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Steve Wallace
The person who presents the research gets
the credit
Paul Chu: first superconductor with a boiling
point above liquid nitrogen
Maw-Kuen Wu and Jim Ashburn declined to
speak and are not remembered
The presenter gets the credit
Zhengzhi Sheng, a postdoctoral researcher at
the University of Arkansas, discovered another
superconductor at an even higher
temperature.
Because Sheng was not a good speaker, the
department chair, Allen Hermann, spoke at
the press conference. Although Hermann
repeatedly acknowledged the contribution of
Sheng, Hermann was the one who received
most of the credit.
Bad conference presentations
1. Expect to be nervous
2. Prepare
3. Practice
4. Breathe
5. Rehearse
6. Focus on your audience
7. Simplify
8. Picture success
9. Connect with your audience
10. Pretend to be confident
Advantages and disadvantages of
different sources for speech
Sources Advantages Disadvantages
Speaking from points Credibility earned Wording not exact
Ease of adjusting speech Long preparation time
Eye contact
Natural pace
Memorizing Precision Potential for disaster
Smooth delivery Unnatural pace
Credibility earned Inability to adjust speech
Eye contact Long preparation time
Reading Precision Credibility undercut
Smooth delivery Lack of eye contact
Unnatural pace
Inability to adjust speech
Long preparation time
Speaking off the cuff No preparation time Potential for disaster
Eye contact Difficulty in organizing
Natural pace Lack of visual aids
Situations appropriate for each
source of speech
Sources Situation
Speaking from points Conference presentation
Presentation at business meeting
University lecture
Memorizing First few words of presentation
Short introduction of a speaker
Reading Press conference
Quotation within a presentation
Complex wording within presentation
Speaking off the cuff Answering a question
Asking a question
Voice quality
The important point is not to speak in the same, flat voice throughout
your presentation. This will put your audience to sleep.
Face the audience and speak loudly and clearly
Bring backup
Begin making backups several days before the talk.
Use a USB, a CDROM, or some other common format.
Internet backup isn't reliable, you can't be sure you'll have a
connection.
RepeatRespondReview
Additional Tips on Handling
Questions
Ask people to stand up when they ask a question.
This does two things:
www.editing.tw
Editing and Translation
Books
How to write and publish an academic paper in 16 weeks
How to attend, speak or present a poster at an academic conference
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