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This doesn't really apply to academic conferences, which tend to have a more subdued atmosphere. (And you don't control the environment you present in, and ther
by scott_s 10y ago
This doesn't really apply to academic conferences, which tend to have a more subdued atmosphere. (And you don't control the environment you present in, and there will be multiple talks in the sessions.)
I am on board with "hook them from the start", but you have to change it for an academic crowd. They will bristle at trying to be sensational. In an academic computer science context, it means put your conclusions first, along with your best results. People may tune out after the first few minutes, so you'd better tell them the most important stuff right away. The rest of your talk is then supporting and explaining how you achieved your best results.
- rizwanj 10y agoGood point. These are general tips to do if you are able to. :)
- sokoloff 10y agoI agree (with the sibling comment) that this is more general advice than just for academic settings. I can't tell you how many presentations I sit through (or emails I read) that read like murder mysteries. Tell me the conclusion or essential element up front, so that I can frame my consumption a little better. Don't start with the Big Bang, the creation of matter, the coalescing into galaxies and planets, etc, etc and then build up the conclusion from all those constituent elements.