Tell me a story

By Janine Castro, Geomorphologist, USFWS & NMFS, Portland, Oregon

Over the past few years, I have read many books on public speaking – some specifically for scientists, but most for a general audience. Each book has its own spin, but the basics remain the same: have a clear message, be prepared, minimize text on slides, practice before presenting, connect with the audience, and finish on time. But even if you follow all of that advice, how do you make your message “sticky” – a message that people will remember, and discuss, after leaving the venue.

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There are many ways to illustrate and support a point: data, analogies (as shown above), examples, and stories are the most common means, but stories are by far the “stickiest” and hence, most effective. Our brains are programmed to retain information that is both delivered and received with emotion. Think of your favorite movie, favorite song (or most annoying song), most memorable vacation – they all stay with you because they are linked to strong emotions. One of the reasons that I became interested in public speaking is because many, many years ago I witnessed an up-and-coming researcher step on stage to deliver an important message about restoration, when I realized in horror that she had a massive hickey on her neck! That single incident made me want to help – to help others avoid common pitfalls in public speaking, the first of which is to not distract your audience. That’s my story.

As scientists, we’re generally not in the business of making people cry or gasp at our presentations, unless they are truly awful, but we can connect with our audience by bringing in an emotional aspect through storytelling. The story does not need to be overly dramatic, but there should be a personal aspect. For instance, tell a story of how you became interested in your research topic or relay an amusing incident that occurred while you were collecting field data. Perhaps your hard drive crashed in the middle of processing your data. These are all small stories that help you connect with your audience, and they make you more real – they make you human – and amazingly, they will also help you relax.