Slide presentations divide a coherent topic into
fragments (individual slides). This
makes it difficult for the audience to follow and tends to make speakers think
in separate one minute sound bites, rather than developing a coherent
scientific argument.
One effective way to minimize these problems is to write
a short essay before starting to make slides.
The essay should describe the scientific problems, why it is important,
the experimental technique, the results, the limitations, etc.. It should include all the points you want to
"prove" in the presentation.
This essay is your guide to what to include in the presentation, what
not to include, and the order of the slides.
Next week's tip will discuss how to use this essay to
make your oral presentation more comprehensible and compelling.
