Monday Motivation #178 (3/18/24)

Happy Monday!

The first time I talked about my research in front of an auditorium was at a conference in Sweden. I was a grad student talking about work I’d done designing software for handheld computers that were being used by middle school science students. One of my slides showed a picture from the classroom, with the kids huddled around their handheld computers (which were clunky precursors to the smart phone) and an array of colorful iMacs in the background. When we got to the Q&A, someone in the audience asked why would we bother with handheld computers when this classroom clearly had regular computers for the students to use?

I froze for what felt like several minutes, internally panicking as I questioned the foundation of my research: why were we in this classroom? what unique purpose did handheld computers serve? why weren’t the iMacs sufficient?

As I stood there quietly contemplating in which direction to pass out so I wouldn’t hit my head on the podium, I suddenly remembered an afternoon in the classroom when I was observing “regular” activities, before we introduced the handheld computers. The teacher asked the kids a question that required some investigation, so all of them stood up, hoisted their chairs, and went to sit at the computers that lined the walls of the room. Of course, these were 12-to-14-year-old kids so this task was pretty chaotic, with more than one chair being used for play-fighting and a number of books and binders being knocked off of desks. Once the kids got their chairs to the computers and negotiated who would sit where, they had to turn on the iMacs, wait for them to boot, and log in (which was harder than it sounds, as typing wasn’t a common skill for these kids). Then they had to find the web browser, bring up Yahoo! (google wasn’t popular yet), and figure out what search terms to use and how to spell them. Once they had some results, they had to scroll and read, try to assess the legitimacy of the source, and take notes. Once they had the information, they had to reverse the process: log out, power down, return their chairs to their desks, settle enough for the teacher to continue teaching. All of that took a lot of time, with at least 15 minutes spent transitioning back and forth between tasks. In an hour-long class that was a lot of potentially wasted time, and so the teachers tended to avoid using the computers during class — or designed lessons so that there were “computer days” when the kids would spend all of their time looking things up to discuss at another time.

In the few seconds (which felt like hours) it took to recall that afternoon, I realized I had a good answer to the question: when we provided the students with handheld computers, their teachers were able to ask them to look things up without leaving their seats, and began integrating search exercises and discussions of primary sources into their daily lesson plans. So I shared the story of the chaotic computer afternoon as a contrast to the thesis of my presentation, which was that handheld learning devices could increase students’ engagement in science inquiry activities.

Over the years, I’ve gotten better at Q&A. While I don’t always know the answer, I can usually navigate the conversation pretty calmly thanks to a lot of experience giving presentations and teaching in a variety of contexts. This week, I’m sharing some resources for strengthening presentation and public speaking skills, whether you’re presenting at a conference or talking to potential employers at an interview.

Katy

Three Things to Try This Week

Prepare — often the first thing we do when getting ready for a presentation is create a slideshow. Those visual aids can be effective, but the design and content matter. Check out these short video lessons on using the assertion-evidence approach to develop an impactful research or technical talk: http://writing.engr.psu.edu/speaking.html

Practice — taking the time to practice and revise a presentation can help increase your comfort level with the material and reduce stress during the presentation. Here are some suggestions for practicing more effectively: https://mitcommlab.mit.edu/be/commkit/public-speaking-how-to-practice/

Present — interviewers will often ask about your research or grad school projects, and it’s important to be able to talk about those experiences in different contexts. Consider this advice for presenting your research and technical experience in a job interview: https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/what-most-effective-way-describe-your-research-qyjae

More Resources

• Join us this Thursday, March 21, from 2–5pm in 3405 EB to see research presentations by the College’s nominees for the Fitch H. Beach Award for Outstanding PhD Research.
• The AGEP Learning Community offers opportunities for students to share their research in brief presentations and meet grad students from across campus. Learn more here: https://grad.msu.edu/events/agep-learning-community-meeting-14
• Need more RECR training hours for 2023–24? Check out the events offered by MSU CSTAT; many (but not all) can count towards RECR credit — be sure to read the details for each event! https://cstat.msu.edu/events