What does hitting on someone in a bar and a STEM presentation have in common?
- The first words you say matter the most.
“Hi, my name is Yulia Akisheva. Today, I will be presenting my work on ‘Polymer-regolith mixture as a solution for radiation protection on the Moon’. I am very happy to be here.”
🥱 There is nothing more boring than this kind of introduction to a talk! If you do this, you can count half of your audience out. They are already on Instagram.
Remember, it is not your audience’s job to be interested in you and your content. The fact that they are here makes them interested enough. The rest - is your job!
It is your job to grab their attention.
It is your job to keep it up.
It is your job to be interesting and engaging.
⏱️ The first minute - even the first 20 seconds - is the most crucial. Your audience decides how attentively they’ll listen to the rest of your speech at that moment. Can I half-listen and half-scroll? Can I answer this email first and listen to the results?
Do not let your audience ask themselves these questions at the beginning of your presentation! Grab their attention and lead them. Make them sit up and listen.
🥳 Great news! It is easier done than you think! There are concrete, effective methods you can employ. Pick one of the following 6 options and lead with that. Only then, AFTER this, do you introduce yourself: say your name and what you’re doing here.
Fact or Figure 💯
We can safely assume that in STEM, people love facts and figures. Give them your leading figure or one main fact - hopefully one they don’t know yet - right at the beginning of your talk. Use it either as an introduction to your theory, background knowledge and motivation, or as a cliffhanger foreshadowing your results.
“We found a way to reduce the radiation dose on the Moon by 80%! I’m Yulia Akisheva, and I’ll explain exactly how we achieved this result at [my Affiliation] in due time - but first, let’s have a look at the problem statement…”
Hero Image 🌌
A powerful, shocking, unexpected and informative image (not a table, infographic, or scheme - an image!) can be a dear friend at the very beginning of your talk. Put up a hero image on the screen and start by explaining what you want people to see in it. Then, you can pull up the classic slide with your name, the name of your talk and your affiliation.
The first visual impression makes a lasting impact. You want to evoke the feeling of awe in your audience. Make them relate to your work on an emotional level.
“This is what I’m working on. It is an artistic vision of human presence on the Moon. You can see the astronaut, the machinery, and the habitats. Made of regolith, they protect astronauts from radiation. My name is Yulia and I am here to talk to you about how to use regolith in the best way to maximise radiation protection. The work is titled XYZ, and first, …”
Rhetorical Question 🤔
This is my favourite! It engages people so powerfully - if you do it right, consider half your job done. You have two options:
Ask people an obvious question that hints at the core message of your talk. People love to feel smart when they are the audience of a STEM talk. Asking them an easy question makes them feel good. And when it’s closely related to your message, you hit the mark.
Ask a question that will make people emotionally involved on a deeper level. Something that the people identify with - and that makes them feel conflicted, silly, or even angry. A strong emotion inevitably pulls them in.
“What giant thing happened in late July 1969?
Of course, you know it - the first Moon landing and the leap. 55 years later we want to go back, and this time, stay there longer. …”
Raise of Hands Question 🙋♀️
I lied above - this is my absolute favourite! As I wrote in Serve Your Audience the Right Emotional Cocktail, asking people to make a decision in real-time boosts their level of testosterone. This makes them more likely to engage with you, more likely to stay invested in your speech. The easiest way to give the power to decide to your audience from stage is to ask them to vote on something by a show of hands. Make it the first thing you do and you’ll see how people put their phones away.
“Who here would like to go to the Moon? Raise your left hand. And who would rather stay on Earth? Raise your right hand. Well, right now, those who stay on Earth are ‘right’ because we haven’t solved the radiation problem on the Moon. But here I am working on it, and today I would like to present…”
Story 📖
Okay, it’s the last time, I swear, but this is my most favourite one! A story contains it all — the intrigue, the emotional pull, the content wrapped in powerful imagery, the main message.
To begin with a story, you must make it short and to the point.
To lead the audience, tell them how your work started:
What questions you asked yourself.
What incident led to your discovery or creation.
What conversation you had with your colleagues.
To tell a short story, start with a moment in time. Introduce a character (probably, you), and make them face a problem. Then, you can link the story to your talk in real time. You can say “and the rest of the story unfolds here today with you” or “and the climax of the story is my presentation today.” This is a classic “Quest” plot recipe, it is perfect for the occasion!
“Five years ago, I’ve gone PURPLE. It all began with a naïve question of a young aerospace engineer: what does it take to send people to Mars? Turns out, first we need to take people to the Moon. And what does it take to send people to the Moon? Among other things - protect them from radiation. That’s how the story of the great battle of radiation and grey matter started. And I gave in to PURPLE: Protection Use of Regolith for Planetary and Lunar Exploration. Now, let’s dive deeper into the story…”
Joke 😂
Arguably, the best way to start is with a joke. Make it a simple one - ideally something everyone in the room can relate to.
After the President of the jury of my PhD defence committee made his introduction and said, “and now we give the floor to Yulia for 45 minutes”, I started with “45 minutes on Earth is 3 hours 15 minutes on the Moon though.” Everybody laughed, and the pressure dropped down just a little for me.
A word of caution: while opening with a joke is a top-tier presenter move, you do need more practice and confidence to pull it off. Know your audience, make it relevant to today, work on your delivery in front of the mirror, and try it out on your colleagues first.
Which of the options do you like to use most? Which one is the scariest to try in front of a live audience? Let me know!
Your Coach,
Yulia
Very helpful as always, thank you for your tips !!! 🙏🌟