screen  blue=green
• you can't go wrong with black on white.
• Pictures sweeten the pill
• The rules of thumb are
• 1 slide for each minute
• not more than 5 b.points per sllde
• not more than 5 words per b.point
• the b,pts provide structure  / ToC, they are not a script
• therefore
• do not read the PPTs, we can do that fine on our own
• talk to the audience not the screen (easier if you're not reading from the screen)
• nobody is interested in how sharp your hair-cut is.
• don't get a hair-cut specially, the pres carries marks but only for content
• dress comfy: 
• smart casual (shows you care) better than 
• interview suit (shows you're desperate)
• relax, and knock 'em dead: 
• you each know something that nobody else on the planet knows.
• I'm looking forward!

And you Dear Reader, if you care about the genetic basis of Huntington's Disease; immunology in bats; olfactory receptors in whales <none!>;  viral diseases of sheep; muscle cramps in horses; genes associated with tuberculosis in cattle; OCD and trichotillomania; peculiarities of the immune system of the great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus; the evolution of Wolbachia in insects and nematodes; the role of TRAIL in apoptosis, OR the inventory of interferons in mammals . . . then come along but don't heckle from the back: it's disrespectful.