How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Presentation of the paper
How to present a paper orally
Conference communications

Most oral presentations are short (with a limit of 10 minutes at many meetings). Thus, even the theoretical content must be trimmed down relative to that of a written paper. No matter how well organized, too many ideas presented too quickly will be confusing. Stick to your most important point or result and stress that. There will not be time to present all your other neat ideas.

There are, of course, other, longer types of oral presentations. A typical time allotted for symposium presentations is 20 minutes. A few are longer. A seminar is normally 1 hour. Obviously, you can present more material if you have more time. Even so, you should go slowly, carefully presenting a few main points or themes. If you proceed too fast, especially at the beginning, your audience will lose the thread; the daydreams will begin, and your message will be lost.

Time limits for conference presentations tend to be strictly enforced. Therefore, carefully plan your presentation to fit the allotted time—lest you be whisked from the podium before you can report your major result. If possible, make your presentation a bit shorter than the limit (say, 9 or 9.5 minutes if 10 minutes are allotted) to accommodate unexpected slowdowns. Rehearse your presentation beforehand, both to make sure that it is the right length and to help ensure a smooth delivery. During your presentation, stay aware of the time. Perhaps indicate in your notes what point in the presentation you should have reached by what time so that you can adjust your pace if necessary.

A few more pointers on delivery: Speak very clearly and avoid speaking quickly, especially if the language in which you are presenting is not the native language of all the audience members. Remember to look at the audience. Show interest in your subject. Avoid habits that might be distracting—such as repeatedly saying “um” or “you know” or the equivalent from your native language. To polish your delivery, consider videoing rehearsals of one or more of your presentations.

Does stage fright plague you? Consider the following suggestions: Prepare well so you can feel confident, but do not prepare so much that you feel obsessed. To dissipate nervous energy, take a walk or take advantage of the exercise facilities in the conference hotel. Beware of taking in too much caffeine, food, or water before your talk. Hide physical signs of anxiety; for example, if your hands tremble under stress, do not hold papers. Realize that a presentation need not be flawless to be excellent. Perhaps most important, realize that the audience members are there not because they wish to judge your speaking style, but because they are interested in your research.

(“Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham. www.phdcomics.com)