Good presentation skills benefit careers — and science

Despite many competing demands, there are compelling reasons for researchers to prioritize developing the skills that will improve their presentations. By David Rubenson David Rubenson is the director of the scientific-communications firm No Bad Slides (nobadslides.com) in Los Angeles, California. In my experience as a presentation coach for biomedical researchers, I have heard many complaints about talks they attend: too much detail, too many opaque visuals, too many slides, too rushed for questions and so on. Given the time scientists spend attending presentations, both in the pandemic’s virtual world and in the ‘face-to-face’ one, addressing these complaints would seem to be an important challenge. Access options ]]> Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $29.99 / 30 days cancel any time Subscribe to this journal Receive 51 print issues and online access $199.00 per year only $3.90 per issue Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout li:not(:first-child)::before { transform: translateY(-50%); content: ""; height: 1rem; position: absolute; top: 50%; left: 0; border-left: 2px solid #999; } .LiveAreaSection .additional-login > li:not(:first-child) { padding-left: 10px; } .LiveAreaSection .additional-login > li { display: inline-block; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; padding-right: 10px; } .BuyBoxSection { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; flex: 1; flex-direction: row-reverse; margin: -30px -15px 0; } .BuyBoxSection .box-inner { width: 100%; height: 100%; padding: 30px 5px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; 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