Presentation Skills for Scientists: A Practical Guide

Description

It is now widely recognised that professional presentation skills are an indispensable cornerstone of a successful scientific career. This updated second edition provides a concise and accessible guide to preparing and delivering scientific presentations. Its highly practical 'how-to' style focuses on the issues that are of immediate concern to the busy scientist. The text covers all of the important aspects of scientific presentations, including knowing your audience, producing visual material, controlling nerves and handling questions. It also includes advice on presenting in English for non-native speakers, helping them to improve the clarity and effectiveness of their presentations. Links are included throughout the text to the accompanying website, which contains annotated video clips of speakers delivering a talk and demonstrates the common problems encountered, as well as exercises designed to overcome them. It also contains image files to demonstrate the design issues to consider when creating visual material.

Edward Zanders has spent a career in biomedical research in academia and industry and has many years of experience in delivering and attending scientific presentations in the UK and abroad. Along with Lindsay MacLeod, he provides courses in scientific presentation skills for clients of his company PharmaGuide Ltd, including the UK Medical Research Council, the John Innes Institute and biotechnology organisations based in Oxford and Cambridge. Lindsay MacLeod taught English in secondary schools before becoming a London Blue Badge guide, the industry's recognised symbol of professionalism. She qualified as Guide of the Year. Lindsay has guided for many decades and been a specialist guide in the British Museum and the Houses of Parliament. She has been involved in both guide training and examining.

'Effective scientific communication is more important than ever. This slight volume is by no means slight in content. While consideration is given to the material content of the presentation, the primary focus is on the qualities that make a presentation stand out to its audience and how presenters can set both themselves and their audiences at ease. ... Presentation Skills for Scientists is a brilliant pedagogical tool to help students improve their presentation skills, whether novice or advanced. It contains guidance and strategies that transcend the sciences.' J. Clemons, Choice