Making Presentations

A scientific presentation is not a paper you read aloud. It is a performance — a curated, time-constrained experience designed to leave your audience with one clear idea they did not have before. The slides are props. You are the presenter. This guide covers how to make both work together.

Scientific Storytelling

Effective scientific communication is less about dry data and more about storytelling. Audiences remember facts that are embedded in a narrative far better than facts presented in isolation. To see why, consider two ways of describing the same discovery:

The second version is more memorable because it follows a recognisable structure: a setting, an obstacle, and a resolution. This structure maps directly onto the way every good research presentation should be organised.

The Research Spiral

Every presentation should guide the audience through five stages, in order:

1. Motivation. Why does this problem matter? This is the spark. Hook the audience with a compelling question, a striking statistic, or a real-world failure that demands a solution.
2. Setting. What do we already know? Briefly orient the audience in the state of the art — enough context to understand the gap.
3. Obstacle. What is missing? Identify the specific gap in knowledge or capability that your work addresses. This is the but in the story.
4. Action. What did you do? Present your method or approach — the hero's response to the obstacle.
5. Resolution. What happened? Show your results and explain what they mean for the field.

A useful shorthand for structuring any scientific argument is the ABT method (And–But–Therefore): describe what you know (and), what you don't know or what is broken (but), and your resolution (therefore). If you can compress your entire presentation into a single ABT sentence, you have a clear story. If you cannot, you probably don't yet.

Writing for scientific impact

The narrative structure applies not just to the overall arc, but to how you phrase each claim:

• Prioritise motivation. Always keep the "why" at the forefront. If the audience does not understand why something matters, they will not care about the how.
• Use conjunctions strategically. Words like but, however, and yet signal contrast and create narrative tension — the engine of a good story.
• Keep it simple. Short, clear sentences. If a sentence requires re-reading, it is too long.
• One slide, one idea. Each slide should have a single central point. If you find yourself writing "and also…", split the slide.

Slide Design

A slide is not a document. The moment your audience starts reading a slide, they stop listening to you. Your job is to make slides that complement your voice, not replace it.

Visuals over words

Replace text with figures and diagrams wherever possible. A well-designed figure communicates in milliseconds what a paragraph takes minutes to absorb.

Minimalism

• Aim for no more than 4 bullet points per slide, with no more than 4 words per bullet.
• Use white space deliberately. A crowded slide is a slide your audience has already tuned out.
• Maintain consistent layout, fonts, and colour throughout the entire deck.

The closing slide

Do not end with a "Thank you for your attention" slide. It is the most forgettable slide you can show — and the last slide your audience sees is the one they will stare at during Q&A. Use that slide wisely: end with a references and contacts slide that includes your email, key citations, and optionally a QR code to your paper or project page.

Directing Attention

Your audience's attention is finite and easily lost. Good presentations actively manage where that attention goes, rather than leaving it to chance.

Use animations purposefully

Animations are not decoration — they are a tool for controlling the flow of information. Use them to reveal content one piece at a time so the audience focuses on what you are currently talking about rather than skipping ahead. Examples include:

• Revealing bullet points one at a time as you speak.
• Highlighting specific elements in complex figures to draw the audience's attention to what you are discussing.

Structure and outline

Open with a clear outline slide and return to it at the transition between major sections. This gives the audience a map of where they are in the story — especially important in longer talks.

Delivery

• Never read from your slides. If you are reading, the audience can read faster than you speak. You become redundant.
• Face the audience, not the screen. Maintain eye contact. Glance at the slide to orient yourself, then look back at the people.
• Practise out loud. Reading through notes in your head is not practice. Speak the words. Time yourself. Find the moments where you hesitate — those are the moments you do not yet understand well enough.
• Manage your time. Running over time is disrespectful to the audience and the speakers after you. A shorter talk is acceptable; a longer talk is not. If you find yourself running out of time, cut the last few slides.