Science in a Flash Information: Preparing for your Lightning Talk

1. What is a Lightning Talk?

   • Format: 20 slides, each auto-advancing after 20 seconds (total: 6 minutes and 40 seconds)
   • Hands-Free: Once the presentation starts, you do not touch the computer at all.
   • Purpose: This format encourages concise storytelling, helping you focus on the key points of your presentation while keeping the audience engaged.

2. Structuring Your Lightning Talk

   • Focus on a Central Message
     • What's the one thing you want your audience to remember?
     • Build your talk around this core idea.
   • Organize Your Slides
     • Create a story arc with a beginning, a middle and an end.
     • Break down your content into digestible chunks.
     • Think about your sections and how these translate to the format.
   • Use Strong Visuals
     • Avoid text-heavy slides. Use powerful images, diagrams or graphs to support your narrative.
     • Remember: slides should complement what you're saying, not repeat it.
     • For strong talks using this format, presenters rarely look back at the slides and instead focus on the storytelling of their work and engaging the audience.

3. Tips for Presentation Delivery

   • Engage Your Audience
     • Be enthusiastic and make eye contact. Show your excitement about your research or experiential learning project!
     • Vary your tone to avoid a monotone delivery.
   • Communicate Complex Ideas Simply
     • Avoid technical jargon. Think about how to explain your work to someone unfamiliar with the field.
     • Use examples or analogies to make difficult concepts relatable.
   • Rehearse!
     • Practice is key to mastering the timing of automatic slide transitions.
     • Rehearse your talk several times, ideally in front of others who can give you feedback.
     • Look at examples of these types of talks in different subject areas to spark creativity! Notice how the presenter engages their audience and understands the timing of the slides.
     • Talk through transitions instead of pausing at the end of each slide.

4. Example Talks

   • Want inspiration? Check out these talks to see the format in action:
     • Example Talk 1: Dance Floors Show Us How to Solve Student Apathy
     • Example Talk 2: Eco Intensive Agriculture
     • Tips for Presenters

5. Common Pitfalls to Avoid

   • Overloading slides with information — keep it simple and visual.
   • Speaking too quickly — practice timing your speech to match the slides.
   • Neglecting the audience — maintain eye contact and engage with the people in the room.

6. Key Dates and Application Process

   • Application Deadline: Monday, March 9, by 11:59 p.m.
   • Submit:
     1. A 60-second video introducing your topic and why it excites you
     2. A short (max 250-word) description on how you plan to engage the audience in this lightning talk format
     3. Dates you are available to present during the preliminary sessions

   • Event Schedule:

     • Preliminary Rounds: Monday, Marh 23 - Friday, March 27, from 12-1 p.m. each day
     • Final Round: Saturday, April 18, at the Natural Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium

7. Need More Help?

   If you have questions or need more information, please contact us at nsci@rice.edu. We're happy to assist!