How can I improve my teaching techniques? Welcome to How should I engage an audience when presenting research? Welcome to GrTS How can I improve my teaching techniques?

How can I improve my teaching techniques? Welcome to GrTS Surviving (eventually excelling at) Oral Presentations How can I improve my teaching techniques?

We fear public speaking more than death! Glossophobia (75%) Sociophobia (8%) Thanatophobia (68%) Aerophobia (7%) Arachnophobia (31%) Claustrophobia (3%) Achluophobia (11%) Agoraphobia (2%) Arachnophobia (10%) Brontophobia (2%) “Look at the bright side. There’s always a chance that a comet will destroy the Earth before you have to give your presentation.”

Three general types of presentations: Oral (Talk or Speech) Poster Radio/TV/Newspaper Interview (Glossophobia on steroids?)

Oral presentation tips: Know your audience and tell your story Get your punch line up front Academic communication is not a mystery novel Don’t get lost in the weeds Avoid jargon Don’t read your talk!

Oral presentation tips: Keep your slides simple and attractive Make your slides readable One idea and one minute per slide Avoid clutter but fill the slide Minimize text—use pictures and graphics Need a color therapist? Avoid cheesy slide transitions and fonts

Oral presentation tips: Other Room lighting and background color Monitor color ≠ projector color 8% of males are colorblind Beware of Mac-PC incompatibilities PowerPoint or PDF file?

Oral presentation tips: Practice, practice practice! But not too much.

Poster-specific tips: Hook the poster surfers! Attractive (not glitzy) poster Title that says “READ ME!” Need a color therapist? Then… ENGAGE! “Hi, can I walk you through my study?”

Poster-specific tips: Tell your story in three columns Your audience will work from left to right Use big fonts—readable from 1+ meters away Minimize the amount of text Use pictures and simple figures and tables Posters are great for networking Make some miniature versions of the poster to give to people Give people your business card with contact information

Interview tips: Microphones and cameras are seldom lethal! Journalists are just people Understand what the journalist is after Ask for questions in advance Prepare your key points

Interview tips: Condense and simplify your message Avoid jargon—use conversational language Be yourself Mentally put yourself sitting with a friend Avoid filler words—um, ah, you know

Two types of practice: For a specific presentation Practice in front of your lab mates or roommates To improve general oral communication skills Acting courses! Communicating Science courses: WATS 6400—1 credit Spring (every year) ADVS 6650—3 credits Fall (even years) Join ToastMasters 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nutrition & Food Science 248A Contact me at chuck.hawkins@usu.edu

How can I improve my teaching techniques? Welcome to GrTS Principles of Science Communication How can I improve my teaching techniques?

How can I improve my teaching techniques? Welcome to GrTS Reaching Out to News Organizations How can I improve my teaching techniques?

How can I improve my teaching techniques? Welcome to GrTS Elevator Pitches How can I improve my teaching techniques?

Where can I find a career outside of academia? Graduate Student Social Coming up: January’s GrTS Where can I find a career outside of academia? Wednesday, January 25 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. Library 101 RSVP at rgs.usu.edu/grts/rsvp Graduate Student Social Tuesday, December 13 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Hosted by Engineering Logan Country Club RSVP at rgs.usu.edu/graduateschool/ graduate-student-social

How can I improve my teaching techniques? Welcome to GrTS Workshop How can I improve my teaching techniques?

Thank you for coming! More questions? Contact: Andrea.Payant@usu.edu Betty.Rozum@usu.edu Andrea.Payant@usu.edu