Preparing for Science Communication Events

7 Science-Backed Principles for Powerful Presentations Most presenters focus on their slides. Top communicators focus on their audience’s brain. 🧠 The psychology of presentations is no longer a mystery. I cover it in the opening chapter in my book Message Machine — “Revealing the hidden psychology of communications.” Here are 7 psychology-based principles that will transform how you present: 1) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞 ↳ Start and end with impact. ↳ People remember the beginning and the end — make those moments count. 2) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭-𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 ↳ Don’t narrate your slides. ↳ Reading text aloud while it’s on-screen splits focus and reduces retention. Use simple visuals to reinforce, not repeat. 3) 𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 ↳ Pair your message with meaningful visuals. ↳ The brain processes visuals and audio separately. Used wisely, this boosts clarity — but irrelevant images just distract. 4) 𝐂𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐲 ↳ Clarity is king. ↳ Every extra word or graphic adds cognitive strain. Trim slides to essentials that your audience can absorb instantly. 5) 𝐆𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 ↳ Design with the brain in mind. ↳ Group elements logically. Consistency, proximity, and alignment help the brain form patterns — and improve recall. 6) 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 “𝐒𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬” ↳ If it doesn’t support your point, cut it. ↳ Fun facts or flashy visuals that don’t serve your message? They dilute impact. 7) 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐚𝐬 ↳ Use conversational language. ↳ Audiences absorb more when your delivery sounds natural. Skip jargon. Speak like a trusted guide. 💬 Which principle do you use most — or want to try next? ♻️ Share this to help your network and follow Oliver Aust to become an elite communicator.

A lot of the value of attending or speaking at a conference doesn’t come from being there. It comes from what you do afterwards. How many times have you come back from a conference or event and thought, “I should’ve done more to maximize that experience”? Not just attending the sessions or showing up at the networking receptions, but turning it into something meaningful for your visibility, your relationships and your business development efforts. Me too 🙋🏼♀️ It’s easy to get caught up in our busy lives, especially after returning from a conference and then move on to the next thing without following up. What you proactively do after the event is what can turn conversations into relationships and visibility into opportunity. Here are some ways to make the most of attending your next conference: ✔️ Prioritize the people you met and follow up with context on LinkedIn or by email, referencing your conversation and suggesting a clear next step ✔️ Follow up with organizers to share feedback and express interest in speaking or getting involved in future programming ✔️ Turn your conference notes into key takeaways and share them as content (LinkedIn post, blog post or short video) connected to your work, your clients or what you’re seeing in the market ✔️ Host your own webinar to recap key themes and extend the conversation ✔️ Interview speakers or attendees whose perspectives stood out and use that content in a webinar, blog post or on social media ✔️ Host an internal recap to share key insights and connect them to your team’s work ✔️ Turn questions or conversations from the event into content or targeted outreach ✔️ Share insights from the event in an email newsletter ✔️ Add relevant new contacts to your email list so you can stay visible with them ✔️ Create a simple system to stay in touch with the people who matter most ✔️ Review the attendee list and reach out to people you didn’t meet ✔️ Follow up with speakers you admired, even if you didn’t connect in person ✔️ Identify one trend or theme you kept hearing across conversations and proactively share that perspective with clients or colleagues You already put in the time and energy to be there. This is how you carry that momentum forward. Which of these ideas resonated most with you? #LegalMarketing #ClientDevelopment #LinkedInTips #BusinessDevelopment #PersonalBrandingTips

One great presentation can do what multiple applications can't. Over the years, my presentations have earned awards, speaking invitations, and opportunities I never applied for. Most recently, at MAA MathFest 2024, someone from the audience approached me and said: "Your talk was so engaging. You made such a complex topic accessible." On the spot, he invited me to speak to high school students in Chicago. Full expenses paid + speaker fee. Here is the framework I use every single time... (You might want to save this.) 1. Know your audience before you make a single slide → Kids? Public? Policy makers? Academics? → Your job is to design your talk to suit them. → Picture one person in the audience, let's call them "Bola." 2. Map out the entire talk first → Write the takeaway from each slide in one sentence. → Connect each slide logically to the next. → Ask yourself: Will Bola digest this information? 3. Ditch the jargon → Would Bola understand this? → If not, go back to the drawing board. → Use simple, plain English. 4. Make it visual → One message per slide. Big font. Bullet points. → Use visuals or illustrations instead of text (if possible.)  → The moment your audience starts reading your slides, you've lost them. 5. Practice as you build each slide → After creating each slide, ask: What will I say here? → This reveals what to add, remove, or fix as you go. → Once done, practice the full presentation again. 6. Never read off your slides during delivery → Deliver like you're telling a story. → Everything on screen is just supporting visuals. → Know your slides inside out. Keep eye contact. 7. Use your body language intentionally → Don't stare at the ceiling, ground, or stand frozen. → Your movement and energy speak louder than words. → This automatically communicates confidence and authority. Great presentations aren’t about showing how smart you are. They’re about making your audience feel something... curiosity, clarity, and inspiration. That’s what makes you memorable. And that’s what opens doors. --- PS: What's ONE thing that's helped you improve your presentations? PPS: Want to see this framework in action? Link to the Chicago talk is in the comments. ♻️ REPOST if this was useful. Thanks!

How to create great MBB slides as a PRO (even if you’re not a designer) I’ve probably made over 10,000 slides in my career. According to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-Hour Rule, that technically makes me a slide master God. (Or maybe just someone who needs new hobbies.) But here’s the twist: I’m not a designer. I’m a lawyer by training. My natural design instincts are zero. And yet, I’ve learned to make slides that work, not because of fancy design skills, but because of a few simple principles that anyone can apply. Here’s how to make slides that actually work: 1. Always start with the message. Before adding any charts, graphs, or visuals, ask yourself: • What is the key takeaway? • How do I want the audience to react? • What elements best support this message? Tattoo this on your brain: A slide where the elements don’t support the message is a bad slide. Period. 2. Use a strong title and subtitle. Every slide needs a clear title that tells you what it’s about and a subtitle that provides the key insight. Example: • Title: “Global sales performance” • Subtitle: “North America drives 60% of growth” 3. Stick to simple and consistent layouts. A good slide should be easy to read at a glance. My go-to layouts: • One chart with commentary: Chart on the left, key takeaways on the right. • Two simple charts side by side: For comparing metrics or trends. • Three columns: When comparing options or showing steps, use three aligned boxes with short text. • Image and text pairing: Image on one side, the message on the other. Keep it simple. The art belongs in the museum, not on your slide. 4. Less is more with text • Bullet points, not paragraphs. • Short phrases, not long sentences. • If your slide looks like an essay, start over. 5. Alignment and precision matter. Nothing makes a slide look messier than poor alignment. • Align elements consistently. • Use symmetry wherever possible. • White space is not your enemy, clutter is. 6. Keep charts simple and actionable • Bar charts, line charts, scatter plots, stick to what works. • Always label axes and show units. • Highlight key data points. 7. The 5-second rule • Can you tell what the slide is about in 5 seconds? • Is the key insight crystal clear? • Would a stranger understand it instantly? The bottom line: If your slide doesn’t support your message, it’s just a distraction. And if your message isn’t clear, neither is your impact.

I've built a lot of slides in 9 yrs at Google. Here are 9 practical tips I've learned: 1/ 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. Write your headlines first. Figure out your "flow." Don't flesh out your slides until you've nailed the storyline. This will save you hours of wasted effort later on. 2/ 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. Most people have way too many slides. Cut it down. The less flicking around you need to do, the more attention you'll get, and the sharper your message will be. 3/ 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 "𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁" 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱. Most content is written with no bias towards action. They get presented — and then forgotten — since there's no implied next steps. Do the opposite. Think hard about your calls-to-action and articulate it well. 4/ 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Writing chronologically means you're burying the lead. You'll lose your audience quickly. Always lead with the conclusion instead. 5/ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀. Don't simply throw big numbers onto a slide and hope it'll impress. It won't work. Instead, help your audience out by thoughtfully benchmarking or indexing. 6/ 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆. Slides make it easy to get away with lazy thinking. So you often end up with colorful boxes with generic buzzwords, or bullet points with incomplete thoughts. Avoid this trap. Challenge yourself to articulate complete thoughts while still achieving brevity. 7/ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗱𝘂𝗵" 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆. Ask yourself if anyone would read what you wrote and go either "duh!" or "no sh*t!" If so, you're wasting people's time. Sharpen it until there's actual insight. 8/ 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲. Your use of space always tells a story. Don't give disproportionate real estate to unimportant content. And vice versa. Otherwise you'll undermine yourself. 9/ 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 "𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗯" 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Avoid littering your slides with corp-speak. Be straightforward whenever possible. Of course, this doesn't give you the right to ignore numbers or engage in generic platitudes. It just means that you find the simplest way to anchor your audience. Then you can back it up with detail. __ 𝗣.𝗦. Looking to nerd out a bit more? Grab the 50-page playbook I built for free: 🎯 hernglee.gumroad.com It's what I wish someone gave me at the start of my career. So I built it! __ 👋 Hi! I'm Herng, and I write about my learnings as a strategy manager at Google. Follow for more tips! ♻️ Reshare this post if it can help others!

🚀 Did you know that 90% of event success happens after the curtains close ❓ Event’s Over, But the Real Magic is Just Beginning! That’s right! Your event may be over, but how you follow up could be the game-changer in building long-lasting relationships. 💼✨ 🌟 Post-event follow-up is your golden opportunity to solidify connections, gain insights, and build lasting relationships. Sapna Gujral shares her expert checklist to ensure your event leaves a lasting impression: 1️⃣ Personalized Thank-Yous – A simple, thoughtful thank-you note to attendees, sponsors, and vendors shows appreciation and strengthens connections. Bonus points for personal touches! 2️⃣ Feedback Collection – Use surveys or direct outreach to gather feedback. It’s the best way to improve future events and gain insights into what worked. 3️⃣ Highlight Reel – Share photos, videos, and key moments on social media. Keep the event buzz alive by engaging with your audience online. 4️⃣ Leverage Data – Analyze attendance stats, engagement rates, and post-event feedback to refine your event strategy. This data helps you plan future events with greater impact. 5️⃣ Stay in Touch – Don’t let your connection fade away after the event. Nurture these relationships with regular follow-ups or value-driven content. 💡 Post-event engagement is the bridge between a one-time experience and a long-term professional relationship. Don’t miss the chance to turn attendees into loyal clients or advocates! What’s your go-to post-event follow-up tip? Let’s share and learn!👇 #EventManagement #ClientEngagement #FollowUpSuccess #SapnaGujral

HOW TO GET MORE SURVEYS + MAKE YOUR NEXT EVENT BETTER?! Event pros, we know how it goes - you have a GREAT event (with some hiccups!) and you leave the event with all these ideas for the future... and then you get swallowed up by your inbox, your next event, and LIFE... and those good ideas/changes you want to make just fall further and further down the to-do list. I get it! I have been part of a lot of event post-mortems with my clients (and as a former meetings + events pro) and here is a list of things I've seen clients do that were impactful/good ideas: STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE # OF SURVEY RESPONSES: 1. Get each speaker to include QR code of survey at the end of their session / right before Q+A and give attendees 1 minute to fill out in real-time  2. Have main stage emcee give allotted 1-2 minutes during mainstage time at closing sessions of each day to let folks "vote with their surveys" for their favorite session of the day 3. Partner with a local charity to donate $1 per survey to them (for example, client is supporting Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida for upcoming event in Orlando, where $1 gives 4 meals). 4. Multiple follow up emails giving time deadline to "get in their surveys" with possible incentive for their response (discount to future event?) STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF SURVEYS: 1. Be clear on what your leadership wants ROI/KPI on and then focus on questions that can deliver those metrics/insights 2. Give the survey to your event partners - they often have a lot of experience and some ideas for improvements/feedback that you either didn't see, didn't know about or wouldn't have thought of. (and yes, they could upsell you here but great partners will give, give, give to help you and trust you may return to them if they did a great job) 3. If you have sponsors/rely on sponsors for event income, call them personally and follow up about the survey to hear their feedback (and have a special sponsor/partner survey, if possible) so you can understand their experience, feedback and improve sponsorship sales for next year STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE POST-EVENT MEETINGS 1. Have a quick on-site post-event meeting celebrating the wins! Nothing super heavy here, but share the joy! You all did it!!! Wins will be fresh in the mind - record it on a voice note and transcribe later, if possible. 2. Send out internal survey ahead of meeting for "braindumping" and allowing those who think-then-talk to prepare accordingly. Give open ended questions, make it anonymous if your org's culture may benefit from that. 3. Ask for everyone to pick something they will "Champion" - which means they'll see it through the stages of research, proposal, planning and execution with support of others for the next event. Co-Champions are good, too, but either way - leave the meeting with folks being excited about a new idea and with the expectations set on how to convert from "Great idea" to "Awesome reality!" #meetingsandevents #associations #eventprofs

Feedback is a loop, but we often keep it open-ended. Closing the loop is more than a simple "thank you for giving me the feedback." That's merely a dead end. Feedback isn't an event, it should be an ongoing partnership for growth. How do you make that happen? By applying feedback and following up with this three step process: Step 1: Change the way you ask for feedback. Instead of simply asking "what feedback do you have," get more specific in what you're asking for up front, so you can focus the other person's attention to what you need (e.g. I'd really like your feedback on the overall flow of that presentation and what made it easy or difficult to absorb). Then look for the one thing you can take and apply. This approach makes it easier to get valuable, actionable feedback, even if there are elements you disagree with. Step 2: Proactively set a date to action on the feedback and even follow up. When can you implement a first step? How will you re-connect to provide an update? Discuss that plan with the other person. Step 3: When that date hits, share the following: "Because of your feedback, I did x, and this is what I've observed as a result. What have you noticed?" We leave conversations unfinished and open-ended every single day, like strands of string dangling everywhere. It's time to start creating loops - professionally and personally. #ignitedbyjordana #feedback #leadership #communication #closetheloop

If people just sit and listen at your event, it could have been done online. And I suppose that’s the last thing you want your participants to feel when they leave. They chose to dedicate their work or after-work hours to you, put in extra time with their walk or commute, and maybe even sacrificed a romantic date or family dinner to be in the room with your organisation. How do you make people show up in person? And how do you make your event stand out when they have five others to choose from? 🥇 Be the first in something → In hosting a European Commission representative when a new proposal or initiative is announced. In hosting a Member-State Ambassador for the upcoming Council presidency priorities. In welcoming a certain speaker on your topic in Brussels. In analysing the current energy crisis from an angle that nobody else in town has done yet. Just think what it is that nobody else but your organisation can bring to the table first. 🎤 Choose a new format → Go for a debate instead of a panel discussion. Choose a punchy, journalist-like fireside chat over a keynote. Implement a world café or a poster session instead of breakout rooms. Hold AI-matched or colour-coded networking. Brussels folks have seen every bland, copy-paste format there is; give them something new. 💬 Make it personal → Your participant wants to feel seen and cared for, not just a number 78 on your registration list. Are they attending one of your events for the first time? Let them know how happy you are that they found you, what they can expect from this event and ask whether they have any questions coming in. Has your regular signed up? Share how appreciative you are of their ongoing support, whether anything makes this event different from the previous ones, and also open the floor to questions. Answer any enquiries within 24 hours. 📢 Have a raving communication plan → Curiosity and humour tend to work well, but if your communication channels haven’t reflected that until now, don’t go there with force. Do countdowns, tease themes and speakers. Hint at something people will learn only if they come to this particular event. Create templates for your speakers so that you amplify the event’s communication buzz. If the event is big enough, you can also do that with your participants. Build up urgency if your event is close to being sold out/capacity-filled. 🤝 Get. Participants. Involved → The last point, because we are going chronologically, but the most important one. Attending an event in person is all about making the most of it, unlike half-listening to an online webinar. Have warm-up questions ready on Mentimeter or Slido, because introverts want to feel heard, too; ask a question that requires a raise of hands; drop a Q&A in the middle of your discussion; let people choose a side in a debate. Allow enough time to network before, during or after the event.  _ _ _ 💡 What event elements make you attend it in person? Let me know in the comments! 

If you want better and more measurable event ROI, you need 3 data phases: (Most event professionals I speak to only focus on the last phase) → BEFORE Establish a foundation for a successful event by aligning the content and sponsors with the audience's preferences and expectations, ensuring high engagement and relevance right from the start. Example: ✅ Monitor audience interests by conducting pre-event surveys and polls across your marketing channels to nail your agenda ✅ Make a web directory connecting each sponsor to a core topic. Use the survey results or other analytics tools like Hotjar to communicate interest levels to your sponsors. → DURING Enhance the event experience by monitoring engagement in real-time, allowing for immediate adjustments and providing sponsors with actionable insights to maximize their impact and ROI. Example: ✅ Create real-time feedback channels through your app, virtual event platform, or on-site kiosks to optimize the flow of your event.  ✅ Provide real-time data on booth visits, user interactions, and downloads for your sponsors and exhibitors to know what’s working and what needs improvement. → AFTER Evaluate the event's success and gather insights for future improvements by systematically analyzing attendee feedback and engagement metrics, continuously refining the event strategy. Example: ✅ Include a feedback survey in your post-event email to understand their experience better. ✅ Use the data to create a post-show report instead of sending a Google Sheet. And remember this: - More data isn't always better - Data is only helpful when you know why you need it and how to make it actionable