There is indeed more to giving a good talk than just knowing your stuff. And while there is no substitute for having a trusted Svengali to assist you on your path to embetterment, there are also simple things you can do that will make you and your talk better right out of the gate. Twelve things, to be exact, which I am willing to share with you in Internet form at no charge.
LabKitty will tell you these things because LabKitty loves you (actually, LabKitty will tell you these things because more people giving good talks = less time LabKitty spends in talks pining for the sweet release of death).
While I assume you're using some type of presentation software like PowerPoint or Keynote, these tips are applicable to talks of all stripes, be it a multimedia platform speech, a straightforward chalk-talk, or simply standing up and flapping your arms.
Without further ado, LabKitty gives to you:
12 Tips for Giving a Good Talk
1) Design the talk so that it is easy to give. I used to make simple sparse slides and memorized everything I needed to say about each one. Yikes. Why make life hard? It's ok to write notes and other reminders on the slide. Let each mouse click bring up something that guides you to what needs to be said next. Less stress on you makes for a better presentation (of course, do not fill the slides with text that you simply read at the audience. Use some common sense here). Also, use an easy-to-read font and a sensible color scheme. The specifics are less important than being consistent on all your slides.
2) Be showing data within 5 minutes. Think of the introducer-person as firing a starter pistol. When it goes off, you have 5 minutes (300 seconds) to claw your way to your data (by "data" I mean stuff you have created and is the reason you and not someone else is now standing in front of the room). Use this as a guideline for how much background you can give.
3) Practice, practice, practice. I mean practice out loud. You've probably heard this before, but it's the most important tip I can give. If you get jammed for time, try to at least practice the first couple of slides. I've sometimes found that if the opening slides go smoothly, the confidence boost helps the rest of the talk, especially if you're not as prepared as you should be.
4) Don't use clever slide effects. No cutesy sounds, obtrusive clip art, swishy text, or anything beyond the basic slide transitions. One of the worst feelings in the world is to be crashing and burning in the middle of a talk and knowing there's going to be a dozen more appearances of a dancing quacking paperclip. Don't learn this the hard way.
5) Err on the side of boring the knowledgeable rather than baffling the uninitiated. Put simply: don't assume the audience knows what you're talking about. In fact, it's almost impossible to bore the knowledgeable, as most people find hearing things they already know makes them feel smart. Granted, all this is a matter of judgment. You may not have to explain, say, an "oscillation" to your crowd, but not everyone will know what "coherence" is.
6) The last slide in the talk should be the take home message. If the audience can go home and say "hey mom, I saw a talk today on lasers and did you know radiative coupling can be made 99% efficient?" then you have talked well. On the other hand, if they say: "There was a talk today. I had jello," then you have talked poorly.
7) Bring something with you to drink. Presidents do it. Stand-up comics do it. You can too. Warning: fizzy drinks = burpy. Water = better. Pro-tip: taking a drink buys you valuable stalling time during the Q&A.
8) Never never never go over your allotted time. In fact, never go over your allotted time minus 10 minutes, because you must leave time for questions. If you're worried that you will end short, include a few extra slides after your final summary slide that can be shown if need be but can otherwise be left out. Also: remember: unlike practice, the live talk will start late and be interrupted by questions.
9) When people ask questions: a) listen to the question and b) try to answer the question. It's ok to ask people to clarify their question (and it buys you time). If you don't know the answer, say so (it's tempting to say something, anything when you are on the spot). Don't robotically compliment each person on their question (it sounds fakey). Pro-tip: repeat the question for the audience, especially if the room is large.
10) Pointer discipline! Do not wave pointer wildly or make constant loopy-loops. Do not gesture at audience with pointer, threatening blindness. In fact, don't use the pointer at all unless it is TO POINT SOMETHING OUT. Pro-tip: bring your own pointer. Make sure it works beforehand so we don't have to stare at your first slide for 10 minutes while runners are dispatched to locate a replacement.
11) You gots to look at the crowd. Individually. In the eyes. Yikes. Yes, I understand. But here's a test: when you go to other people's talks make a note of speakers who do and do not do this. Note how much better the former are than the latter.
12) No apologies. Newbies tend to apologize during their talk for some reason. Don't. If you are doing fine, then it undercuts your confidence. If you are crashing and burning, it doesn't help. As the cenobites said: No tears, child. It is a waste of good suffering.
LabKitty is available to critique your talk, provided you bring it and yourself to my undisclosed location. No Skyping please; my ISP will think something unseemly is afoot.
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