research-presenter

What this skill does

# Research Presenter

Structured frameworks for transforming research findings into compelling presentations across academic, industry, and executive contexts.

## Presentation Structure Template

### Standard Research Presentation (15-20 minutes)

```
PRESENTATION OUTLINE:

1. TITLE SLIDE (30 seconds)
   - Clear, specific title (not clever, not vague)
   - Author(s) and affiliation
   - Date and venue
   - Funding acknowledgment (if applicable)

2. OPENING HOOK (1-2 minutes)
   - Start with a problem, question, or surprising fact
   - Make the audience care before explaining the method
   - Connect to their world (industry relevance, real impact)

3. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT (2-3 minutes)
   - What is known (brief literature positioning)
   - What is NOT known (the gap)
   - Why this gap matters (so what?)
   - Your research question (single, clear statement)

4. METHODS (2-3 minutes)
   - Study design overview (visual diagram preferred)
   - Key methodological decisions and rationale
   - Sample / data description
   - Analysis approach (high-level, not every step)

5. RESULTS (5-7 minutes — the core)
   - Lead with the main finding (not chronological)
   - One key finding per slide
   - Visualize data rather than tables of numbers
   - Build complexity gradually
   - Highlight what is new or surprising

6. DISCUSSION (2-3 minutes)
   - What does this mean? (interpretation)
   - How does it fit with existing knowledge?
   - Limitations (honest, but don't dwell)
   - Implications (practical, theoretical, policy)

7. CONCLUSION (1-2 minutes)
   - 2-3 key takeaways (memorable statements)
   - Future directions (what comes next)
   - Call to action (if applicable)

8. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND Q&A (remaining time)
   - Thank collaborators and funders
   - Display contact information
   - Open for questions
```

### Short Talk Structure (5-7 minutes)

```
LIGHTNING TALK FORMAT:

Slide 1: Title + one-sentence summary of finding
Slide 2: The problem (why should anyone care?)
Slide 3: What we did (one visual of method)
Slide 4: Main result (one chart, one takeaway)
Slide 5: Supporting result (optional, only if critical)
Slide 6: So what? (implications + next steps)
Slide 7: Contact info + key reference

RULE: One idea per slide. No more than 7 slides.
If you cannot explain it in 7 slides, you do not
understand it well enough yet.
```

## Narrative Arc Framework

### Story Structure for Research

```
NARRATIVE ARC:

                    CLIMAX (Main Finding)
                   /                      \
                  /                        \
    RISING ACTION                    FALLING ACTION
    (Methods, Build-up)              (Discussion, Context)
   /                                          \
  /                                            \
HOOK ─────────────────────────────────────── RESOLUTION
(Problem/Question)                        (Takeaways/Future)

IMPLEMENTATION:

ACT 1 — SETUP (25% of time)
  "Here is a problem that matters to you..."
  "Previous attempts have tried X, Y, Z but..."
  "The question we asked was..."

ACT 2 — CONFRONTATION (50% of time)
  "We approached this by..."
  "What we found was..." [build tension with supporting data]
  "The surprising part was..." [climax — main finding]

ACT 3 — RESOLUTION (25% of time)
  "This means that..."
  "The limitation is..."
  "Going forward, we plan to..."
  "What you can do with this is..."
```

### Narrative Transitions

| From | To | Transition Phrase |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hook | Background | "To understand why this matters, let me give you some context..." |
| Background | Research question | "This brings us to the question we set out to answer..." |
| Research question | Methods | "Here is how we investigated this..." |
| Methods | Results | "So what did we find?" |
| Result 1 | Result 2 | "Building on this, we also discovered..." |
| Results | Discussion | "What does this tell us?" |
| Discussion | Limitations | "Before we get too excited, there are important caveats..." |
| Limitations | Conclusion | "Despite these limitations, the evidence suggests..." |
| Conclusion | Call to action | "Here is what I hope you take away from this..." |

## Audience Adaptation Matrix

### Tailoring Content by Audience

| Element | Academic Conference | Industry/Practitioner | Executive Briefing | General Public |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Opening** | Literature gap | Business problem | Bottom-line impact | Human story |
| **Methods depth** | Detailed, justify choices | High-level summary | Skip or one slide | Avoid jargon |
| **Results focus** | Statistical rigor | Practical applications | ROI / impact numbers | What changed |
| **Visualizations** | Detailed charts, tables | Clean charts, dashboards | Summary metrics only | Infographics |
| **Jargon level** | Field-specific terms OK | Industry terms OK | Plain language required | Everyday language |
| **Slides per minute** | 1-1.5 | 1-2 | 2-3 (fast pacing) | 1-1.5 |
| **Takeaway format** | Future research | Action items | Recommendation | Memorable insight |
| **Q&A depth** | Methodological debate | "How do I apply this?" | "What should we do?" | "What does this mean?" |

### Audience Assessment Checklist

```
BEFORE DESIGNING YOUR PRESENTATION:

1. WHO is in the audience?
   - Expertise level: [ ] Expert  [ ] Knowledgeable  [ ] General
   - Role: [ ] Researchers  [ ] Practitioners  [ ] Decision-makers  [ ] Mixed
   - Size: [ ] Small (<20)  [ ] Medium (20-100)  [ ] Large (100+)

2. WHAT do they already know?
   - Background in your field: [ ] Deep  [ ] Some  [ ] None
   - Familiarity with your methods: [ ] High  [ ] Low  [ ] None
   - Prior exposure to your topic: [ ] Extensive  [ ] Limited  [ ] First time

3. WHY are they here?
   - [ ] Required (conference, class, meeting)
   - [ ] Voluntary (interested in topic)
   - [ ] Decision-making (evaluating your work)

4. WHAT do they need from you?
   - [ ] Rigorous evidence and methodology
   - [ ] Practical recommendations
   - [ ] Strategic implications
   - [ ] Inspiration or awareness

5. WHAT is their attention span?
   - [ ] High focus (small seminar, engaged group)
   - [ ] Moderate (conference session, last day)
   - [ ] Low (after lunch, end of long day, virtual)
   Adjust: pacing, interactivity, slide density
```

## Slide Design Guidelines

### Content Rules

```
SLIDE DESIGN PRINCIPLES:

1. ONE IDEA PER SLIDE
   If a slide requires more than 6 seconds to understand,
   it has too much content. Split it.

2. ASSERTION-EVIDENCE STRUCTURE
   Title: A complete sentence stating the slide's message
   Body: Visual evidence supporting that assertion
   Example title: "Treatment group showed 40% faster recovery"
   NOT: "Results" or "Figure 3"

3. TEXT LIMITS
   - Title: 1 line, max 10 words
   - Bullet points: max 3-4 per slide, max 8 words each
   - Body text: avoid entirely (speak it, do not display it)
   - Font size: never below 24pt (28-36pt recommended)

4. VISUAL HIERARCHY
   - Most important element is largest
   - Use contrast (color, size, weight) to direct attention
   - White space is not wasted space — it aids comprehension
   - Consistent alignment (left-align text, center figures)

5. COLOR USAGE
   - Maximum 3-4 colors total
   - One accent color for emphasis
   - Sufficient contrast (check for colorblind accessibility)
   - Dark text on light background (or vice versa consistently)
```

### Slide Type Templates

| Slide Type | Layout | When to Use |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Title** | Large title, subtitle, author, affiliation | Opening slide |
| **Section divider** | Single word or phrase, full-bleed | Transition between major sections |
| **Assertion + chart** | Sentence title + single chart | Presenting a finding |
| **Assertion + image** | Sentence title + photo/diagram | Context, methods, examples |
| **Comparison** | Side-by-side panels or split screen | Before/after, two conditions |
| **Build slide** | Progressive reveal (animation) | Complex concepts, step-by-step |
|