Presenter guidelines for the nUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Sci Pop! Talks series

Burks, Raychelle

Deards, Kiyomi D

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnFaculty Publications, UNL Libraries Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln1-6-2015Sci Pop Talks! Presenter GuidelinesKiyomi D. DeardsUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, kdeards2@unl.eduRaychelle BurksSt. Edwards University, rburks@stedwards.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/librarysciencePart of the Engineering Education Commons, Life Sciences Commons, Medical EducationCommons, Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons, Scholarly Communication Commons,and the Science and Mathematics Education CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska- Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications, UNL Libraries by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University ofNebraska - Lincoln.Deards, Kiyomi D. and Burks, Raychelle, "Sci Pop Talks! Presenter Guidelines" (2015). Faculty Publications, UNL Libraries. 336.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libraryscience/336Sci Pop Talks! Presenter Guidelines  Before the presentation:  Sign and return by email or fax the (insert name of media release form) by January 9th to kdeards2@unl.edu or Attention: Kiyomi Deards Fax #: 402-472-5181. Please note that by signing this form your talk will be recorded and placed on both the event website and play 3-4 times on the NET television station. If you are not willing to have your talk recorded please let us know as soon as possible as there is a fee for videography and NET needs to set their television schedule.  There will be signs posted at both entrances to the room prior to talks being videotaped and there will be a verbal announcement as well when your talk is introduced.  Talks are held in our Talk Zone with some bench seating, bean bags, and free standing padded folding chairs. We have a projector, screen, and audio hookups and have budgeted to have all talks recorded and edited to be put online.  Audiences last year ranged from 40-70 attendees and included K-12, college and university faculty, staff and students, and members of the community. The room can hold over 100. We have found that people came to specific talks that interested them making each audience unique, although few diehard fans that came to all of them.  Non-UNL presenters:   Please let us know if you need a complimentary parking pass. If so please email kdeards2@unl.edu with your full name, mailing address and license plate number and we will mail you a parking permit.  4 or more weeks in advance:  Provide a short biographical statement of 2-3 sentences. Provide a 2-3 sentence abstract of your talk if you have not already done so. Provide a list of the media tie-ins and/or suggested books, movies, games for your talk so that we can acquire and process them.  Week of the presentation:  Email a copy of your slides to the program organizers. This will serve as a backup if your laptop/USB drive has issues or is otherwise note compatible with our system. Please let us know at least two days ahead of time whether you will be bringing your own laptop or if we need to provide one.  Night of the presentation:  6:30pm - Arrive at Love Library, enter through the main doors with the glass quilt and take the elevator to the 2nd floor. The exit the elevator and walk through the open hall into the first room directly in front of you. This is the Talk Zone where the talks will be hosted. The videographer will do a microphone check and give basic instructions on how much you can move around without being out of frame. People will be on hand to help hook up your computer and ensure that your slides are working. Deards and Burks, January 6, 2015. Copyright 2015, the authors. Used by permission.What to wear (recorded talks):   Do wear solid colors.   Do wear comfortable clothing that you do not have to worry about adjusting. Keep in mind that we will need to clip a microphone to you.  Don’t wear stripes of fine patterns (these make your image look like it is wavering on video).  Don’t wear silk scarves (movement is picked up by microphones) or reflective jewelry (light flares as you move).   Preparing your presentation:  Information about last years’ talks and some recordings are available at: http://unl.libguides.com/scipoptalks   Is your presentation being recorded? If so please keep that in mind as you prepare your materials. You will not have a chance to edit the recording so be sure that you are comfortable with everything that you are going to say and show.  Presentations should be aim for 20-25 minutes in length with at least two interactive moments with the audience (questions, quizzes, activities, etc.) and then a 20-30 minutes Q& A period to round out the hour.   Talks with demos, visual examples (images on slides) or samples work well. The interactive part can be asking the audience to either explain what was going on, or to pick the correct explanation from a multiple choice (2-4 choices) slide, or just having a show of hands of what they like better.  Slide tips:  Titles and headers read best in a sans serif font.  Don’t use more than 3 different font styles in your presentation.  Lucinda Console is a good readable choice if you are having trouble choosing a font.  Limit the amount of text per slide.   Images with short descriptive text work best.  Don’t use fonts smaller than 30pts. (Exception: citations can be in a smaller font.)  Don’t use more than 3 different font sizes on the same slide.  Examples of interactive activities:  The strategic use of speaker-to-listener directed questions is a good way to ensure audience engagement.  To keep your talk on schedule, two question styles are recommended below.  Audience vote: Ask a single question with five or fewer multiple choice answers (slide display) and let the audience vote.  After the vote, discuss the correct answer in relation to the two top voted answers.   Single selection: Ask a single question with five or fewer multiple choice answers (slide display) and ask for 1 - 3 volunteers to respond with their single best answer.  Hands-on activities can be a fun addition to any talk. If you wish to utilize a hands-on activity, please keep in mind that any activity must be integrated into your 30 minute allotted time. Most hands-on activities take 10-15 minutes total between handing out supplies, doing the activity, and explaining the science behind the activity.  Media interactions:  Given the fun and informative nature of SciPop Talks! presentations, speakers may receive media requests for interviews either before or after their talk.  Please respond to all requests, even if you must decline.  Requests may come by phone, but email requests are more common. It is possible that an email interview will be sufficient, but often a scheduled phone call is requested. Rather than the times suggested in the original request, you may need to suggest alternative dates and/or times. Below is a sample email response suggesting alternative dates and/or times:    Thank you for contacting me about ____. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict (or other reason), I will not be able to speak with you by phone at the dates and/or times requested. However, I am available for a phone interview on ________ between ____ and ____. If an interview can be scheduled at this time, please let me know.   The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has a ‘Media Interview Tips’ document available online at http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/AAAS_Media_Tips.pdf. A few key tips from this AAAS document are below.  Talk in lay terms, using as little professional or technical jargon as possible. Tell stories and anecdotes that illustrate your point and give examples.  Keep the answers short.  Think about what you want to say before you speak. Define two to three main points you would like to make about your subject. Gather facts, figures, and anecdotes to support your points. Anticipate questions the reporter might ask and have responses ready.  Speak in complete thoughts. The reporter’s question may be edited out and your response should stand on its own. This is especially important for television interviews.  Never say anything you do not want to read in print, hear on the radio, or see on television or the internet.  Be confident. You are the expert.  

Sci Pop Talks! Presenter Guidelines

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1353&amp;context=libraryscience

Sci Pop Talks! Presenter Guidelines

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