Duncan Yellowlees

The biggest things which make academic communication boring are:

1. The curse of knowledge, everyone assumes people know stuff
2. Cognitive overload - too much info, too fast
3. Its soooo bloody dull all the time, show some emotion!
4. All the same. No variety = boredom.

#PHD

This story was one of the best things to happen on the Internet iykyk

the one who loved horses, the one who was a great goalkeeper, the one who kept a diary every day, the one who held her sister's hand when they walked to school, the one who read Harry Potter in English, the one who collected old coins, the one who drew rainbows for her grandmother ...

In most situations* face your audience when you present.

Not the slides, not computer screen, but the real human people you are talking to.

How else are you supposed to connect with them?

*there are exceptions to every 'rule'

#PHD #Research #Academic #Presenting #PHDChat

In order to do Research Impact, of any sort, you need 3 things.
At the top is strategy – what is the goal & plan?

You need capacity – what skills do your team need to do the impact you want?

You need resources – software, hardware, pens and paper.
Factor this stuff into your grant writing.

Oh that's not a good time 😕 hope they fixed it after!

I think about this Tony Benn speech much more than I used to

we need other people, and the biggest lie in the genAI scene is them selling the fantasy that no we don't

you do not have to give up your job to AI. you simply do not have to lie facedown in that puddle on the ground and drown. what the fuck is wrong with you.

Quick tip:

As human beings, we focus on contrast, but also the biggest thing in our Eyeline.

If you want people to look at something on PowerPoint, make it nice and big.

If it's less important make it smaller.

If it's not relevant, delete it.

Your audience aren’t mind readers, they’ve not seen this stuff before so give them the respect of slowing down and talking them through it.

Your audience will enjoy your talk way more if they actually understand it.
3/3

I’ll tell you what its not.....30s – which is about how long lots of academics put their horrifically complex graphs up on the screen.

Stop it.

It dosen't work.
2/3

How long does it take you to understand new graph of figure when you read it in a paper?

5 mins?
10?

Need to go away, have a cuppa, and come back to it?

#PHD #Research #Academic #Presenting #PHDChat 🧵
1/3

😂😂

How fit all your research into a short talk...


Don't.

#PHD #Research #Academic #Presenting #PHDChat

So good! Such a relief. Can only hope labour see their lean to the right is not wanted nor representative.

Have little nervous habits when you present?

We all do. Some of us fiddle with keys & jewellery, maybe we hop or sway, & we say “err” & “um”. It’s not a problem unless it’s distracting the audience.

You can undo these habits, but focussing on other skills is usually more valuable.

#Academia

two fat cartoon characters are sitting in a car with wall e behind them . ALT: two fat cartoon characters are sitting in a car with wall e behind them .

It does feel like the tech bros all watched Walli and thought...

'this is the future we need! The humans here are peak humaning, but we could do it with more misogyny'

Practical tips for maintaining an engaged audience that sooo many academics fail at

- vary what they are listening to/focusing on
- make sure data is connected to context
- Talk to them not at them
- Give the impression you want to be there

#PHD #AcademicChatter

When communicating research you are constantly balancing complexity, clarity and speed.

You can usually have 2/3 but not all.

The most important is clarity.

I saw one as well heading past York today! Bon voyage!

A strong ending is key.

Remind us of the problem, give us a call to action, and make it crystal clear you're done.

Let's leave our audience enlightened, not wondering if there's more.

The easiest way to ensure no awkward silence.. say "thank you very much"

Oh absolutely this... My fav paper on this is richardcolby.net/writ2000/wp-...

Ways to build trust throughout a presentation

- Subtle 'authority drops'
- Thank interaction honestly
- Use data to back up you points
- Stay calm and in control if anything goes wrong#
- Show you want to be there

A big "👋 hello!" To all my new connections and followers!

I run DY training, a company specialising in helping researchers give better presentations.

We're all about helping folk find confidence and belonging in how they express themselves

I post tips and tricks for y'all!

True. Though in theory the point of papers is to be specific enough that others can repeat what you did - hence the jargon etc.

Now, nobody funds repeat studies so functionally they are about sharing knowledge so I agree should use more accessible language.

Just gonna leave this here for folks in Academia

“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words

but rather short, easy words

like,

‘What about lunch?’”

—Winnie the Pooh

Speed vs complexity

In a talk, the trade-off of speed and complexity is a fine balance...

Fast + Complex = Overload 😢
Slow + Simple = Patronising 😢
Fast + Simple = Broad understanding 😁
Slow + Complex = Deep understanding 😁

#Academia #PHDChat #Research #Presentations

Do you organise talks at your uni? Please keep an eye on the tech!

Keep those mic batteries charged. Get in early & turn on projectors, lower the screens. HDMI cables are quite fragile, so tell your IT people if they’re bust.

You don’t want your speakers to arrive and be stumped by tech issues.

Splendid. No notes.