Things to Consider When Presenting Your Research

Completing a research or quality improvement project is a satisfying achievement, and sharing your findings with others is a key stage in maximising the potential impact of your hard work. However, presenting your work to an audience can feel somewhat daunting. I share my tips about what works well in this blog.

Over the thirty years I have worked as a Clinical Academic nurse I have seen many presentations in a wide range of settings and from people of different nationalities, professional backgrounds and career stage.  Some of those presentations still stand out in my memory because of the quality of the speaker and the materials they presented – both good and bad!

I have also been in the position of having to prepare and present my own work and support others to do this. Sometimes I have felt my presentations went well, but other times I knew I could have done better. This lived experience has informed my list of ‘top tips’, which may be helpful to you if you have the exciting opportunity to present your work to others.

First steps

Before you get started in preparing your presentation there are some key ‘administrative’ tasks to get sorted so you do not have last minute surprises before the big day. Getting these tasks noted and prepared for can help settle nerves and aid a sense of control:

• Know the date and duration of your presentation, and if it is online or in person. It is likely that your prepared talk will need to be sent to the organiser ahead of the event, and if you are speaking at a large meeting, this can sometimes be a few weeks ahead of the presentation date. There may also be additional information required such a brief biography and/or photograph of yourself to go in an event flyer or final programme.
• It is helpful to know from the event organiser if time for questions is included within your allocated presentation time, or if this occurs later in the agenda, or not included at all.
• Know who your audience are! Sometimes this information is already known to you, but if in any doubt, do ask the event organisers for more information about who you will be speaking to and what the organisers’ expectations are of your presentation. This information will help you determine the level of prior knowledge your audience is likely to have about your topic area and what the focus should be in your presentation to maximise their interest in your work. Consider too what messages and key learning points you want your audience to take away from your presentation.

Writing your presentation

Now you know the duration of your presentation and who your audience are, this should give you a framework within which you can decide how much information you have time to convey, and what you want to include.

Having too much information in a talk can leave your audience feeling overwhelmed and uncertain what your key messages are. It can also leave them feeling anxious on your behalf that you will not finish your presentation in the allotted time. These emotions can be mimicked in the presenter too, so you find yourself talking more quickly or perhaps skipping some slides that have taken you precious time to prepare.

The format that you choose for your presentation will depend on the setting, and what is ‘normal’ for that setting, but also your personal preferences. I have written the top tips below with the assumption that you will be using PowerPoint slides, but many of the tips are equally relevant if you are using no media aids at all.

You want your audience to feel comfortable as they listen to you, and not to be struggling to interpret what you are saying or what is on your slides:

• Ensure any written information on your slides is easy to read and understood. For example, check the font colour and size to ensure it is easily visible from across the room.
• If you are using a design template (and it may be the one required by your organisation), keep your content within the boundaries of that template and in colours that are in keeping with the template.
• Do not use acronyms if you can possibly avoid them or unless they are very well known in your audience. Ensure that you have explained or written any acronym in full at least once in your presentation.
• The font size will determine how much text you can include on your slide. Do not be tempted to make it smaller so you can fit more words per slide, particularly on potentially busy data slides or in tables and charts. If your audience doesn’t have a hope of reading it, then do not include it. Think about displaying the information in a different format (or not at all), or use more slides to convey the information.
• Use graphics carefully. A picture really can save a lot of words, and it can also add colour and interest to a presentation. I enjoy using pictures in my presentations and find them very helpful to convey an emotion or experience. However, adding a picture or graphic that doesn’t clarify or emphasise a point, or relate to your text, can be confusing for your audience. Don’t add a picture just because there looks like a bit of a gap within a slide. You can bring interest to your slides in other ways by adding colour to text boxes for example, or using one of the many ‘SmartArt’ templates to arrange your text in an interesting and relevant structure.
• Unless you are a very experienced presenter, I recommend not using multiple or complex ‘transitions’ for your slides and the text/images within them. Having text ‘flying in’ and ‘flying out’ can be distracting for the audience, and especially challenging if you are not the one in control of the slides. For example, you may be presenting online with someone elsewhere progressing your slides for you. Less is more in my experience.
• As an audience member I really enjoy listening to a presenter who is telling me a story. Try and arrange the content of your presentation so you take your audience along with you and you have a clear beginning, middle and end. At the outset, set the scene for what you are going to tell your audience about. In the middle, relay that information, and at the end, say what you have told them. The content needs to build logically so that at every point an audience member understands how each piece of information builds on the last.
• Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! This stage is essential for any presentation, and however experienced you are. Once you think you have an engaging, easy to understand and informative presentation prepared then you need to rehearse it. I strongly recommend timing it, and shortening it if you find you do not have time with your current draft. I find it helpful to speak my presentations out loud. Include within your rehearsal a brief ‘thank you’ to the organisers for inviting you to present, and a short introduction to yourself as you will very likely do this at the event and, although brief, these additions take up time. Rehearse until you feel completely comfortable with the content and you fall within your allotted time. Getting this stage right will give you the greatest confidence about your future performance. You may even feel eager to get on with it!

On the day

You will be well prepared and excited, albeit perhaps a little nervous. In my experience, a certain level of nervousness can actually be quite helpful. I recommend the following:

• Arrive at the venue, or be prepared online, in plenty of time ahead of your time slot. If presenting online there is usually a pre-online meeting for speakers so you can check that everything is working well. Use that time to check you can share your slides if offered.
• If presenting in person, visit the room you are presenting in during a break so you can stand where you will present your work, can check out the technology and how it feels to be at the front of the room.
• Listen to presentations at the event before your time slot as this will give you a feel for the event and the audience. It can also be helpful to hear how others are presenting their work, what their style is and what you think works well, or less well, to consider when it’s your own turn.
• Have a drink of water close by to use either during your talk or at the end.
• Take your time when it’s your time. Take a moment before you start to speak to just check-in with yourself and give the audience a moment to settle.
• Enjoy it and just be yourself. You are the expert on your topic and you are really well prepared. There is nothing more enjoyable as an audience member to listen to a speaker who is passionate about their work, and who feels comfortable and natural. If you don’t feel it (and you might not!), try and act it.
• If things go wrong, and they will sometimes, take a pause and people will be there to help out.
• Be prepared for questions. This part of a presentation can sometimes feel a bit of a surprise and somewhat unwelcome! You have put everything into your presentation and may feel it is all over. It is impossible to prepare for what maybe asked by the audience but be honest if you don’t know the answer, and ask for questions to be repeated if required.
• Most importantly, the audience are on your side. They want you to do well.

After the event

Well done! You did it!

• Some reflection on your performance is fine but try not to over analyse every detail. You will have been aware of things you didn’t think went so well but it is highly unlikely that the audience will be aware of these.
• Seek out supportive feedback, and accept praise. It is always worth asking the organisers for any feedback from the audience that they may have collected.
• The more presentations you do, and the more you observe, the more confident you will become. This is a skill that can take time to develop to the point you feel comfortable and confident.

I hope the above are helpful to you. Good luck!

About Professor Candy McCabe

Professor Candy McCabe is a Registered Nurse and Clinical Academic. She is a Professor of Clinical Research and Practice at the University of the West of England, Bristol, and Head of Education and Research at Dorothy House Hospice, near Bath. Her specialist areas are chronic pain, life-limiting conditions and end-of-life care.

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