The ability to deliver effective and engaging oral presentations is a critical skill for students in all disciplines. Unfortunately, despite the importance of clear communication, scientific presentations are too frequently confusing and boring. In this seminar, students will be introduced to a diverse set of presentation methods and use exercises to apply these techniques to their own work and ideas. The course will also examine the characteristics common to exceptional scientific talks, show how basic design principles can be used to to create more effective visual aids, and discuss the science behind effective communication techniques.

1. The A!
of Scientific Presentations
practical lessons for talking to your peers and the public
GEOG 8103
Spring 2011

3. Fewer Americans see solid evidence of global warming
100%
75% Democrat
Independent
50%
Republican
25%
0%
2006 2007 2008 2009
source: Pew Research Center

10. www.presentationzen.com

12. Tree rings and environmental geoscience
in southern Manitoba

13. 13

14. Paleoflood Records for the
Red River, Manitoba, Canada
Flood hazards and tree rings
Anatomical signatures from riparian trees can be used to extend flood records by
several hundred years.
The current design flood for the Red River valley was produced by an exceptional
combination of extensive flooding in the northeastern Great Plains and unusual
spring weather across central North America.
In the Red River basin, shifts in annual precipitation of roughly ten percent
altered flood risks significantly during the last 350 years. Geological processes
are not affecting flood hazards at relevant timescales.

15. characteristics of D2M ‘hotspots’
! Not correlated with major modes
! Do not track SST anomalies
! Are not synchronized with each other

16. “ Scientists are sometimes like American tourists;
[we] think that if we just speak English loud enough,
people will understand us.
Kevin Finneram, editor in chief
Issues in Science and Technology

17. Tip #1
Use images, not text

21. “ Hear a piece of information,
and three days later you'll
remember 10% of it.
Add a picture and you'll
remember 65%.”
John Medina

23. LOW
frequency

24. Tip #2
Design for the back row

28. Make It BIG

29. Make It

30. Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Lake Winnipeg is the 11th largest
freshwater lake in the world
• The lake’s watershed includes
territory in Alberta, Saskatchewan,
Manitoba, Ontario, Minnesota and
North Dakota
• Its tributaries include the
Saskatchewan, Red, Winnipeg and
Assiniboine Rivers.
Photograph of Lake Winnipeg from Gimli, Manitoba
• The lake drains northward into the
Nelson River and contributes to
Hudson Bay.

32. Renewable water resources, by country
Brazil
Russia
Canada
USA
China
India
Columbia
Peru
Zaire
0 2,000 4,000 6,000
Source: Shiklomanov and Rodda, 2003
km3/y

33. St. George et al.,The Holocene, 2010

34. St. George et al.,The Holocene, 2010

35. Tip #3
Get to the point

36. “
The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.”
Voltaire

38. What going over time really means
“I’m more important that the next speaker.”
“I’m more important than this session.”
“I’m more important than my audience.”

40. Strive for continual improvement

42. “ You must unlearn what you have learned.”
Yoda

43. www.presentationzen.com

44. www.ted.com

45. www.noteandpoint.com

47. David Montgomery University of Washington

48. The A!
of Scientific Presentations
practical lessons for talking to your peers and the public
GEOG 8103
Spring 2011