Your brilliant research idea has produced a solid study, with interesting results. 

That’s not the end though. 

At some point you have to share those results with other researchers or the public.  

However, many researchers are filled with dread at the thought of presenting their research to peers, especially at formal conferences.  

I also dreaded presenting my first research results to colleagues. 

But my confidence was transformed when I treated future presentations as opportunities to be creative. In this way, I discovered I actually enjoyed the entire process of presenting.

The same can hold true for you, if you follow some simple advice. 

7 ways to improve your research presentations

Below I’ve listed 7 different ways to make your research presentations more appealing to your audience. 

1. The power of a story – tell a story, enthusiastically
    

2. Speak in a conversational style and engage with the audience by asking questions
    

3. Less is more – keep your text on slides brief
    

4. Pimp that PowerPoint – visuals – use striking images
    

5. Don’t insult the audience by reading from your slides
    

6. Notice the body language of audience members – ‘glazed eyes’ signals the time to make your presentation more memorable – stand out from the boring presentations
    

7. Stay within the time limit – 5 minutes to go, start your summary and ‘take home message’ 

Reach out to a new audience 

Looking for new opportunities to engage with the public or your wider academic community? 

You could share your presentation slides on a social media site such as SlideShare (http://www.slideshare.net/). 

Recap 

So follow the advice on how to make your presentations more effective and you might be surprised at how easy it is. 

As long as you focus on the needs of your audience, your presentation efforts should be successful. 

Do you have any different presentation tips that you’ve found effective? Share your favourites with us in the comments below. 

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