Lab Matters Fall 2017 | Page 33

communications Giving Your Data Its Due: A Few Pointers for Conference Speakers by Afua Owusu, intern, Communications 3. Make your slides readable. What is visible on your office computer screen may be difficult to decipher in a darkened conference room. If people are squinting to distinguish the information on your slides, you will lose them quickly. Use 26-point type or greater for the main text and avoid cluttering slides with unnecessary copy, logos or graphics. Be sure to include white space (i.e., blank space without text or graphics) to focus the audience’s attention on your content. Make graphs, flow charts and other data visualizations large, and label elements clearly. Consider presenting successive views of a graph to show nuances in your data. 4. Be consistent. Given their expertise and passion for their work, one might expect public health laboratory scientists to be strong speakers who convey their findings in a clear and compelling manner. However, an informal assessment of APHL conference presentations indicates that this is not always the case. Below are some pointers that will help you to give your data its due at the next conference. 1. Slides are visual guides. Your slides should support, not repeat, your oral presentation. Limit bullets to five per slide, use key words rather than full sentences and consider using animation to present one bullet at a time. By controlling the quantity and flow of visuals, you make it easier for the audience to assimilate your content and prevent them from reading ahead while you are speaking. Remember, less is more. PublicHealthLabs @APHL 2. Choose compatible software programs. Make sure that your software programs are compatible to avoid issues with display of graphs and charts, notably in Microsoft PowerPoint. It’s best to create graphs in Excel and then embed them in slides instead of pasting them as an image. APHL.org Watch out for inconsistencies in your presentation that can distract the audience and dilute your message. Do not use more than three fonts and keep colors consistent across the presentation, including graphs and other visuals. 5. Keep your presentation lively. Open with a riveting anecdote, example or data point to engage the audience. Hold their interest by varying your tone and pitch, and speaking with enthusiasm. Close by recapping your key points in a memorable way. 6. Make time to rehearse. Your presentation will go more smoothly if you rehearse. Even if your in-box is overflowing with emails, make time to practice aloud with your slides. You’ll be glad you did. Done well, presentations advance public health laboratory science and practice, and raise your standing as an expert in the field. Done poorly, they give your listeners a chance to check their email. Consider these points in planning your next presentation. Your data deserves to be heard—and understood. n Fall 2017 LAB MATTERS 31