Jordan Gauthier, Associate Professor at Fred Hutch/University of Washington, shared a post on X:
“Dear Trainees, bookmark this.
Marco Ruella, SITC, teaches us how to give a good talk—by purposefully giving a bad talk!
- Lighter the better
- Less is more
- Consistent font
- Large font size (≥18)
- Careful with animations: friends sometimes (to help introduce complex concepts), but often distracting foes
- Have an outline, come back to it to reorient the audience
- No data spoilers upfront
- Build an engaging story (background, gap, your data, next steps)
- Pause to create anticipation
- Tailor talk to your audience
- Do a tech check beforehand (AV team, podium)
- Thank chairs/organizers by name
- Be humble
- Conclude with a personal touch—something new and exciting
Any additional tips to offer?”
