Giving a good Retreat Talk

John Little

What is the purpose of a retreat talk?

The main purpose should be to convey interesting science to as broad a group of the audience as possible. 

The retreat audience is very diverse, with specializations, background and interests ranging from cell biology and development through molecular genetics to biophysics and chemistry.  This means that you have to Keep It Simple.  It never hurts to supply background; it's better to bore 10% of your audience than losing 50% because you assumed too much knowledge. 

In a 15-minute talk, you can realistically expect to convey only a few major points.  Ask yourself what you would like your audience to take away from the talk.  Bear in mind that with a diverse set of speakers, the audience is constantly switching gears, all over the spectrum, and hardly anyone will retain the fine points and details.

Guidelines for an effective talk

First, you should supply a roadmap.  A good way is to have an outline slide, so the audience will know where you're headed. 

It's important not to lose members of the audience; once somebody is confused, it's easy to zone out, and hard to get back to the thread of the talk.  If you have fine points for the experts, say something like "Here's a digression for the experts", then say when you've returned to the material that's for everyone.

Second, more background is needed than for an audience of experts in your field.  The audience needs to be educated about several things:

1.  The big picture questions in your area, and in your own research

2.   The background

3.  The techniques you are using

Third, during the talk, you should provide an ongoing road map.  It is important to indicate the following features on your slides, not just in words.  If you just state it in words, many people will miss it, and become lost, especially if the statement is highly technical.  Again, you don't want to lose your audience.

1.  Clear statement, on your slide (not just in words), of what question you are addressing

2.  Clear statement or diagram of the methodology you're using (e.g. co-IP's, footprinting, etc.)

3.  Simple data slide

4.  Conclusions from the experiment, hypothesis you will be testing next. 

Fourth, there is a big danger in this informal setting of confusing style with substance.  A casual or informal speaking style is appropriate.  However, this can encourage speakers to think that casual or sloppy thinking is likewise acceptable.  It isn't!  Your thinking needs to be as rigorous in this setting as in any other.  If you are speculating, identify it as speculation. 

A couple of things to avoid:

1.  Massive lists of highly-specialized projects:  Nobody will understand it, especially new students.

2.  Lightly edited versions of your latest Powerpoint talk for a professional meeting.  Almost invariably these are far too dense and detailed for this audience.

3.  Large numbers of data slides, especially ones using the same techniques over and over.  Summarize most of the data, and use data slides mainly to illustrate how the technique helps you attack your problems.