The world of scientific and academic research is teeming with activity as researchers actively work to discover, create, and share exciting new advances. However, communicating these findings effectively has always been a challenge for researchers. The traditional approach of inundating audiences with data and technical jargon is typically dull. It often leads to disengagement or, worse still, a failure to convey the actual significance of findings.
This is where storytelling in research offers a solution. Framing research findings within a relatable and engaging narrative makes audiences more receptive and enables researchers and academicians to quickly captivate their attention, foster engagement, and make a lasting impact. Storytelling in presentations allows academicians and researchers to integrate engaging personal experiences, anecdotes or real-life examples and stories into their research, teaching, and other academic endeavours so that they resonate with readers on a deeper level, even if the concepts are complex.
In this article, we will examine how researchers can incorporate different storytelling strategies into their research presentations. The following discussion will provide some valuable tips, including storytelling in presentations for public speaking opportunities at conferences or events, to convey your research effectively and make an impact.
Storytelling in Presentations
Storytelling in presentations transcends the often dry and technical aspects of typical scientific and academic presentations. It allows researchers to connect with their audience on an emotional and intellectual level and makes audiences more keen to read and hear about what is being shared. Let us understand how to explain your scientific presentations in a story format to capture the audience’s attention.
Know your audience
As researchers, you will be expected to present papers and research findings at a wide variety of conferences or seminars that may involve people with varying levels of interest and knowledge about the subject matter. It is, therefore, essential to gain an understanding of the profile of your audience beforehand – especially keeping in consideration the level of familiarity the audience has with the topic, their interests, and the context of the presentation. Accordingly, it would help if you tailored your key messages to engage the interests and attention of the audience.
Narrative
The use of storytelling in presentations and consequently creating a compelling narrative is beneficial in forming a story for your presentation. The narrative should contain all the crucial elements of your research paper. It must convey the significance of the research findings, the journey of discovery, and the potential real-world applications. Importantly, using visual elements such as images, charts, and graphs to complement the storytelling process has proved very effective as they serve to reinforce key points and enhance the overall presentation. Visuals can also help in creating a more immersive storytelling experience.
Structure
Narratives need to be clearly structured to make storytelling effective and impactful. The sequencing of the information and critical messages is crucial in this process. There are different techniques that people use as storytellers. Here’s how you can structure your narratives –
1. Begin with the context or what is already known in the specific area to make the audience relate more to the presentation.
2. Articulate various possibilities and the gap or problem in this area that needs to be addressed. This way, you are presenting your research problem.
3. Show the approach you took to address the issue as part of the narrative.
4. Conclude with the broader ramifications of your study in the field.
5. Alternatively, use the and-before-therefore template developed by Randy Olsen. This template uses momentum (“And”), conflict (“But”), and resolution (“Therefore”) as the constituent elements of a story.
6. Use “And” to refer to the already existing information in the field or what is presently known.
7. Introduce the preposition “But” to take your audience to the identification of your research problem and, after that, the research questions.
8. Follow with “Therefore,” where you unpack how you went about addressing the research problem, including the methodology employed, analysis, and results.
9. Choose or develop the appropriate template or approach and the constituent elements for a compelling narrative based on the context, the platform, and the audience to which it needs to be presented.
How you structure your narrative or create your story depends on the context, the platform where you need to present it, and to whom. Accordingly, you need to choose or develop the appropriate template or approach and the constituent elements for a compelling narrative.
Slide design
- While using PowerPoint presentations, design the slides in a manner that makes them engaging, attractive and exciting.
- Avoid the use of jargon.
- Try to keep the text minimal on each slide, as lengthy text will not be appealing to the audience.
- Let the focus of your audience be on you as you present the narrative using the slides only as a reference.
It is critical to make the whole presentation visually attractive by using appropriate and relevant images that capture the essence of what you are trying to communicate.
Storytelling is an effective tool that researchers can integrate into presentations to make a lasting impact on their audience and foster engagement. The tips outlined in this article help researchers and academicians effectively convey their research findings and make a meaningful impact on their audience.
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