When talking to nonscientists, do you ever wonder if you’re overwhelming them with too much information, or just not quite answering their question?
If you notice your audiences are losing eye contact or checking their phones, these may be signs you need to step up your presentation. Here’s what to do to make your talk more compelling and relatable:
- Think about what questions you can pose to engage your audience.
- Explore what issues or topics might resonate with them.
- Get feedback. Invite them to share any experiences they’ve had when talking to other scientists to learn what resonates with them — and what doesn’t.
- Come up with a physical activity — even something as simple as simple body movement like standing up or squeezing hands — that the audience could do to break up the monotony of a long series of slides.
Adapted from answers provided by Suzanne Ffolkes and Scott Thompson in the Q&A portion of the webinar, Communicating Your Science to the Non-Expert: An Online Workshop.
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