60 Minutes of Tension: The Hour Long Research Talk

Abstract

The hour‐long research talk is one of the most coveted talks to be invited to give. While the shorter talks are meant to tell single vignettes, the longer talk is a platform for you to place your work in the perspective of the larger field, and to illustrate your road map to achieve your long‐term goals. Using your time to tell a compelling story is essential to convey the mission of your laboratory, and to highlight your accomplishments and those of your trainees. There are a number of ways to prepare this talk, but they should all start with broad brush strokes about the field that you are working in, and should set the stage for the experiments and data that will follow. An overarching hypothesis can be developed in this section of the talk that is then tested in various ways throughout the talk. Breaking this talk into a series of segments that tell short related stories can be an effective means to deliver your work. Linking these segments with coherent vision is an important consideration in order to keep your audience engaged and focused on your work. An effective way to present your work is to use a literary convention called a story arc. In a story arc a protagonist is introduced and a series of events occur that generate and finally relieve tension. In each segment of the scientific talk you can introduce the specific question being asked, and then use a series of slides to slowly increase the tension as you build toward the most important pieces of data, then you relieve the tension by backing up that key information with supporting data before moving to the next linked story. Summations and transitions between the elements of the talk are essential for ensuring that the audience stays with you along the way. Finally, personal stories of discovery are often compelling because they place work in a humanistic context. Explaining how a post‐doc came to an idea or conclusion illustrates the real process of scientific discovery. There is a person (people) behind your work and telling their stories are often engaging. Sixty minutes of data is boring, telling the story behind your work is not. So, avoid a 60 minute data‐dump, and instead tell the story of your place in science.Support or Funding InformationNIH: NIDCR: R01‐DE018234, R01‐DE019638, R01‐DE021708, NIA: R01‐AG046282