Making a Good First Impression: The Elevator Talk Rachel O’Brien Photos and some content from Heather Macdonald and David McConnell’s 2012 presentation and Carolyn Gale’s 2006 presentation to Preparing for an Academic Career in the Geosciences workshop

What is an elevator talk? Imagine that you are in a elevator (or sitting on plane) and someone asks you, “What’s your area of research?” You have ~60-90 seconds to get your message across. What will you say?

Consider these questions to craft your response What is the field in which I work? What methods and/or techniques do I use? What is the question I am trying to answer (or the topic I am working on)? Why is this work important?

There is more than one type of audience for this talk Other geoscientists, other scientists Program officers from funding agencies The Dean or Provost (often an academic but not necessarily a scientist) Graduate and/or undergraduate students Your grandmother

Content: A clear and instructive synopsis Avoid technical terms and jargon Use short sentences Use “I” rather than “we” (when possible) Communicate what excites you most about your research Explain why your work has relevance and/or significance

Delivery: An engaged and compelling synopsis Show passion for your work Vary the tone of your voice Establish eye contact; watch body language to see if your audience understands you Concentrate on a "I'm glad you asked" expression and posture