now to G|ve an Academ|c 1a|k, vS.

0
aul n. Ldwards
School of lnformaLlon
unlverslLy of Mlchlgan
poe.people.sl.omlcb.eJo

1hls work ls llcensed under a CreaLlve Commons ALLrlbuLlon-nonCommerclal-ShareAllke 4.0 lnLernaLlonal
Llcense. 1he Lerms of Lhls llcence allow you Lo remlx, Lweak, and bulld upon Lhls work non-commerclally, as
long as you credlL me and llcense your new creaLlons under Lhe ldenLlcal Lerms.
Cuasl-permanenL u8L: hLLp://pne.people.sl.umlch.edu/ul/howLoLalk.pdf

now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 2
"#$ l wtote tbls essoy oo bebolf of boteJ ooJleoces evetywbete, ooJ lt bos beeo wlJely
cltcoloteJ oo tbe lotetoet. As o tesolt, l tecelve lotqe volomes of emoll tepoestloq belp wltb
pteseototloos. uofottoootely, my stoJeots bete ot tbe uolvetslty of Mlcblqoo ote oboot oll l coo
booJle, so pleose seek petsoool osslstooce elsewbete.

!"# %&'() %*+,#-.* !+)/

?ou've seen lL a hundred Llmes.

1he speaker approaches Lhe head of Lhe room and slLs down aL Lhe Lable. (oo coot see
blm/bet tbtooqb tbe beoJs lo ftoot of yoo.) S/he beglns Lo read from a paper, speaklng
ln a sofL monoLone. (oo coo botJly beot. 5ooo yoote ooJJloq off.) SenLences are long,
complex, and fllled wlLh [argon. 1he speaker emphaslzes compllcaLed deLalls. (oo
toplJly lose tbe tbteoJ of tbe tolk.) WlLh flve mlnuLes lefL ln Lhe sesslon, Lhe speaker
suddenly looks aL hls/her waLch. S/he announces - ln apparenL surprlse - LhaL s/he'll
have Lo omlL Lhe mosL lmporLanL polnLs because Llme ls runnlng ouL. S/he shuffles
papers, becomlng flusLered and confused. (5o Jo yoo, lf yoote stlll owoke.) S/he drones
on. llfLeen mlnuLes afLer Lhe scheduled end of Lhe Lalk, Lhe hosL remlnds Lhe speaker Lo
flnlsh for Lhe Lhlrd Llme. 1he speaker Lralls off lnconcluslvely and asks for quesLlons.
(1blo, pollte opploose floolly tooses yoo ftom JteomlooJ.)

Why do oLherwlse brllllanL people glve such soporlflc Lalks?

lor one Lhlng, Lhey're scared. 1he paLLern ls an undersLandable, lf dysfuncLlonal, reacLlon Lo
sLage frlghL. lL's easler Lo hlde behlnd Lhe armor of a wrlLLen paper - whlch you've had plenLy
of Llme Lo work Lhrough - Lhan Lo slmply sLand up and Lalk.

8uL second, and much more lmporLanL, lL's parL of academlc culLure - especlally ln Lhe
humanlLles and quallLaLlve soclal sclences. lL's embedded ln our language: we say we're golng Lo
"glve a paper." As a euphemlsm for a Lalk, LhaL's an oxymoron. lteseototloos ote oot jootool
ottlcles. 1hey're a compleLely dlfferenL medlum of communlcaLlon, and Lhey requlre a dlfferenL
seL of skllls. rofessors ofLen fall Lo recognlze Lhls. Lven more ofLen, Lhey fall Lo Leach lL Lo Lhelr
graduaLe sLudenLs.

Lverybody has Lo confronL sLage frlghL ln hls or her own way. 8uL academlc culLure ls someLhlng
we can dellberaLely change. 1hls arLlcle aLLempLs Lo [ump-sLarL LhaL process wlLh some polnLers
for effecLlve publlc speaklng.

01.2*.3)#4 5' 6''#*7.8# !+)/4

LlsLenlng ls hard work. Lspeclally aL conferences, where audlences llsLen Lo many Lalks over
many hours, people oeeJ tbe speokets belp Lo malnLaln Lhelr focus. 1herefore, any effecLlve Lalk
musL do Lhree Lhlngs:

(1) Commun|cate your arguments and ev|dence,
(2) ersuade your aud|ence that they are true, and
(3) 8e |nterest|ng and enterta|n|ng.

now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J J
ln our obsesslon wlLh persuaslve argumenLs and evldence, academlcs Loo ofLen forgeL abouL Lhe
Lhlrd lLem on Lhls llsL. SomeLlmes we Lhlnk lL follows auLomaLlcally from Lhe flrsL Lwo. (lL
doesn'L.) SomeLlmes we even scoff aL Lhe goal lLself. Some of us seem Lo belleve LhaL lf a Lalk ls
enLerLalnlng or easy Lo follow, lL's probably noL very deep. Lven more perversely, some of us
belleve LhaL lf a Lalk ls dense and dlfflculL Lo follow, lL's profound and lmporLanL.

1hese aLLlLudes are serlously mlsLaken. lL ls lmposslble Lo communlcaLe and persuade effecLlvely
wlLhouL enLerLalnlng as well. keeplng people lnLeresLed and lnvolved - enLerLalnlng Lhem -
maLLers because ln order Lo communlcaLe your work and lLs value, yoo oeeJ tbelt foll otteotloo.
1hls ls Lhe Lrue meanlng and slgnlflcance of enLerLalnmenL." ln an academlc Lalk, enLerLalnmenL
lsn'L abouL maklng your audlence laugh or dlsLracLlng Lhem from Lhelr Lroubles - lL's abouL
keeplng Lhem focused on and lnLeresLed ln whaL you have Lo say.

95-# :()#4 5' !"(-;

no rule applles always and everywhere. 8uL Lhe followlng prlnclples work almosL all Lhe Llme.


%&%'(() #*++*, %&%'(() -.,&*
1a|k kead
Stand S|t
Move Stand st|||
Vary the p|tch of your vo|ce Speak |n a monotone
Speak |oud|y, fac|ng the aud|ence Mumb|e, fac|ng downward
Make eye contact Stare at your |aptop
Iocus on ma|n po|nts Get |ost |n deta||s
Use out||nes, |mages, and charts nave no v|sua| a|ds
I|n|sh w|th|n your t|me ||m|t kun overt|me
kehearse Don't pract|ce because you're too busy
work|ng on the s||des
Summar|ze your ma|n po|nts at the
beg|nn|ng and end
Start w|thout an overv|ew, tra|| off
w|thout a conc|us|on
Not|ce your aud|ence and respond to
|ts needs
Ignore aud|ence behav|or
Lmu|ate exce||ent speakers Lmu|ate your adv|sor, even |f s]he
g|ves |ousy ta|ks


1hls llsL really says lL all, buL here's a llLLle dlscusslon abouL why Lhese prlnclples are so
lmporLanL.

now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 4
1a|k, rather than read. WrlLLen academlc language ls usually qulLe complex - far more complex
Lhan ordlnary speech. So whlle good academlc sLyle can make beauLlful teoJloq, LhaL
doesn'L LranslaLe lnLo beauLlful speokloq. WrlLLen senLences Lend Lo be long, wlLh many
clauses and arcane vocabulary LhaL become lmposslble Lo follow when read aloud.

/0123 45678 9:;3 36<= - you'll be easler Lo undersLand, and you'll make genulne conLacL wlLh
your audlence. lurLhermore, ulLlmaLely you'll Lhlnk more clearly. lf you can'L communlcaLe
your polnLs by Lalklng (wlLhouL readlng), how well do you really know whaL you wanL Lo say?

/01>3 4567 ?:<<53 @0A13;B 5A3C548 Cne Lhlng many novlce presenLers forgeL ls LhaL llsLenlng Lo
someone read bulleL polnLs off a sllde can be even more sLupefylng Lhan llsLenlng Lo Lhem
read a paper. ?our audlence wlll usually read Lhe enLlre sllde ln 10 seconds, far fasLer Lhan
you can read lL aloud. So don'L lnsulL Lhelr lnLelllgence by reclLlng lL Lo Lhem. lnsLead, use Lhe
bulleL polnLs malnly as memory [ogs, speak abouL Lhem and from Lhem, wlLhouL ever
acLually readlng Lhem aloud. lf you absoluLely musL read from a LexL - and as a beglnner
you may feel you have no oLher cholce - make your LexL dlfferenL from your slldes.

01#3+1.2< =5(1 !+)/

nack |t down to s|ze. lf you're baslng your Lalk on a flnlshed paper, you wlll have
Lo cuL large parLs of lL for Lhe Lalk. 1he mosL common mlsLake ln academlc
presenLaLlons ls Lo Lry Lo cram everyLhlng ln: Joot Jo lt.

100 words per m|nute. As a rule of Lhumb, mosL people Lalk aL abouL 100 words
per mlnuLe, so ln a 13 mlnuLe conference Lalk, you can say only abouL 1300
words. lf you were readlng aloud (whlch you shouldn'L), LhaL would be abouL 6
pages of double-spaced LexL ln 12-polnL fonL. So your flrsL sLep musL be Lo plan,
very carefully, exacLly whaL you wanL Lo say.

Make an out||ne. Cnce you have your plan, reduce lL Lo an ouLllne. ?ou can puL
Lhls on paper (as noLes for yourself), or on slldes (as bulleL polnLs), or ln Lhe
noLes secLlon of your presenLaLlon sofLware. ?our ouLllne needs [usL enough
deLall LhaL you can remember whaL Lo say, bot oo mote. An ldeal ouLllne
conslsLs of shorL phrases, raLher Lhan compleLe senLences (whlch wlll LempL you
Lo read Lhem aloud).

Cne good sLraLegy ls Lo go Lhrough your paper and collecL a serles of senLence
fragmenLs, Lhen rearrange Lhese unLll you've goL whaL you need. 1he ouLllne
vlew ln word processlng sofLware can be helpful for dolng Lhls.

Stand up. lf people are slLLlng ln rows, sLand up, even lf Lhere are only a few. 1hls leLs people ln
Lhe back rows see your face and hear you beLLer. (ku|e of thumb: lf you can'L see Lhelr
faces, Lhey can'L see yours.) SLandlng also puLs you ln a domlnanL poslLlon. 1hls sounds
pollLlcally lncorrecL, buL lL's noL. 8emember, you're Lhe focus. 1he audlence woots you Lo be
ln charge, so go ahead and Lake Lhe Lop-dog poslLlon, physlcally above Lhelr heads.

now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 5
*DE5@3A01: semlnar-sLyle presenLaLlons around a Lable wlLh only a few people (fewer Lhan
12-13). ln Lhls slLuaLlon, everyone can see you [usL flne, and sLandlng up wlll seem Loo
formal.

Move around. lL's easler Lo keep focused on someone who's movlng Lhan on a moLlonless
Lalklng head. Pand gesLures are good, Loo. uon'L heslLaLe Lo show your enLhuslasm for your
Loplc, lL's lnfecLlous.

lL's posslble Lo overdo Lhls one, Lhough. lf you leap around llke a rock sLar or sLab Lhe alr
wlLh rap hands, you'll dlsLracL people from Lhe conLenL of Lhe Lalk. Slmply walklng back and
forLh from one slde of Lhe room Lo Lhe oLher every 3-4 mlnuLes ls usually enough.

Vary the p|tch of your vo|ce. MonoLones are sleep-lnduclng. Many people don'L reallze Lhey do
Lhls. CeL a LrusLed frlend or colleague Lo llsLen Lo your dellvery and glve you honesL
feedback. (1hls ls an lmporLanL prlnclple ln lLself!) Lven beLLer, Lape or vldeoLape yourself
and check ouL how you sound.

Speak |oud|y and c|ear|y, fac|ng the aud|ence. 8e careful, especlally when uslng vlsual alds, LhaL
you conLlnue Lo face Lhe audlence when you speak. 1urnlng around Lo look aL your own
slldes can lead you Lo speak Lo Lhe screen. 1hls breaks your eye conLacL wlLh Lhe audlence
and muLes your volce. lnsLead, Lraln yourself Lo look aL slldes on your lapLop screen (and be
sure lL ls ln fronL of you, noL off Lo one slde or behlnd you.) lf you absoluLely musL look aL
Lhe maln screen, Lraln yourself Lo glance aL lL brlefly and Lurn lmmedlaLely back Lo Lhe
audlence.

1hls ls one reason why slmple, uncluLLered slldes wlLh mlolmol text are cruclal. lf you have
Loo much LexL, you'll have Lrouble keeplng Lrack of where you are ln Lhe Lalk.
now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 6


%;5(7 >5*+) !#*"2.?(#

ubllc speaklng ls much llke slnglng. lL Lakes a loL of alr. ?ou're golng for volume, range,
and effecL. ?ou wanL Lo flll Lhe whole room wlLh your volce, people ln Lhe back rows
musL be able Lo hear you clearly. Make a recordlng of yourself speaklng ln a large room.
uo you Lalk ln a monoLone? uo you mumble? uo you speak Loo fasL? uo you pro[ecL
confldence and auLhorlLy, or does every sLaLemenL come ouL soundlng llke a quesLlon?

Speak from the gut, not the throat. Learn abouL, and pracLlce, dlaphragmaLlc breaLhlng
(breaLhlng from Lhe belly, raLher Lhan Lhe chesL). nervousness Lends Lo make breaLhlng
shallow and rapld, buL whaL you need ls exacLly Lhe opposlLe. 8reaLhe deeply - lL's
necessary Lo generaLe volume, and wlll also help you keep your mlnd clear. lf you don'L,
you can acLually pass ouL from lack of oxygen. 8eally. lL's happened Lo me.

Speak at the bottom of your voca| range, lLs deepesL plLch. 1hls ls also your loudesL and
mosL commandlng Lone, and lL helps esLabllsh your leglLlmacy and auLhorlLy. (1hls can
be especlally lmporLanL for women.)

Coro||ary: avo|d "upta|k." upLalk ls a llngulsLlcs Lerm for endlng a senLence on a rlslng
lnLonaLlon, as we (Amerlcan Lngllsh speakers) usually do ln asklng a quesLlon. lL's
become common, especlally for younger people, Lo use Lhls lnLonaLlon when uLLerlng
sLaLemenLs as well. 1hls ls perfecLly flne ln ordlnary conversaLlon - buL lf you do LhaL ln
a presenLaLlon (or a [ob lnLervlew), lL sounds llke you aren'L sure of yourself, or llke
you're asklng your audlence for conflrmaLlon. lnsLead, end sLaLemenLs on a downward
lnLonaLlon, whlch sounds more confldenL and auLhorlLaLlve.

Most peop|e don't rea||ze how qu|et|y they speak. When you hlL an adequaLe volume,
you may feel llke you're shouLlng. lL's beLLer Lo be a blL Loo loud Lhan Loo quleL. Alm
your volce aL Lhe people ln Lhe lasL row, noL Lhose ln Lhe fronL. 1hls Lakes conslderable
pracLlce, especlally Lo malnLaln a sufflclenL volume LhroughouL a Lalk. lf sound
relnforcemenL (a mlcrophone) ls avallable, lL usually makes sense Lo use lL.

S||ence |s a cruc|a| e|ement of speech. A conLlnuous flow of sound soon becomes
soporlflc. SLop Lhe flow frequenLly by pauslng brlefly aL Lhe ends of senLences, or
beLween slldes. SomeLlmes people drone on because Lhey fear belng lnLerrupLed.
8emember: durlng a Lalk people probably aren'L golng Lo lnLerrupL you, and you're ln
conLrol anyway, so you don'L have Lo accepL lnLerrupLlons lf Lhey do happen.

1|p: use voca| "spec|a| effects." lor example: (1) Lcho key phrases. When you hlL a
phrase you wanL people Lo remember, "echo" lL: repeaL lL, once, Lhen move on. (2)
ause for a few seconds - LhaL's longer Lhan you may reallze - aL several polnLs ln
your Lalk. 1hls glves you a chance Lo slp some waLer, whlch wlll lubrlcaLe your LhroaL.
1hese long pauses wlll re-awaken anyone who's Luned ouL.

Make eye contact w|th your aud|ence. lf Lhls ls anxleLy-lnduclng for you, aL leasL pteteoJ Lo
make eye conLacL. lf you casL your gaze Loward Lhe back and sldes of Lhe room, people wlll
Lhlnk you're looklng aL someone, even lf you only look aL Lhe wall [usL above Lhelr heads.
AnoLher Lechnlque ls Lo locaLe a few frlendly-seemlng faces, aL dlfferenL places ln Lhe room,
and speak dlrecLly Lo Lhem, swlLchlng frequenLly from one Lo anoLher.
now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 7

'F0A7 G;A7A1H8G 8e careful noL Lo lgnore one slde of Lhe audlence. Many speakers slde"
unconsclously, looklng always Lo Lhe lefL or Lo Lhe rlghL half, or only Lo Lhe fronL or Lhe back,
of Lhe room. 8ecause lL forces you Lo sLand far Lo one slde or Lhe oLher, uslng a pro[ecLor
Lends Lo ampllfy Lhls effecL. Movlng back and forLh perlodlcally, from one slde of Lhe screen
Lo Lhe oLher, can mlnlmlze Lhls effecL.

Speakers also Lend Lo concenLraLe on Lhose who seem Lo be respondlng well (noddlng,
smlllng, eLc.). 1bls coo be o ttop. ln professlonal slLuaLlons, lL's ofLen Lhe people who are
frownlng, falllng asleep, or seemlng bored whom you mosL need Lo draw ln. lf looklng aL
Lhem dlrecLly makes you uneasy - and lL coo be exLremely flusLerlng - use Lhe Lechnlque
of casLlng your gaze [usL above Lhelr heads Loward Lhe back of Lhe room.

Iocus on ma|n po|nts. Lspeclally ln a conference slLuaLlon, where Lalks are shorL and yours ls
[usL one of many, your audlence ls noL golng Lo remember deLalls. ln such a slLuaLlon, less ls
more. Clve Lhem shorL, sLrlklng punch llnes" and/or brlef sLorles LhaL Lhey'll remember.
1hey can always read your wrlLLen work laLer, buL lf you don'L geL Lhem lnLeresLed and show
Lhem why lL's lmporLanL, Lhey won'L learn enough Lo woot Lo read lL.

Use v|sua| a|ds. 1hls ls among Lhe mosL lmporLanL prlnclples of all. AL a mlnlmum, have an
ouLllne of your Lalk. Some speakers seem Lo Lhlnk Lhey're glvlng everyLhlng away lf Lhey
show people whaL Lhey're golng Lo say before Lhey've sald lL. lnsLead, Lhe effecL of a good
Lalk ouLllne, well presenLed, ls exacLly Lhe opposlLe: lL makes your audlence curlous Lo hear
Lhe deLalls. AL Lhe same Llme, lL helps Lhem follow Lhe sLrucLure of your Lhlnklng.

Don't overuse v|deo. ln Lhe conLexL of a 43-mlnuLe Lalk, even one 3-mlnuLe vldeo cllp can seem
lnLermlnable. More Lhan one can make people wanL Lo scream. vldeos also break Lhe flow,
and eaL up Llme beLLer saved for your presenLaLlon. lf you really need vldeo for your Loplc,
edlL cllps Lo an absoluLe mlnlmum lengLh. Less Lhan one mlnuLe ls a good goal.

Attr|bute your sources on your s||des. Sllde presenLaLlons have become a form of quasl-
publlcaLlon. As wlLh anyLhlng ln else ln academla, be sure Lo clLe your sources - especlally
for lmages. lalr use glves you Lhe rlghL Lo re-use such Lhlngs for non-commerclal purposes,
so Lhere's no reason noL Lo clLe Lhe source. 8eaders should be able Lo flnd your sources
laLer, even years laLer, so always lnclude LlLles, names, and especlally daLes - noL [usL u8Ls,
whlch change frequenLly.
now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 8


%;5(7 01#4#27+7.52 95'7&+1#

Make s||des extreme|y conc|se and v|sua||y unc|uttered. Slldes should be seen as maps,
noL as LerrlLorles, Lhey're Lracklng devlces LhaL leL boLh you and your audlence follow
Lhe flow of Lhe Lalk. 1herefore, Lhey musL noL be overfllled. 6 llnes of LexL per sllde ls
plenLy, 9 llnes ls a loL, 12 llnes ls preLLy much unreadable. 8ulleL polnLs should be no
more Lhan 2-3 words - and Lhey should nC1 be compleLe senLences.

If you need more text, use more s||des. Cne of Lhe beauLles of sofLware ls LhaL you can
make as many slldes as you wanL. l've seen exLremely effecLlve presenLaLlons wlLh only
one word on mosL slldes, only one lmage on many oLhers. Why cram one sllde full of
LexL when you can make Lwo or Lhree uncluLLered slldes lnsLead?

Use |mages. eople are vlsual creaLures, and Lhe old adage LhaL a plcLure ls worLh a
Lhousand words ls especlally apropos here. lcLures, graphs, charLs, carLoons, and oLher
lmages can be exLremely helpful. As wlLh LexL, keep Lhem slmple and uncluLLered. Also,
avold dark lmages LhaL won'L show up well on a screen.

A|ways choose wh|te or ||ght-co|ored s||de backgrounds. Why? 1o see llghL LexL on dark
slldes, you'll have Lo Lurn down Lhe llghLs, or even Lurn Lhem off. 1hls makes lL hard Lo
see your noLes, Lhe podlum, eLc. Worse, lL wlll Lend Lo puL your audlence Lo sleep.
8eally. 8y conLrasL, dark LexL on llghL-colored slldes can usually be read wlLh llghLs on
and shades open. uon'L leL your hosL, or anyone else, manage Lhe llghLlng for you - Lell
Lhem you prefer Lo leave Lhe llghLs on. lf you can see lL, your audlence can probably see
lL Loo. lf ln doubL, walk Lo Lhe back of Lhe room and check.

keep the g||tz factor |ow. lades, LranslLlons, backgrounds, sound effecLs, and so on can
be a real plLfall. CllLzlng up your presenLaLlons can Lurn lnLo a serlous Llme slnk,
deLracLlng from Lhe far more lmporLanL Llme you spend on conLenL. Also, Lhey can glve
your audlence Lhe lmpresslon LhaL you care more abouL surface Lhan subsLance. llnally,
Lhey can cause breakdowns durlng Lhe presenLaLlon lf Lhey don'L work as you expecL
Lhem Lo - whlch wlll be ofLen. noLhlng lrrlLaLes an audlence more Lhan waLchlng
somebody flddle franLlcally wlLh a compuLer ln Lhe mlddle of a Lalk. So keep everyth|ng
bas|c, aL leasL unLll you've compleLely masLered Lhe sofLware. Alwoys ptoctlce tbe flool
vetsloo.

1a|k to the aud|ence, not the screen. Cne of Lhe worsL presenLer mlsLakes ls Lo face Lhe
screen whlle Lalklng. lf you do Lhls, Lhe audlence wlll be looklng aL your back, and Lhey
won'L be able Lo hear you. lnsLead, have your lapLop, or a paper verslon of your noLes, ln
fronL of you. Speak from LhaL, raLher Lhan from Lhe slldes on Lhe screen. 1hls Lakes
pracLlce, pracLlce, and more pracLlce. Lveryone else ls sLarlng aL Lhe screen, so you may
flnd yourself drawn Lo sLare aL lL Loo.

Death by owero|nt. ln recenL years, owerolnL's bulleL-llsL sLrucLure has been so
overused LhaL lL can be more of a Lurn-off Lhan a faclllLaLor. lf you are confldenL enough,
a very effecLlve Lechnlque ls Lo speak only from lmages, charLs, flgures, eLc., wlLh
mlnlmal LexL and no bulleL polnLs. rlnLed noLes, keyed Lo Lhe slldes, can gulde you
Lhrough whaL you wanL Lo say. uon'L make yourself a slave Lo Lhe sofLware - use lL
creaLlvely!
now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 9


Summar|ze your ta|k at the beg|nn|ng and aga|n at the end. 1ell 'em whaL you're gonna Lell
'em, Lell 'em, and Lell 'em whaL you Lold 'em": Lhls anclenL prlnclple sLlll holds. lollowlng
Lhls rule helps your audlence geL your maln polnLs. Lven more lmporLanL, lL helps Lhem
temembet whaL you sald - whlch ls, afLer all, why you're Lhere. ?ou can be creaLlve abouL
how you glve such an ouLllne, a few phrases can do Lhe whole [ob, poslng a puzzle or a
problem you're abouL Lo solve and showlng Lhe way Lo Lhe soluLlon.

1a|ks need a sense of an end|ng. ?ou'll develop your own sLyle of dolng Lhls. Make lL
compleLely clear when you are concludlng (show a sllde headed Concluslons", say Lo
conclude..." or Lo sum Lhls up..."). Lven more lmporLanL, Lhough, you need a flnal senLence
LhaL really soooJs llke an endlng, by belng spoken slowly and dellberaLely, wlLh a downward
lnLonaLlon. racLlce Lhls before Lhe Lalk. AfLer your flnal senLence, say someLhlng shorL and
slmple, such as 1hank you," and Lhen sLop Lalklng and wolt for applause. (lf you're nervous,
lL can be LempLlng Lo Lry Lo flll Lhe 2 seconds of sllence LhaL ofLen occurs aL Lhls polnL.
uon'L.)

I|n|sh w|th|n your t|me ||m|t. uon'L dlsrespecL your audlence by runnlng overLlme. Nevet go
longer Lhan 43-30 mlnuLes - mosL people's maxlmum aLLenLlon span. lf you exceed Lhls
llmlL, you'll lose Lhem aL Lhe cruclal polnL, namely your concluslon. WhaLever Lhe Llme llmlL,
respecL lL.

ln conference seLLlngs, exceedlng your Llme llmlL ls also lncredlbly rude, slnce lL cuLs lnLo
oLher speakers' alloLLed Llme and/or Lhe dlscusslon perlod. lf an lneffecLlve panel chalr falls
Lo resLraln a speaker who runs over, walL a couple of mlnuLes, Lhen lnLerrupL (pollLely) and
say someLhlng llke "l'm sorry, buL l'd llke Lo be sure we have enough Llme for my Lalk as
well." no one wlll hold LhaL agalnsL you. CLhers are cerLalnly Lhlnklng Lhe same Lhlng, and
your lnLervenLlon wlll be greeLed (by mosL people) wlLh rellef.

Never draw attent|on to t|m|ng prob|ems. lf you do run shorL on Llme, Lry Lo avold saylng
anyLhlng abouL lL. 1alklng abouL your own Llmlng wasLes words and makes your apparenL
lack of preparaLlon Lhe maln focus. lnsLead, [usL pause, gaLher yourself, Lake a deep breaLh
and a drlnk of waLer, and make some ad[usLmenLs so you can flnlsh on Llme: sklp slldes, say
less abouL each one, [ump Lo Lhe concluslon.
now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 10


%;5(7 !.-.2<

1lmlng a Lalk well ls among Lhe mosL cruclal of presenLaLlon skllls. noLhlng's more
embarrasslng, or more dlfflculL, Lhan geLLlng only halfway Lhrough your Lalk before
hlLLlng Lhe Llme llmlL.

ract|ce, pract|ce, pract|ce. 1he only way Lo be sure you Llme Lhlngs rlghL ls Lo rehearse
your Lalk: every word of lL, exoctly os yoo ploo to Jellvet lt. 1lmlng ls a compllcaLed,
learned sklll LhaL requlres a loL of pracLlce - so pracLlce where lL's easy and
comforLable, l.e. aL home, or wlLh oLher sLudenLs.

Use a t|m|ng dev|ce. Clocks and analog waLches are hard Lo use, because lf you sLarL aL
(say) 4:09 you'll have Lo keep dolng menLal maLh Lo flgure ouL how much Llme remalns.
1hls ls surprlslngly dlfflculL when you're nervous.

SmarLphone Llmer apps wlLh large, brlghL numbers are a beLLer alLernaLlve. Powever,
Lhese only work lf (a) you remember Lo use Lhem, (b) Lhe numbers are large and brlghL
enough Lo read easlly whlle you're Lalklng, and (c) you're paylng aLLenLlon, so you can
Lurn off Lhe Llmer before lL beglns Lo beep.

owerolnL's resenLer 1ools" (Mac only) has an lnLegraLed sLopwaLch LhaL sLarLs
when you open Lhe Lalk. 1hls ls a greaL way Lo keep close Lrack of your Llme. 1he
problem, once agaln, ls rememberlng Lo resLarL Lhe sLopwaLch aL Lhe beglnnlng of your
Lalk.

Deve|op a standard s||de. ?ou can develop your sense of Llmlng by always uslng Lhe
same sllde formaL. AfLer you've glven a few dlfferenL Lalks uslng Lhe same formaL, a llLLle
maLh wlll Lell you how many mlnuLes lL usually Lakes you Lo Lalk Lhrough one sllde. lrom
Lhere, you can esLlmaLe Lhe duraLlon of a new Lalk from Lhe number of slldes.

Dec|de |n advance what you can sk|p. Make an unobLruslve mark on dlspensable slldes,
lf you need Lo, Lhen drop Lhem lf you run behlnd. lf you do run shorL on Llme, always
sklp slldes ln Lhe mlddle and [ump Lo Lhe concluslon so you can spend enough Llme on
LhaL. Nevet [usL plow ahead, Lrylng Lo cram lL all ln. ?ou'll only succeed ln lrrlLaLlng your
audlence and forclng your hosL Lo cuL you shorL. 1hls can only end badly.

1|p: Say you have 20 mlnuLes Lo Lalk. When you're rehearslng, mark your noLes or slldes
when you hlL Lhe 3, 10, and 13 mlnuLe polnLs, maybe also Lhe 18-mlnuLe polnL. 1haL way
you won'L be caughL by surprlse lf you sLarL Lo run overLlme.

About |mprov|s|ng: unLll you've really masLered presenLlng, oevet, evet Lry Lo lmprovlse
durlng a Lalk. 1hls doesn'L mean you can'L lnLerrupL yourself Lo Lell a [oke or a sLory, or
dlgress a blL from Lhe maln Lhread - Lhose can be lmporLanL Lechnlques for
enLerLalnlng your audlence, keeplng Lhelr aLLenLlon, and showlng your human slde.
WhaL lL does mean ls LhaL yoo most tebeotse tbose tbloqs os well, becoose tbey toke
tlme. lf you haven'L pracLlced Lhem, you won'L have any ldea how long Lhey Lake (usually
a loL longer Lhan you Lhlnk). Llke a professlonal comedlan or acLor, you need Lo pracLlce
evetytbloq you plan Lo do - lncludlng Lhlngs you wanL your audlence Lo Lhlnk you're
lmprovlslng.

now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 11
Not|ce your aud|ence and respond to needs. lf people seem Lo be falllng asleep, or geLLlng
resLless or dlsLracLed, Lhe problem may noL be you or your Lalk. ls Lhe room Loo hoL or Loo
cold? ls lL Loo dark, or Loo nolsy? Can people see you? ls Lhe mlcrophone noL worklng? ls
someLhlng ouLslde Lhe room dlsLracLlng people? uon'L heslLaLe Lo sLop Lalklng ln order Lo
solve Lhese problems.

AlLernaLlvely, you may need Lo speak louder, or you may have gone on Loo long. WhaLever
Lhe case, noLlce whaL's happenlng and use lL as feedback. lf you can'L flgure ouL why your
audlence ls respondlng poorly, ask somebody laLer and flx Lhe problem nexL Llme.

lf you're noL sure wheLher people can see or hear, ask someone ln Lhe back row dlrecLly
wheLher Lhey can hear you. 1hls ls also a good Lechnlque for seLLlng up lnlLlal
communlcaLlon wlLh your audlence. lL makes llsLeners feel lncluded, and puLs you ln Louch
wlLh Lhem as human belngs.

1|p: 1ak|ng charge of the ta|k env|ronment |s part of your [ob as a speaker. Nevet leL oLhers
conLrol room condlLlons ln ways noL Lo your llklng. lor example, many "helpful" audlence
members reacL Lo Lhe use of a pro[ecLor by [umplng up Lo Lurn off llghLs and close wlndow
shades. unless Lhls ls Lruly necessary, avold lL aL all cosLs, especlolly aL conferences, whlch
ofLen Lake place ln exceedlngly dlm hoLel meeLlng rooms.


@+2,).2< A(#47.524

As wlLh everyLhlng else, spendlng some Llme anLlclpaLlng llkely quesLlons and preparlng
your answers can reduce your anxleLy and lmprove your performance. racLlclng wlLh a
llve audlence and encouraglng Lhem Lo ask quesLlons ls Lhe besL way Lo do Lhls.

Get he|p from the aud|ence. SomeLlmes you flnd a quesLlon lncomprehenslble, elLher
because lL ls poorly expressed or because Lhe speaker's Lngllsh (or your own) lsn'L LhaL
greaL. ln cases llke Lhese, don'L heslLaLe Lo say l'm noL sure l undersLand Lhe quesLlon.
Can someone help me?" 1hls glves oLher audlence members permlsslon Lo LranslaLe,
usually someone wlll be able Lo repeaL or reformulaLe Lhe quesLlon.

no|d someth|ng |n reserve. MosL Lalks are based on arLlcles, book chapLers, eLc. lnsLead
of Lrylng Lo cram everyLhlng from Lhe wrlLLen plece lnLo your Lalk - whlch ls probably
lmposslble anyway - hold back some of Lhe lnLeresLlng secondary polnLs, daLa, or
deLalls. 1hls sLraLegy ensure LhaL you'll sLlll have someLhlng Lo say afLer Lhe formal Lalk
ends. SomeLlmes l wlll end Lhe formal Lalk wlLh a black sllde, buL leave several more
slldes walLlng behlnd lL for Lhlngs l wanL Lo Lalk abouL LhaL l couldn'L flL ln. Clad you
asked! 1haL remlnds me LhaL l wanLed Lo say someLhlng abouL..."

D|vert d|ff|cu|t quest|ons. Cbvlously, you should Lry Lo answer all quesLlons on Lhelr
own Lerms lf you can. 8uL whaL do you do lf you geL sLumped? My own bellef ls LhaL lf
you don'L know Lhe answer Lo a quesLlon, you should say so - buL lf LhaL's oll you do,
your response wlll be seen as a fallure. lnsLead, say someLhlng llke Lhls: 1haL's a very
lnLeresLlng quesLlon. l'm noL sure l have a good answer rlghL now, buL your quesLlon
makes me remember LhaL l wanLed Lo say a few words abouL x...." 1hen flll ln Lhe x"
wlLh one of Lhe polnLs you've held back - ldeally, of course, one LhaL connecLs Lo Lhe
quesLlon somehow.
now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 12
keep contro| of the ta|k s|tuat|on. SomeLlmes people wlll lnLerrupL you durlng your Lalk. lf lL's
[usL a clarlfylng quesLlon and lL's shorL, flne - answer lL and move on. 8uL much more Llme-
consumlng and flusLerlng slLuaLlons can occur. Some groups and/or lndlvlduals have
repuLaLlons as dlfflculL audlences, some academlc culLures (e.g. economlcs) encourage
crlLlcal commenLs ln Lhe mlddle of Lalks, as a LesL for Lhe speaker. 1ry Lo flnd ouL ln advance
whaL Lhe audlence wlll be llke. lf you know abouL such lssues, you can prepare.

MosL dlfflculL of all ls when somebody [umps ln repeaLedly wlLh long, angry-soundlng
commenLs or conLenLlous argumenLs ln Lhe mlddle of your Lalk. 1hls can be exLremely
dlsLurblng, especlally for grad sLudenLs aL Lhe boLLom of Lhe professlonal hlerarchy.
Aotlclpote tbls and plan a sLraLegy for malnLalnlng conLrol. unllke soccer games, Lalk perlods
don'L geL exLended Lo make up for Llme-ouLs. ?ou can'L afford Lo spend flve or Len mlnuLes
on a dlgresslon ln Lhe mlddle of your presenLaLlon, because you won'L geL LhaL Llme back.

1he besL Lechnlques l've found are Lhe followlng. llrsL, lf lnLerrupLlons are becomlng a
problem, casL a glance aL whomever ls chalrlng Lhe conference sesslon, or your sponsor aL a
[ob Lalk. lf you're lucky, LhaL person wlll lnLervene on your behalf. Second, you can walL
pollLely unLll Lhe ouLbursL sLops, Lhen say as calmly as posslble someLhlng llke: 1hank you
for your commenL. l'd llke Lo respond, buL lf you don'L mlnd l'll hold LhaL for Lhe quesLlon
perlod."

?our lasL alLernaLlve Lakes nerves of sLeel, buL someLlmes Lhere's no oLher cholce. ?our
LormenLor seems deLermlned Lo drone on for Len mlnuLes and nobody seems wllllng Lo sLop
hlm/her. 1hls ls when you need Lo say loudly buL flrmly, as auLhorlLaLlvely as you can: Slr
(or madam), please allow me Lo flnlsh my Lalk." ause for a long beaL, Lhen slmply proceed
and lgnore furLher lnLerrupLlons from LhaL person. 8emember, probably everyone ln Lhe
audlence ls feellng your paln and wlshlng for a graceful way ouL of Lhe slLuaLlon. lf you can
musLer Lhe courage Lo shuL Lhe heckler down, oLhers wlll plle on, and you'll be saved.

1est everyth|ng, |nc|ud|ng the room. Some rooms presenL speakers wlLh uncomforLable or
unusual slLuaLlons, such as sLeeply raked seaLlng LhaL makes you feel llke you're ln a plL, or a
podlum LhaL ls 30 feeL away from Lhe fronL row of seaLs. Show up aL Lhe Lalk slLe aL leasL 13
mlnuLes early - 30 mlnuLes lf posslble - Lo check equlpmenL, mounL and LesL your slldes,
scope ouL Lhe room, and geL comforLable ln Lhe seLLlng. Walk around, Lalk ouL loud, and
spend a llLLle Llme lmaglnlng yourself glvlng Lhe Lalk. 1ry Lo anLlclpaLe how lL wlll feel and
how you mlghL need Lo ad[usL your performance Lo flL Lhe slLuaLlon.

Get 1S m|nutes of qu|et t|me before the ta|k. A good hosL wlll plan for you Lo have aL leasL
30 mlnuLes alone lmmedlaLely before your Lalk, durlng whlch you can seL up, geL famlllar
wlLh Lhe room, and revlew your noLes or slldes. lf a break ls noL on your schedule, Lell your
hosL LhaL you really need one and ask Lo have your schedule revlsed. lL's besL Lo Lake Lhe 13
mlnuLes before your Lalk ln a dlfferenL room, so LhaL arrlvlng audlence members won'L blow
your concenLraLlon. SomeLlmes a hosL wlll hang around and keep Lalklng Lo you whlle you're
Lrylng Lo gaLher yourself and revlew your noLes, lf Lhls happens, ask pollLely buL dlrecLly for a
few mlnuLes alone. uurlng your quleL Llme, remember Lo breaLhe. ?ou're golng Lo need
well-oxygenaLed blood when you sLand up Lo face Lhe audlence.


now to Clve oo AcoJemlc 1olk, v. 5.0 lool N. JwotJs, uecembet 201J 1J

B(13"=C4 D+& +33).#4 ,.1#*7)= 75 "#$% 3)+22.2< '51 ,.4+47#1

CompuLers and pro[ecLors lnLroduce many posslble polnLs of fallure lnLo presenLaLlons.
So Murphy's Law - "whaLever can go wrong, wlll go wrong" - applles ln spades, and lL
applles dlrecLly Lo you. SomeLhlng can, and very ofLen does, go wrong wlLh Lhe
compuLer, Lhe pro[ecLor, Lhe sofLware, Lhe connecLor cables, your Lhumb drlve, or your
presenLaLlon lLself. never assume LhaL whaL works on a C wlll work on a Mac, or vlce
versa. ?ou also can'L assume your hosL wlll have Lhe same verslon of owerolnL (or
keynoLe, eLc.) LhaL you do. lnqulre ln advance.

8e prepared to use your own computer. l always prefer Lo pro[ecL from my own
machlne, because l know lLs qulrks and l know exacLly how Lo connecL lL. ?ou may prefer
Lo use your hosL's - buL brlng your own and be prepared Lo use lL, [usL ln case.

8r|ng backup. 8adness can always happen. My hard dlsk drlve once crashed -
permanenLly - on sllde number 3 of a one-hour Lalk. 1hls klnd of Lhlng noL only coo
happen Lo you, lL wlll happen Lo you, Lhe quesLlon lsn'L wheLher, buL when. So: lf you
use a compuLer, a|ways br|ng backup. 1haL's backup, backup, backup. 8egln maklng
backups several days before Lhe Lalk, lf noL sooner. use a uS8 Lhumb drlve. uropbox ls
also good - buL neLwork backup lsn'L enLlrely rellable (LhaL can break Loo!) Cn Lhe day
of Lhe Lalk, keep Lhe Lhumb drlve ln a pockeL or hang lL around your neck. 1haL way,
even lf somebody sLeals your bag or your lapLop, you've sLlll goL Lhe backup.

8r|ng pr|nted notes. lf Lhe pro[ecLor commlLs sulclde ln Lhe mlddle of your Lalk, you'll
have no Llme aL all Lo flx lL. none. So: olwoys be ptepoteJ to Jellvet yoot tolk wltboot
ooy sllJes as a lasL resorL. 1hls ls where you wlll really be glad you broughL prlnLed
noLes. Speaklng wlLhouL slldes ls one Lhlng, buL speaklng wlLh no noLes aL all ls a sklll
only Lhe greaLesL presenLers ever masLer.

Lmu|ate exce||ent speakers. 1he very besL way Lo become an excellenL speaker yourself ls Lo
waLch really good, experlenced speakers and model your Lalks on Lhelrs. l'm sure your
advlsor ls a greaL Lhlnker or sclenLlsL. Sadly, Lhls does noL necessarlly LranslaLe auLomaLlcally
lnLo greaL publlc speaklng. Academla ls crawllng wlLh lousy speakers, so you may have Lo
look hard Lo flnd a Lruly greaL role model.

When you do flnd role models, noLlce noL [usL whaL Lhey say, buL whaL Lhey Jo. how Lhey
move, how Lhey use Lhelr volces, how Lhey look aL Lhe audlence, how Lhey handle Llmlng
and quesLlons. (Caut|on: lL's lmporLanL Lo flnd someone ln your fleld Lo emulaLe. CreaL
pollLlcal speaklng sLyles, Lelevlslon-personallLy sLyles, eLc. don'L usually work well ln
academlc seLLlngs. 8especL Lhe speaklng convenLlons of your own soclal world.)

lf you flnd an excellenL model and work hard Lo emulaLe LhaL person, you can'L go wrong.
?our own sLyle wlll come ln Llme.

D+47 &51,4E

ract|ce everyth|ng. 1est everyth|ng. |an for d|saster. keep contro| of the s|tuat|on.
And above a||, be yourse|f your aud|ence |s there to hear I0:.