Tips and Advice












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            * Preparing Your Performance:
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            • Think about the structure – introduction, body, and conclusion.

            • Tell a story.
            • Prepare a so-called take-home message – one piece of information you want the audience t
            • What you say should connect to people's everyday lives.

            • Provide context.
            • Use humor only when appropriate.
            • Create an interesting introduction – it sets the tone for your entire performance.

            • Spark curiosity in your audience.
            • Avoid scientific jargon and being overly technical – find simpler synonyms.

            • Don’t overload your talk – people can absorb only a limited amount of new information.
            • Try your performance out on someone outside the scientific field (friends or family).
            • Make sure you stay within the time limit (3 minutes).

            • Practice, practice, practice – a mirror or a classmate can be very helpful.




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            * During the Performance:

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            • Don’t rush when stepping onto the stage.
            • Don’t start speaking immediately after entering – take a short pause.

            • Avoid stiffness – adopt a natural posture.
            • Don’t pace back and forth without reason – it distracts the audience.
            • Gestures should be more expressive on stage.

            • Avoid monotony (e.g., in your tone of voice).
            • Maintain eye contact with the entire audience – don’t just look in one direction.




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            * Props
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            Props DO NOT constitute the performance. They are tools that SUPPORT it.



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            * Props SHOULD:
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            • Make sense.

            • Be visible to the entire audience.
            • Strengthen your key message.
            • Illustrate hard-to-understand ideas.



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            * Props SHOULD NOT:
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            • Distract from what you are saying.

            • Be confusing or overly complicated.
            • Be illegible – for example, labels on diagrams, etc.




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            * What captures the audience's attention:
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            • New and interesting information.

            • Your passion for the subject.
            • Humor (jokes, funny anecdotes, etc.).
            • Tension, surprise, controversy.

            • Connection to everyday life.
            • Props.