Author: Will Hancock
Because you only have 10 or 12 minutes, you need to be concise. Limit intro slides, and clearly state the goals of the project
early in your talk, and at the end tie results and future directions into goals.
Limit the number of slides, one rule of thumb is 1 slide per minute.
Don’t repeat the title of your talk, but do introduce yourself. Don’t use an outline slide. If you need to, go over the
outline verbally on your title slide.
Every slide needs to have a message you can state in one declarative sentence. Sometimes this statement can be the title
of the slide.
Beforehand, make sure your PowerPoint file and all of your movies run properly on the computer you will using to
present the talk. Also, learn how to use the remote control mouse.
Limit the amount of text on your slide. This isn’t simply the reiteration of a paper. It is very unsatisfying to listen to a
talk where the speaker is just reading long passages of text off of their slides. One reason that students have text-rich
slides is that they don’t have the confidence they will remember what to say. Trust yourself and practice.
Use bullet points for text and make efficient use of figures and diagrams. If you need to put a lot of text into your slides
when you’re putting them together in PowerPoint, put it into the notes section (at the bottom) for your reference. We would
rather hear you say it than read it.
Don’t put material on your slide that you don’t talk about. Clear out the clutter.
Be sure that the legend titles and values on your graphs are large enough to read at the back of the room. Explain the axes
of graphs. All axes have titles, numbers, and units!
All pictures (microscope, EM, etc) should have a labeled dimension bar.
In general, any data value presented should have an SD or SEM value associated with it.
Do not use jazzy PowerPoint backgrounds. They divert attention and make you look like someone who either has never
given a PowerPoint talk or is trying to deceive the audience by replacing substance with style. They also make it hard to
read the text. Either use a white background or a dark (solid blue, etc) background. Better yet, make a standard
template for your lab.
Excel is easy to use but is not designed for scientific data. If you must use Excel use a white background (default gray
only reduces contrast), and remove default horizontal lines. DO NOT USE YELLOW LINES, they are impossible to
see. Good alternatives are Origin or SigmaPlot.
In giving numbers, think about how many significant digits you use – if the extra numbers are beyond your error, drop
them (don’t just use the number that your spreadsheet spits out).
If you use an acknowledgment slide, point out a couple of people, don’t just breeze through it. (Some people like to put
it as the second slide after the title slide). If your work was collaborative or you are extending someone else’s work, clearly
delineate what others have done and what you have done. You don’t want to sound like you’re taking credit for other
people’s work.
Finally, think about your audience. They are there to learn and they want to be interested. Be clear. State both the long-term significance of your work and the near-term goals you are working toward. Clearly describe your results and future work.
