How to present scientific talks effectively Amira Roess

Your presentation… Congratulations on your abstract acceptance to the GWU/NRC workshop in Egypt in April 2013! We look forward to learning about your work. We have prepared a short overview to help you prepare your 7 minute presentations. If you have any questions please send them to

Recommended Presentation outline Title Background/Justification Research question/objectives Methods (inclusion criteria) Major results only (tables, graphs, charts) Limitations/Strengths Discussion Implications/conclusions Acknowledgements

Title Slide (10-15 sec) Title should include – Subject – Location – Time period Your name Your affiliation Appropriate logos Say “Good morning / afternoon / evening” but don’t read the name of your title.

Elevated Fall-Related Mortality Rates — Country X, 2009–2012 Your Name, PhD (degrees) Ministry of Health/University/Company LOGO

Background (1-2 min) Usually 2-3 slides Engage audience Set stage for presentation Provide rationale for planned study Essential information (only) about disease/health problem Establish relevance to public health Include a slide describing study objectives

Methods (1-2 min) Usually a 2-3 slides Describe study design(s) Define a case and describe case finding Tell how controls were selected if applicable Define cohort if cohort study Say what laboratory tests were used if any Describe any environmental investigation methods

Results (3-4 min) Usually 3-5 slides Emphasize most important findings only Describe characteristics of study participants Include descriptive epidemiologic results and analytic results Use mixture of text, tables, figures, photos as appropriate to your data

Discussion (2-3 min) Interpretation of findings – Don’t repeat results – Prioritize findings from most to least important – Link findings to study objectives – Put findings into context with previous studies Limitations slide (only the important ones) Conclusions slide based on your findings Recommendations slide – Control measures – Directions for future studies

Acknowledgments (10-15 sec) Recognize coauthors and contributors More screen time at end of presentation Organize by agency Same logos as on title slide OMB disclaimer (don’t read aloud) “The findings and conclusions in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of CDC.” Your last words = “Thank You”

Presentations 7 minutes—practice! Pick good color combinations (blue background/yellow text)—not too busy or over patterned or overanimated!