SELL YOUR RESEARCH (eBook)

The Authors 6
About Us 8
Get in Touch 8
Contents 10
1 Introduction 16
2 The SELL Method: Prepare Your Presentation 19
2.1 What Is Communication? 20
2.1.1 Conversation 21
2.1.2 Communication 21
2.1.3 The Communication Model 22
2.1.3.1 Sender 23
2.1.3.2 Receiver 23
2.1.3.3 Message 24
2.1.3.4 Filters 24
2.1.3.5 Response 25
2.2 The SELL Method 25
2.3 Step I: Skeleton 26
2.4 Step II: Envelope 27
2.5 Step III: Life and Logistics 27
2.6 Let’s Get on with It! 28
PartI First Step: Build Your Skeleton 29
3 Know Your Context: Types of Presentation 30
3.1 Audience 31
3.1.1 Experts 31
3.1.2 Students 32
3.1.3 General Public 32
3.1.4 Young People 32
3.1.5 Journalists 33
3.1.6 Managers 33
3.1.7 Funders 34
3.2 Format 34
3.2.1 Audience Size 34
3.2.2 Interaction 35
3.2.3 Duration 36
3.2.3.1 Short 36
3.2.3.2 Medium 37
3.2.3.3 Long 37
3.2.3.4 Variable 38
3.2.4 Your Stage 38
3.2.4.1 Layout 38
3.2.4.2 Equipment 39
3.3 Occasion 39
3.3.1 Meeting 39
3.3.2 Conference 40
3.3.3 Site Tour 40
3.3.4 Poster Session 40
3.3.5 Thesis Defence 41
3.3.6 Prize Ceremony 41
3.3.7 Competition 41
3.3.8 Camera 42
3.3.9 Interview 42
3.4 Logistics 42
3.4.1 What? 43
3.4.2 Who? 43
3.4.3 Where? 43
3.4.4 When? 43
3.4.5 How? 44
3.4.6 Why? 44
3.4.7 How Many? How Much? 44
3.5 Moving on… 44
4 Define Your Message 45
4.1 Four Questions to Define Your Message 46
4.1.1 What Is Your Objective? 47
4.1.2 What Are Your Audiences’ Expectations? 47
4.1.3 What Arguments Do You Have to Achieve Your Objective with This Specific Audience? 48
4.1.4 What Is Your Message? 48
4.1.5 Putting It into Action 49
4.2 Case Study I: The Headteacher 49
4.2.1 Science Talks 50
4.3 Case Study II: The Bionics Professor 52
4.3.1 Experts 52
4.3.2 General Public 52
4.3.3 Different Messages 55
4.4 Case Study III: The Entrepreneur 55
4.4.1 Investors 55
4.4.2 Coffee Shop Managers 56
4.4.3 Clients 56
4.5 Messages for Mixed Audiences 56
4.5.1 Prioritise Your Audience 60
4.5.2 Find the Common Link 60
4.6 Your Turn… 60
5 Establish Your Plan 62
5.1 A Plan: The Basics 63
5.1.1 What is a Plan? 63
5.1.2 Examples of Classical Structures 63
5.1.3 When to Give Background Knowledge 64
5.1.4 What Does a Plan Look Like? 64
5.2 Mind Maps 65
5.2.1 How to Use a Mind Map 65
5.2.1.1 Message 66
5.2.1.2 Introduction and Conclusion 66
5.2.1.3 Sections 66
5.2.1.4 Subsections 67
5.2.2 Benefits of Mind Mapping 67
5.2.3 Putting It into Action 67
5.3 Case Study IV: The Technological Innovation 68
5.4 Case Study V: The Success Story 70
5.5 Case Study VI: The Controversial Topic 71
5.6 Before We Move on… 73
PartII Second Step: Make Your Envelope 74
6 Hook Your Audience 75
6.1 Why Hook Your Listeners? 76
6.2 When to Hook Your Listeners 76
6.2.1 Introduction 77
6.2.2 Conclusion 77
6.3 Hook, Line and Sinker 78
6.3.1 Quote 78
6.3.2 Joke 79
6.3.3 Anecdote 80
6.3.4 Analogy 81
6.3.5 Question or Challenge 82
6.3.6 Picture, Drawing or Photo 83
6.3.7 Video 83
6.3.8 Piece of Music 84
6.3.9 Link with Current or Historical Facts 85
6.3.10 Sample 85
6.3.11 Demonstration 86
6.4 Knitting Your Hook into Your Talk 86
6.5 Be Comfortable with Your Hook… 87
7 Design Your Slides 88
7.1 What’s the (Power) Point? 89
7.2 A Point with Power 89
7.2.1 Rules Are Meant to Be Broken 90
7.2.2 Keep It Slick 90
7.2.3 Use Readable Text 91
7.2.4 Be Visual 91
7.2.5 Be Coherent 92
7.2.6 Simplify Your Graphs 92
7.2.7 Use Animations 92
7.2.8 Think About Your Transitions 93
7.2.8.1 Title 93
7.2.8.2 Plan 93
7.2.8.3 Transitions 93
7.2.8.4 Conclusion 93
7.2.9 Point Out Important Figures 93
7.2.10 Lighten Your Content 94
7.2.11 Choose Quality Images 94
7.3 Graphic Design Rules 94
7.3.1 Contrast 95
7.3.2 Alignment 95
7.3.3 Proximity 95
7.3.4 Repetition 96
7.4 Technical Glitches 96
7.5 Slide Improvements 97
7.5.1 Initial Thoughts 98
7.5.2 Give It Space, Let It Breathe 98
7.5.3 Don’t Give Everything Away 98
7.5.4 Help Your Data Speak for Themselves 99
7.5.5 Point Out the Comparisons 101
7.6 In Conclusion… 102
8 Create Your (Additional) Supporting Materials 103
8.1 What Tools Do You Have? 104
8.2 Boards 104
8.2.1 Erasable Boards 105
8.2.2 Non-erasable Boards 105
8.3 Objects 106
8.3.1 Scientific 106
8.3.2 Props 107
8.3.3 3D Metaphors 107
8.4 Demonstrations 108
8.5 Multimedia: Videos and Sound 109
8.5.1 Videos 109
8.5.2 Animations 110
8.5.3 Sounds 110
8.6 Before We Move on… 111
9 Popularise Your Science 114
9.1 What Is Science Popularisation? 115
9.1.1 When to Popularise 115
9.1.2 Are You Making Yourself Clear? 117
9.1.3 Signpost Your Talk 118
9.1.4 How to Popularise 118
9.2 Make a Connection 118
9.2.1 Technical Impact 119
9.2.2 Personal Insight 119
9.2.3 Funny Tales 119
9.3 Give Context 120
9.3.1 Choose a Character 120
9.3.2 Make It Relatable 120
9.4 Be Concrete 121
9.4.1 Jargon 121
9.4.2 Data 122
9.4.3 Visuals 123
9.5 Try It Out… 123
PartIII Third Step: Breathe Life and Fine Tune Logistics 124
10 Master Your Non-verbal Communication 125
10.1 What is Non-verbal Communication? 127
10.2 Voice 128
10.2.1 Breathing 128
10.2.2 Speed 128
10.2.3 Tone 129
10.2.4 Volume 129
10.2.5 Diction 130
10.3 Body Language 130
10.3.1 Posture 131
10.3.2 Gestures 131
10.3.3 Facial Expressions 132
10.3.4 Movements 133
10.4 Eye Contact 133
10.5 Before We Move on… 134
11 Manage Your Anxiety 135
11.1 Practise, Practise, Practise 136
11.1.1 To Learn or Not to Learn 136
11.2 Enter the Stage 138
11.3 Breathe 138
11.4 Project Yourself 139
11.5 Respect Your Body 140
11.6 Before We Move on… 141
12 Perfect Your Performance 142
12.1 Microphone Choice 143
12.1.1 Gooseneck Microphone 144
12.1.2 Handheld Microphone 144
12.1.3 Headset 145
12.1.4 Clip-on Microphone 145
12.2 Chair(wo)Man 145
12.3 Technical Rehearsal 146
12.3.1 Technical Rehearsal Checklist 147
12.4 Lights, Camera… 147
12.5 Final Touches 148
12.6 That’s It… 148
13 Final Pep Talk 149
14 The Story Behind the SELL Method 150
Speaker References 152
Bibliography 155