{"id":6236,"date":"2015-09-17T12:25:03","date_gmt":"2015-09-17T12:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/per\/?page_id=6236"},"modified":"2015-12-07T15:29:51","modified_gmt":"2015-12-07T15:29:51","slug":"giving-public-lectures-about-research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/per\/?page_id=6236","title":{"rendered":"Giving public lectures about research"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Professor<\/a>

Professor Robert Lambourne, The Open University<\/p><\/div>\n

By Robert Lambourne<\/p>\n

Despite the many advances in information and communications technology, I would argue that there are still few, if any, ways of learning informally (and formally for that matter) about science that are as effective, stimulating or memorable as a really good public lecture. <\/p>\n

Really good public lectures about science are rare, however. There is plenty of research evidence showing the relative ineffectiveness of most lectures, but the sense of \u2018event\u2019 that surrounds a lecture by an accomplished speaker is undeniable, and if to that is added fascinating content and good delivery then the whole concoction can be truly unforgettable. <\/p>\n

This article is unlikely turn anyone into a great lecturer, but it will provide practical advice, based on personal experience gained from giving public science lectures about physics and astronomy, and from watching others give public lectures over many years. It is my sincere hope that such advice will help would-be public speakers to avoid some of the pitfalls that engender mis-communication between them and their audience. <\/p>\n

\"Professor<\/a>

Professor Andrew Norton, ‘Exoplanets and how to find them’. Credit: Kate Bradshaw.<\/p><\/div>\n

A three card trick<\/strong>
\nThe classic three stage formula for any public lecture is \u201cfirst I tells \u2018em what I\u2019m going to tell \u2018em, then I tells \u2018em, then I tells \u2018em what I told \u2018em\u201d. Such an approach is undeniably linear in essence\u2014the \u2018expert\u2019 lectures to an audience, rather than interacting with them, in much the same way that this article does. <\/p>\n

Let me start by saying that in what follows I shall divide the process of giving a public science lecture into three stages; the preparation, the presentation and the post-lecture follow-up. Since I am a strong believer in the value of structure I shall also try to divide each of those sections into clearly focussed \u2018bite-sized\u2019 chunks.<\/p>\n

Preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Public lectures always start with the opportunity to lecture. This may arise from an unsolicited invitation or the lecturer may have deliberately created the opportunity. In either case there will usually be some freedom to choose the topic or at least the title of the lecture. My first piece of practical advice is choose both with care and don\u2019t be stampeded into addressing a topic or accepting a title with which you are uncomfortable. <\/p>\n

This is not to say that you have to be an expert on every subject when you promise to give a lecture on it. Sound subject knowledge should be the basis for any public lecture but in my own case I have often offered to give lectures on topics with which I am not fully familiar precisely to give myself the motivation to concentrate on that subject and get it into focus before (sometimes only just before) the lecture. <\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/a>

Dr Clare Warren, ‘Sweat, mud and leeches’. Credit: Kate Bradshaw.<\/p><\/div>\n

The title should be clear and broadly appealing to the audience, so you need to know your audience; a little thought about titles can dramatically alter the attractiveness of a lecture. If you doubt what I say then buy copies of quality and popular newspapers on the same day and compare the headlines of articles that report the same issue or topic. <\/p>\n

It follows that \u2018Introduction to Cosmology\u2019 may sound formal and off-putting to some; the same lecture entitled \u2018Understanding the Universe\u2019 may be more likely to succeed. Similarly \u2018Astronomical Spectroscopy\u2019 is likely to be trumped by \u2018Colour and the Stars\u2019 for an audience who aren\u2019t professional astronomers. <\/p>\n

Having said that, don\u2019t be afraid to incorporate technical terms that already enjoy a high degree of public recognition, particularly if they are widely recognized as \u2018hot topics.\u2019 A talk on \u2018Superstrings\u2019 is more likely to attract a popular audience than the familiar but staid \u2018Electricity in the Home\u2019. If you really want to talk about the latter, a perfectly good topic, then your first challenge is to find an informative but attractive title. <\/p>\n

Also, don\u2019t forget the value of the colon in clarifying titles: \u2018Introduction to Cosmology\u2019 may be off-putting, but \u2018Cosmology: the Science of the Universe\u2019 may have more appeal. Finally on the subject of titles, my personal view is that it\u2019s usually best to avoid \u2018smart\u2019 or \u2018funny\u2019 titles. Unless you have a real talent for humour, these can fall flat and may lead to confusion. <\/p>\n

Once the subject and title have been established you will need to plan the lecture. The nature of your plan will be dictated by your goals; are you trying to introduce your audience to the basic facts and findings of a subject, are you using your subject to illustrate some more general point such as the value of scientific research or the importance of scientific understanding, or are you interested in the social and ethical implications related to your research work. <\/p>\n

Whatever your goals, keep them clearly in mind and use them to select the points you really want to emphasise and the messages you want the audience to take away. One of the key differences between a public lecture and a standard \u2018teaching\u2019 lecture is that most members of a public audience will not undertake any formal follow-up work or assessment, so what they gain from attending your lecture may be limited to what they remember as they leave the lecture. (Of course, some may choose to conduct follow-up research. Alternatively, you may provide some take-home resources.) <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

Back row, l-r: Janet Goss, Diane Ford, Andrew Norton, Janice Ansine, Simon Kelley and Tim Blackman. Front row, l-r: Frazer Bird, Clare Warren and Richard Holliman. Photo: Kate Bradshaw.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you are trying to convey the importance of research, sending the audience away with the memory that you used a red light rather than a green one in some experiment is probably of much less value than giving them a reason to remember that it was research that led you to the conclusion that one would be better than the other.<\/p>\n

As for writing down a lecture plan, I usually find that a list of six to ten \u2018topics\u2019 is sufficient for a fifty minute lecture, which should be the maximum length for a public lecture if you want to keep your audience engaged. This ensures that the lecture will be divided into chunks of six to eight minutes duration that should be relatively easily assimilated by most audience members. Limiting the number of \u2018chunks\u2019 usually involves being selective.<\/p>\n

When planning a lecture I often start out by thinking \u2018how on Earth can I speak for almost an hour on this topic?\u2019 but by the time I have completed the plan I usually find myself asking \u2018how can I fit all this into just 50 minutes?\u2019 Having arrived at a plan I generally present it (or an abbreviated version of it) at the beginning of my lecture and talk my audience through it in the spirit of \u2018I tells \u2018em what I\u2019m going to tell \u2018em\u2019. This gives you the chance to emphasise the important points right at the start. <\/p>\n

Using slides<\/strong>
\nThe standard support medium for a public science lecture is currently Microsoft PowerPoint or one of the equivalent computer packages which allows text and images (including movies) to be projected via a data projector or \u2018beamer\u2019 as it is known in Continental Western Europe. <\/p>\n

\"Janice<\/a>

Janice Ansine, ‘Putting the citizen into science’. Credit: Kate Bradshaw.<\/p><\/div>\n

Turning a lecture plan into a PowerPoint presentation usually involves gathering images and deciding on how much text to write to go with them. You will probably have your own preferences in these matters, and there are no hard and fast rules but here are a few points I usually find it useful to keep in mind.<\/p>\n