No Bad Slides: Scientific Presentations for All Audiences

Abstract

Over the last several decades several factors have produced a communication crisis in biomedical research. The field has grown larger, specialization has increased, there are more non-native English speakers, wireless technology diverts audiences, and easy-to-use presentation software has led to slide proliferation. As a result, scientists spend increasing amounts of time in incomprehensible presentations. This talk will provide an overarching strategy for developing a scientific presentation. The talk will outline methods for developing a compelling narrative and converting that narrative into visually effective slides that articulate the essential technical message. It will review strategies for adapting talks to audiences with different levels of expertise. Speaker Bio: David Rubenson is the Administrative Director of the Stanford Cancer Institute since 2009. He also spent 7 years as Director of Special Projects at City of Hope where he helped physicians and scientists develop presentations. This talk was presented on April 14, 2016 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center