Put the Power in PowerPoint

As someone not particularly fond of public speaking, I have tried to avoid it at all costs. Because of this, I don't have a lot of experience making PowerPoint presentations especially not scientific ones. I never knew that so much thought went into creating each slide, and I am definitely guilty of overcrowding my slides with way too much text.


Some important things learned:
1. Less is more: It was so hard for me to delete information from my slides, but I realized it actually makes the presentation more effective

2. You don't need to include every graph and figure: At several points, I asked myself, "Don't these graphs show the same thing?" and I realized that a figure with 16 panels can really just be summarized with one. 

3. Notes section is your best friend: (Refer back to 1) When you delete all the information, it doesn't mean you can't talk about it. It just means you put it in the notes section and discuss it during the presentation. 

After remaking my presentation 20 times (or what felt like 20 times), my practice presentation ended up being 17 minutes long as I stuttered and stammered through the presentation which my lab partner so kindly listened to. 



After I reached 15, 13, 12, 12, and finally 10 minutes and 30 seconds, I decided to give it a rest. I signed up to present first, and I gave it my all. 

Some important things learned:
1. Clickers are not that easy to use: I had never used one before and, because of my nerves, I accidentally clicked the laser pointer several times. 

2. Being recorded makes everything 10 times scarier: It was unexpected, but I tried to ignore it for the most part. 

3. Your presentations never look the same on the projector: At that point, there isn't much you can do about it. 

4. Presenting is not that bad: At the end of the day, I was really proud of my presentation, and, even though I messed up here and there and was incredibly nervous, I think I did a good job of conveying the main ideas of the paper.

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