Presenting Scientific Findings at Conferences

Choosing the right chart is half the battle in data storytelling. This one visual helped me go from “𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞?” → “𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 10 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬.”👇 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚: 🔹 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧? • Few categories → Bar Chart • Over time → Line Chart • Multivariate → Spider Chart • Non-cyclical → Vertical Bar Chart 🔹 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩? • 2 variables → Scatterplot • 3+ variables → Bubble Chart 🔹 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? • Single variable → Histogram • Many points → Line Histogram • 2 variables → Violin Plot 🔹 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? • Show part of a total → Pie Chart / Tree Map • Over time → Stacked Bar / Area Chart • Add/Subtract → Waterfall Chart 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬: • Don’t overload charts; less is more. • Always label axes clearly. • Use color intentionally, not decoratively. • 𝐀𝐬𝐤: What insight should this chart unlock in 5 seconds or less? 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: • Charts don’t just show data, they tell a story • In storytelling, clarity beats complexity • Don’t aim to impress with fancy visuals, aim to express the insight simply, that’s where the real impact is 💡 ♻️ Save it for later or share it with someone who might find it helpful! 𝐏.𝐒. I share job search tips and insights on data analytics & data science in my free newsletter. Join 14,000+ readers here → https://lnkd.in/dUfe4Ac6

On delivering a great conference presentation. Conference presentations are tricky. Whether your content is good or not, may or may not matter. However. Where it is a good presentation or not will open and close doors on your career. And. A bad one, esp. as a senior PhD student, can close minds and doors on the ejob market. So five quick points to consider as you plan your talk. 1. Structure your talk like a SHORT story You have just 15 to 20 minutes. So use a simple structure to describe your research, like this: Hook – A question, puzzle, or surprising insight Background – What we know, what we don’t Research question – The gap you address Method – How you explored it Key findings – What you discovered Implications – Why it matters for research or practice Example: “We wanted to know why remote teams struggle with onboarding. So we interviewed 22 tech firms. What we found challenges how we think about informal mentorship.” 2. Design slides that focus attention on you. One idea per slide. Keep it visual. Define key terms and highlight relevance. Let your voice do the explaining. Example: Instead of pasting your abstract on a slide, show a graph, a quote, or a concept map. 3. Practice, practice, practice Rehearse with time limits. Ask peers to simulate Q&A. Emulate having people come in and out of the room. Example: If your session is 15 minutes, aim to finish in 12. Have a friend play the "skeptical reviewer" in practice and push back on your logic. 4. Deliver with intention Speak slowly and clearly. Make eye contact. Pause for breath. Think before answering questions. Example: Nervous speakers rush. A short pause after your main point helps your audience absorb it—and makes you sound more confident. 5. Respect the room Visit the room before the talk. Know the room layout. Hook up your computer to present. Bring your slides on a USB stick. Finish 1–2 minutes early. Example: If you’re speaking in a hybrid session, arrive early to check audio levels and screen sharing. Even if you are a great speaker, things go wrong. The more prepared you are, the less you will be put off by things going wrong. So. Practice. Build your confidence. Visualize greatness! Then execute. Best of luck! #conference #academicjourney

Your research is only as good as your ability to get people to listen to it.  Here's 7 tips for making sure your insights actually land. 📂 Start with conclusions, not methodology Think of your debrief as a landing page–you need to hook people immediately. Put your key takeaways front and center. No one has time to wade through your research methods before getting to the good stuff. Everyone is busy with their jobs already. 📂 One finding per slide Don't overwhelm your audience with multiple insights at once. Share one finding per slide, support it with data (mix qualitative and quantitative), and include a clear recommendation. Yes, recommendations! Don't just drop insights and run. Your job isn't done until you've suggested what to do next. 📂 Connect to business goals Your organization cares about metrics and outcomes, not research for its own sake. Frame your insights in terms of business impact. For example, this finding will help us reduce the 30% churn we're seeing in week 1. 📂 Use real user voices Nothing makes research stick like hearing it directly from users. Include direct quotes and, if possible, short video clips. The more human connection you create between stakeholders and users, the more memorable your insights become. 📂 Ditch the UX jargon Simplify everything and speak in terms business stakeholders understand. 📂 Address stakeholder fears When executives push back, it's usually fear-driven. Find out what they're afraid of missing, losing, or failing at—then frame your insights as solutions to those fears. 📂 Save methodology for last Your professional expertise should be trusted. Keep the "how we made the sausage" details for the end. What's your best tip for making research insights stick?

Many amazing presenters fall into the trap of believing their data will speak for itself. But it never does… Our brains aren't spreadsheets, they're story processors. You may understand the importance of your data, but don't assume others do too. The truth is, data alone doesn't persuade…but the impact it has on your audience's lives does. Your job is to tell that story in your presentation. Here are a few steps to help transform your data into a story: 1. Formulate your Data Point of View. Your "DataPOV" is the big idea that all your data supports. It's not a finding; it's a clear recommendation based on what the data is telling you. Instead of "Our turnover rate increased 15% this quarter," your DataPOV might be "We need to invest $200K in management training because exit interviews show poor leadership is causing $1.2M in turnover costs." This becomes the north star for every slide, chart, and talking point. 2. Turn your DataPOV into a narrative arc. Build a complete story structure that moves from "what is" to "what could be." Open with current reality (supported by your data), build tension by showing what's at stake if nothing changes, then resolve with your recommended action. Every data point should advance this narrative, not just exist as isolated information. 3. Know your audience's decision-making role. Tailor your story based on whether your audience is a decision-maker, influencer, or implementer. Executives want clear implications and next steps. Match your storytelling pattern to their role and what you need from them. 4. Humanize your data. Behind every data point is a person with hopes, challenges, and aspirations. Instead of saying "60% of users requested this feature," share how specific individuals are struggling without it. The difference between being heard and being remembered comes down to this simple shift from stats to stories. Next time you're preparing to present data, ask yourself: "Is this just a data dump, or am I guiding my audience toward a new way of thinking?" #DataStorytelling #LeadershipCommunication #CommunicationSkills

I have a confession to make. I have been guilty of putting people to sleep during my presentations. Unfortunately, not once, but many times. I could blame it on the complexities of tech topics or the dryness of the subject. I could always console myself by saying that at least it's not as sleep-inducing as financial presentations (sorry, my friends in Finance). Deep down, though, I knew that even the most complicated and dry topics could come alive. As with anything, it's a skill and can be improved upon. Thus, I turned to my friend Christopher Chin, Communication Coach for Tech Professionals, for some much-needed advice. He shared these 5 presentation tips guaranteed to leave a lasting impression: 1/ Speak to Their Needs, Not Your Wants Don’t just say what you like talking about or what your audience wants to hear. Say what your audience needs to hear based on their current priorities and pain points: that sets your presentation up to be maximally engaging 2/ Slides Support, You Lead Slides are not the presentation. You are the presentation. Your slides should support your story and act as visual reinforcement rather than as the main star of the show.  Consider holding off on making slides until you have your story clear. That way, you don’t end up making more slides than you need or making slides more verbose than you need 3/ Start with a Bang, Not a Whisper The beginning of a presentation is one of the most nerve-wracking parts for you as the speaker and one of the most attention-critical parts for your audience. If you don’t nail the beginning, there’s a good chance you lose the majority of people. Consider starting with something that intrigues your audience, surprises them, concerns them, or makes them want to learn more. 4/ Think Conversation, Not Presentation One-way presentations where the speaker just talks “at” the audience lead to dips in attention and poorer reception of the material. Consider integrating interactive elements like polls and Q&A throughout a presentation (rather than just at the very end) to make it feel more like a conversation. 5/ Finish Strong with a Clear CTA We go through all the effort of preparing, creating, and delivering a presentation to cause some change in behavior. End with a powerful call to action that reminds your audience why they were in attendance and what they should do as soon as they leave the room. By integrating these, you won't just present; you'll captivate. Say goodbye to snoozing attendees and hello to a gripped audience. 😴 Repost if you've ever accidentally put someone to sleep with a presentation. We've all been there!

Most plots fail before they even leave the notebook. Too much clutter. Too many colors. Too little context. I have a stack of visualization books that teach theory, but none of them walk through the tools. In Effective Visualizations, I aim to fix that. I introduce the CLEAR framework—a simple checklist to rescue your charts from confusion and make them resonate: Color: Use color sparingly and intentionally. Highlight what matters. Avoid rainbow palettes that dilute your message. Limit plot type: Just because you can make a 3D exploding donut chart doesn’t mean you should. The simplest plot that answers your question is usually the best. Explain plot: Add clear labels, titles. Remove legends! If you need a decoder ring to read it, you’re not done. Audience: Know who you’re talking to. Executives care about different details than data scientists. Tailor your visuals accordingly. References: Show your sources. Data without provenance erodes trust. All done in the most popular language data folks use today, Python! When you build visuals with CLEAR in mind, your plots stop being decorations and start being arguments—concise, credible, and persuasive.

When you're making a presentation, questions from your audience don’t have to derail your flow. They can actually improve the experience for your audience *and* you. This is especially true when you're presenting complicated data analysis. The secret is keeping strategic control of the room by opening the floor at key moments. By doing so, you improve your audience's understanding of your content while gaining -- not losing -- momentum. Here’s how you can do it: 1. Anticipate Audience Questions Be prepared. Reflect on who your audience is and review your presentation in that context. Create a list of possible questions in advance. Identify complex concepts, key points, and surprising insights where your audience may want clarity. Prepare responses to those concerns *before* you step on stage. 2. Initiate Questions with a "Framing Prompt" This is a powerful technique that is the key to a great Q&A. After sharing a key point that you've identified as something your audience may want to clarify, invite them to discuss it with a clear and direct statement: “What questions do you have about [topic]?” This simple statement is your Framing Prompt. It gives the audience permission to engage by signaling that it is time for them to participate [Prompt]. More importantly, it allows you to control the topic being discussed when you name the specific topic you're looking to clarify (i.e., the one you were just presenting!) [Framing]. 3. Use Purposeful Pauses Initiate questions with a framing prompt and then pause — for seven seconds. Let the silence work. Don't be afraid of it! It gives your audience time to think and respond and muster the courage to speak. As the presenter, you may feel like the weight of the audience is squarely on you — but your audience feels that weight, too! Hold eye contact and remain still, which creates a safe and welcoming moment for your audience. If no one speaks up, continue with confidence. These techniques help you control both the timing and topic of audience questions, keeping your presentation engaging while maintaining flow and confidence. Tomorrow I’ll show you the 6 steps process you can use to handle those questions when they come. Art+Science Analytics Institute | University of Notre Dame | University of Notre Dame - Mendoza College of Business | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | University of Chicago | D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University | ELVTR | Grow with Google - Data Analytics #Analytics #DataStorytelling

One of my favorite pieces of advice to give to early career professionals about how to maximize networking opportunities at a conference: Stand up and ask a question during a session early on in the program. You get to introduce yourself to the entire audience in one fell swoop by stating your name and company before asking your question. And ideally you ask a thoughtful and memorable question on the topic you most want to talk to people about. Now you’ve teed yourself up for the most fruitful conversations possible throughout the rest of the event. You might have to remind people “I’m so-and-so, the person who asked the question about XYZ during the session on ABC” but then you can continue on to ask what they think about the topic. It’s a great conversation starter aligned with your business objectives for the conference.

🟠 Most data scientists (and test managers) think explaining A/B test results is about throwing p-values and confidence intervals at stakeholders... I've sat through countless meetings where the room goes silent the moment a technical slide appears. Including mine. You know the moment when "statistical significance" and "confidence intervals" flash on screen, and you can practically hear crickets 🦗 It's not that stakeholders aren't smart. We are just speaking different languages. Impactful data people uses completely opposite approach. --- Start with the business question --- ❌ "Our test showed a statistically significant 2.3% lift..." ✅ "You asked if we should roll out the new recommendation model..." This creates anticipation and you may see the stakeholder lean forward. --- Size the real impact --- ❌ "p-value is 0.001 with 95% confidence..." ✅ "This change would bring in ~$2.4M annually, based on current traffic..." Numbers without context are just math. They can be in appendix or footnotes. Numbers tied to business outcomes are insights. These should be front and center. --- Every complex idea has a simple analogy --- ❌ "Our sample suffers from selection bias..." ✅ "It's like judging an e-commerce feature by only looking at users who completed a purchase..." --- Paint the full picture. Every business decision has tradeoffs --- ❌ "The test won", then end presentation ✅ Show the complete story - what we gained, what we lost, what we're still unsure about, what to watch post-launch, etc. --- This one is most important --- ✅ Start with the decision they need to make. Then only present the data that helps make **that** decision. Everything else is noise. The core principle at work? Think like a business leader who happens to know data science. Not a data scientist who happens to work in business. This shift in mindset changes everything. Are you leading experimentation at your company? Or wrestling with translating complex analyses into clear recommendations? I've been there. For 16 long years. In the trenches. Now I'm helping fellow data practitioners unlearn the jargon and master the art of influence through data. Because let's be honest - the hardest part of our job isn't running the analysis. It's getting others to actually use it.

Everyone loves a good story. You should be using your data to tell one every chance you get. The importance of narrative in scientific communication cannot be understated. And that includes communication in traditionally technical environments! One thing that gets beaten into you in graduate school is that a scientific presentation is a technical affair. Communicating science is fact based, it's black and white, here's the data, this is the conclusion, do you have any questions? Actually, I do. Did you think about what story your data could tell before you put your slides together? I know this is a somewhat provocative question because a lot of scientists overlook the importance of telling a story when they present results. But if you want to keep your audience engaged and interested in what you have to say, you should think about your narrative! This is true for a presentation at 'The Mountain Lake Lodge Meeting on Post-Initiation Activities of RNA Polymerases,' the 'ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting,' or to a class of 16 year old AP Biology Students. The narrative doesn't need to be the same for all of those audiences, BUT IT SHOULD EXIST! There is nothing more frustrating to me than seeing someone give a presentation filled with killer data only to watch them blow it by putting the entire audience to sleep with an arcane technical overview of the scientific method. Please. Tell. A. Story. With. Your. Data. Here's how: 1. Plot - the series of events that drive the story forward to its resolution. What sets the scene, the hypothesis or initial observation? How can the data be arranged to create a beginning, middle, and end? 2. Theme - Good vs Evil, Human vs Virus, Day in the life of a microbe? Have fun with this (even just as a thought experiment) because it makes a big difference. 3. Character development - the team, the protein, gene, or model system 4. Conflict - What were the blockers and obstacles? Needed a new technique? Refuting a previous finding? 5. Climax - the height of the struggle. Use your data to build to a climax. How did one question lead to another and how were any problems overcome? 6. Resolution - What's the final overall conclusion and how was the conflict that was setup in the beginning resolved by what you found? By taking the time to work through what story you can tell, you can engage your entire audience and they'll actually remember what you had to say!