Summary of the Secrets to a Winning Talk Script for Journal Clubs (Seminar Presentations)

*This article is for those who think, "I don't know how to speak at my lab's journal club...!"
First, I'll briefly explain why I wrote this article and then get straight to the point.

The reason I decided to write this article

Currently, I have returned to university since April to spend my final year of college life.
I thought, "I'll take it easy for my last year of university," but that didn't last long.

There was a moment when I realized university life wasn't that easy...
That was the preparation for the "Journal Club (Seminar)*."

What is a Journal Club (Seminar)*?
It is reading papers that are meaningful to your research theme and introducing them to lab members or having a discussion.

The two things that are probably very important and difficult when preparing for a journal club are these.

1. Selectinginformation (especially discardingis important)
In my interpretation, this includes two meanings.
--> (Before putting it into slides) Deciding the contentyou want to delve into from the paper
--> (When putting it into slides) Choosing the content you want to convey from the knowledgegained from the paper

2. Conveying the content clearly (creating a talk script for that purpose)

Both are difficult, but I am especially bad at the second one.


A senior student who saw my incoherent presentation the day before the journal club decided on some rules for creating a talk script, and...
Once you get used to these rules, it's easier to create scripts than before.

So, I would like to share these rules with students who, like me,
are struggling with creating talk scripts and journal club presentations.

5 Rules for Creating an Easy-to-Understand Talk Script

1. Frequently use the "A is B." syntax

By composing sentences using only a subject (=A) and a predicate (=B), you can create concise sentences.

Then it looks like this.

<Before improvement>
The second is halophytes, and halophytes are plants that are resistant to high salt concentrations.
↓
<After improvement>
The second is halophytes. (A=The second, B=halophytes)
Halophytes are plants that are resistant to high salt concentrations.
(A=halophytes, B=plants that are resistant to high salt concentrations)

2. When a graph is included, the explanation should consist of these three things: "Graph, Axes, Results" - What is this graph? - What are the vertical and horizontal axes? - What are the results obtained from the graph? You must explain these three points.

Then the explanation becomes like this.

[Template for explaining a graph]
1. This graph is XX.
2. The vertical axis is C, and the horizontal axis is D.
3. From this graph, we found that E is F.

③ How to speak after the results: “Results → Discussion → Implications” order
A common pitfall here is explaining by mixing facts and interpretations.

In such cases, facts, interpretations, and proposals should be explained in order. Please remember the
“Results → Discussion → Implications” template.

【Template for speaking after the results】
① Results: A is B. (Fact)
② Discussion: From this, isn't it C? (Interpretation)
③ Implications: Therefore, shouldn't we do D? (Proposal)

④ How to speak for one slide: “Conclusion → Fact → Reason → Summary”

This time, we will refer to an example where three reasons are listed on one slide.

【Template for speaking on one slide】
① Conclusion: There are 3 points for A here (also explain the number of things you want to say)
②-1 Fact: The first is B.
②-2 Reason: This is because it is C.
②-1 Fact: The second is D.
②-2 Reason: This is because it is E.
③-1 Fact: The third is F.
③-2 Reason: This is because it is G.
④ Summary:
Therefore, it is XX. (If affirming the flow)
However, it is XX. (If refuting the flow)

Looking at this, you can see that the basic sentence structure is the
“A is B.” syntax.

⑤ Decide on phrasing according to 4 points

【4 points for deciding on phrasing】
・Make difficult things easy
・Make easy things deep
・Make deep things enjoyable
・Make enjoyable things serious

If it is difficult to think about all of them, please try to thoroughly
“make difficult things easy.” (I was doing my best just to consider “making difficult things easy” during journal clubs. lol)

Aside: An important stance when giving a presentation

Finally, I will summarize the stance I thought was important to have when giving a presentation.
① Consider the

capacity of the listener In a presentation, the time spent on one slide is short. (About 15-30 seconds?)

“The information a listener can obtain in a short time is limited” Keep this in mind and summarize only what you want to convey on the slide.

※ This is what is called “one slide, one message.”
It is best if you can create slides while always thinking, “What do I want to convey with this slide?”.

② Think about who the listener is at the journal club, and set it specifically If you specifically decide on the person you especially want to listen,
the content and story you talk about may change.

Here is a concrete example I experienced this time.

<Before Improvement>
Audience: Everyone in the laboratory
Intro content (5-10 minute preamble before introducing the paper): Introducing past research one by one
↓
<After Improvement>
Audience: The 3 people in my own team
Intro content: Explaining past research in chronological order, including the twists and turns

When you set a specific audience,
① You can establish a framework for selecting what to include.
② (By selecting content,) the information you convey becomes more consistent

These are the benefits.
Therefore, I personally recommend setting a specific audience and designing your presentation for them.

Conclusion

I intended to write this quickly as a memo, but it ended up getting long as I remembered feedback from various people. Haha

I have several topics I want to write about lately, so
I plan to update this again in a relaxed manner.