Monday, April 4, 2011

Give A Research Lecture

If you are about to give a research lecture, there is no reason to panic. Presenting your ideas to either a small or a large group is merely part of everyday life in the academic world. With that in mind, there are a few ways you can take some of the pressure off in order to assure a better presentation and more positive experience.


Instructions


1. Prepare your notes well ahead of time. These should be structured in a bulleted fashion rather than in complete sentences, avoiding the tendency many people have to simply read rather than present.


2. Introduce yourself to the audience. When you give a research lecture you must remember that the audience needs to feel connected to you so that they have an investment in what you say.


3. Provide some kind of visual aid to illustrate the information you are presenting. A quick handout or an interesting artifact helps give your research lecture a certain attraction it will otherwise lack.


4. Keep your lecture to the prescribed time limits. Your audience will quickly lose interest in what you have to say if you go over the budgeted time.


5. Allow for questions at the end of your research lecture. Many audience members will be anxious to give their own opinions and it's important that they be heard in an academic context.


6. Meet with audience members after you have given your research lecture. Many will want to discuss the topic with you in a more intimate one on one setting and you may find they have interesting and valuable feedback.

Tags: research lecture, your research, your research lecture, audience members, give research lecture