This episode of The reid_indeed Podcast, and the written blog below, share the original versions of an edited piece that was a kindly invited contribution to Chemistry & Engineering News Magazine’s ‘Selling Your Science’ #SciComm newsletter series. Check out the full series here.

The minute hand on the clock strikes your chest like a prehistoric club. It primes your heart to pound erratically against your ribs. You feel every microscopic crack in your chilled bones. The time on your watch now matches the time listed against your name on the conference schedule. It’s time to stop staring through the abstract you barely remember writing and make your way to the stage. You negotiate chairs and tables like an assault course, all the while willing yourself not to trip, not to fall. You are carried by the wind under your deep, desperate breaths of silent panic. Will you remember those slides? What will everyone think of you? Will they even care?

The words of the session chairperson start muffled. They are drowned out by your electrified self-doubt. In seconds that pass like centuries, their words become clearer and sharper. You realise they are about to finish reading out your biography. The minute hand thumps once more. The floor is yours. It’s time to give your lecture. Now what?

Over the past 10 years, I’ve had the petrifying privilege to engage with every possible speaking medium I can think of. From my master’s and PhD research group meeting updates, to research conferences, outreach events, lengthy invited slots, conference chairing, paid corporate events, Shark Tank-style business pitches, one-minute teaser talks, Zoom meetings, YouTube productions, podcast interviews, and audio-essay storytelling. While the medium might change, the fright of public speaking feels the same.

Every single time.

Below, I share with you four tips to consider when you sit down to prepare your next talk.

Learn transitions, not transcripts.
We’ve all heard those talks that sound like scripture readings. They’re neat, clean, unfeeling, and ineffective at inducing anything except sleep. While memorizing a talk might help ensure you don’t forget the details, it serves to send your words in one ear of your audience and out the other. Instead of scripting your talk, consider memorizing only the key stepping stones between your slides. Harness the melody of your conversational cadence and avoid the monotonous drone of reading your slides aloud. Consider imperfect and genuine over perfect and placid.
Less is always more.
The evil twin of the orderly scripted speech is the infinite slide deck that shows no sign of ever ending. If you have a 20-minute slot, consider speaking for 12 or 15 minutes, not 35. Resist the temptation to add just one more slide. Never be in a position where you are forced to just “go over this next slide quickly” because you’ve allowed yourself to run out of time. Nothing endears you to a curious audience more than sticking to schedule. It oozes professionalism and respect.
Pictures enable YOU to be worth a thousand words.
Unless you are in a multilingual audience who don’t all share the conference language (it happens), consider minimizing the volume of text that appears on your slides. Each slide is a billboard, not a bill of rights. In this way, you avoid your audience from ever being torn between reading your slides and listening to you. Their eyes should only ever be on a slide when you guide them there. With a minimalist approach, you--and only you--narrate the story you are trying to share.
Tailor every talk.
How useful is a “reusable” slide deck if you ever have to prepare a one-minute pitch with no computer in sight? How much can you really lean on your 50-slide masterpiece when you rock up to speak in a 10-minute slot? The most memorable speeches are those that are present in the moment.
Consider that no two audiences are ever painted on the same canvas. Learn who you are talking to, what has brought them all together, and what they are likely to care about. Craft every one of your talks with a needle and thread. Never deliver your message off the peg. Attention to detail will return your most attentive audience.

Finally, relax and have fun. Enjoy the moment. This is your time to generously share your expertise with the world. Before you know it, your talk will be over, the applause will soothe you, and it will be time to start planning your next story for your next audience.

If you have a question for Marc, upload an audio recording for it to be featured on a later Q&A episode!