Tuesday 23 May 2017

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.

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