It’s Your Time: Make It Count
Jessie Todd ·As the semester draws to an end, we are wrapping up our Data and Visualization course by applying the tools and skills we have learned at a workshop held by the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association. This workshop is our platform to practice and perfect all the concepts we have been using, and transform them into 3 minute presentations. This task can be daunting, as consolidating years of scientific research isn't always easy, but with practice, practice, practice .and some editing, anyone can blow away the crowd with their fascinating science.
David Beckett quotes former football coach Joe Gibbs in his book Three Minute Presentation, "A winning effort begins with preparation." It is important to be organized and prepared with your dialoged rehearsed; you don't want your three minutes to slip away. It is a good idea to practice your speech in front of the mirror or with friends and family, so it becomes natural on your big day. Some presenters have nightmares about losing the crowds attention or running out of time, but with the right prompt you can avoid those situations. You are setting the stage to help tell your story. Your poster or PowerPoint should be doing your legwork, while you focus on any extra material. There are some tips and tricks to editing your prompt to make sure you keep the audience's attention and stay on schedule.
When it comes to using posters, you want your layout be easy to read so that viewers can listen to your dialogue, follow along and make sense of your poster. You might want to ask yourself, what is the big idea behind my research project? Be aware of your audience, because not everyone has a scientific background. You are the tour guide of your own research, so highlight your main points and iterate the importance behind your project.
Good posters are consistent and aesthetically pleasing. If there are mismatched fonts and colors, viewers tend to focus more on your layout than what you have to say. Font size should be big enough to read from a distance and simple enough to not take away from your poster. When applying color, it is good for highlighting information and capturing the viewer's attention.
Using the appropriate graphics like maps, graphs, pictures and animations, can help viewers to understand ideas they may not have with words alone. They should be stand alone, informative and help you progress through your story. Similar to your overall poster, graphics should be quick to read or simple to understand.
In Annie Carew's rough draft example below, it was mentioned that it might be a good idea to edit the layout of the graphics to help the flow of the story; the map could be blown up and placed in the middle of the poster and the aquatic vegetation diagram could be redesigned and tailored more towards the specific research. A left realignment of the text might be more appealing to viewers, as well as the addition of a lightly colored box behind the elements that are most important. Rough drafts and assessments are always a great way to see what you are working with and where you need to be.
With PowerPoints or video recordings, it should be all about enhancing what you have to say. Your slides or video are there to support your presentation, not take away from it. Background music can make or break a video, but has the ability to drive emotion and bring a powerful element to your story. It is always a good idea to play around with different music options to really find the right fit. PowerPoint slides also have the ability dominate the presentation, but when handled correctly they can bring it to life. To prevent yourself from reading directly from the slides, put up key points to guide your discussion. Too much text can cause the audience to lose attention.
The video below is a great start to a potentially powerful video with a few small edits. The imagery was powerful, but a map and diagram of the research methodology could really bring the coral's story full circle. Jane Hawkey mentioned adding a small clip of tropical coral reefs to really bring contrast to the se whips found off Maryland's coast. Videos are a great tool to help keep time and use real-life video clips to help tell a scientist's story.
Title: Rebecca Wenker's rough draft video about sea whips off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland.
John Witherspoon said, "Never rise to speak till you have something to say, and when you have said it, cease." By practicing and preparing for your presentation, your speech can be concise, informative and well worth the audience's three minutes. Make it count!
Next Post > Cork conference on coastal sustainability
Comments
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Tom Butler 6 years ago
Jessie, I enjoyed the Joe Gibbs. I think you used gifs, pictures, and video well for this presentation. I thought you had good takeaways for each medium people will be presenting in. Maybe you could have made headings to separate the mediums but I think you really hit the big point of being concise. Great job.
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Bill Dennison 6 years ago
Jessie’s excellent blog about finalizing the PowerPoints, posters or videos that will be showcased on Friday has the title “It’s your time: Make it count”. I love this title, so I looked up the Luther Barnes gospel song “It’s Your Time” for divine inspiration, and the following lyrics are the result of that inspiration:
It’s Your Time
25 April 2018
William C. DennisonYou’ve been faithful, you’ve been true
And you’ve done all that you can do
And for your faithfulness, it’s your time
You applauded for the rest
Now it’s your time to be blessed
And for your faithfulness, it’s your time.You’ve waited all semester
But you held on, and you were strong
And for your faithfulness, it’s your time
You encouraged everyone else
When you needed it for yourself
And for your faithfulness, it’s your time.This song is dedicated to all of you who have been working on science visualization for what seems like a lifetime.
You have dreamed and you’ve worked towards things that you’ve wanted to accomplish for yourself.
But somehow your biggest goals always seem to be just out of your reach.
But the Lord told me to tell you He knows who you are.
Yes, He’s seen your work and He’s also seen your tears.
And He wants you to know that you are not forgotten.
He’s here to reward you for all your faithfulness.
For He said in His word if you will visualize your science, He will
give you the desires in your heart.
In other words, not only will He give you what you need, but He promised to give you whatever you want.
So don’t get discouraged. So don’t give up.
Hang in there and prepare yourself for your blessing. It’s your time now.You’ve waited all semester
But you held on, and you were strong
And for your faithfulness, it’s your time
You encouraged everyone else
When you needed it for yourself
And for your faithfulness, it’s your time. -
Alyssa Wellman Houde 6 years ago
Overall, a great blog post! I appreciated the use of bolded text to really drive home the important talking points.
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Rebecca Wenker 6 years ago
Great blog, Jessie! The way you write is very engaging and keeps the reader interested. In addition to your advice for the various presentation types, and think a big take-away that you mentioned is practice (and some editing). Throughout this course practice and constructive advice / editing has really helped make my products better!
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Lexy McCarty 6 years ago
Love this! I really like the beginning and how you bring up our workshop and some tips on how to be successful - has a very personal feeling to it. I also like your use of quotes, helps put things in perspective. Nice work!
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Nicole Basenback 6 years ago
I really liked your blog Jessie! It flows really nicely and I like how you incorporated tips, interesting quotes, and examples from class.