Introduction

The purpose of this article is to provide a guide to creating a scientific presentation. This guide offers both universally applicable content that should be adhered to as well as opportunities to reflect the presenterʼs style. These points can be considered as suggestions and may be adapted to the speaker’s own style, because two of the most important factors for a successful presentation are authenticity and individuality.

Before creating the presentation

Before even beginning to start work on the first slide or create the first sentence, you should first ask yourself the following questions:

  1. 1.

    Who assigned the presentation to me, and what do they want to achieve with it?

  2. 2.

    Who is the target audience? Are they fellow professionals, experts in the field, or a broad audience? Understanding the audience is crucial to adapting the content and language level of the presentation.

  3. 3.

    How many people will be listening?

  4. 4.

    What is the appropriate presentation style? Interactive or more unidirectional?

  5. 5.

    What should be achieved with the presentation? Should new research findings be presented, should an overview of the literature on a specific topic be provided, or should a particular surgical technique or approach be demonstrated?

Predecessors and successors

Familiarize yourself with the event’s program; no listener likes to hear the same introduction multiple times. Although deliberate repetition can be used to reinforce important points, you should try to align your presentation with those of other speakers.

In-person or online?

It makes a difference whether the audience is sitting in person in front of you or watching from a screen in their own environment. When the presentation is virtual, direct feedback through facial expressions is not available, and techniques that increase engagement may be more challenging to apply or not tested for success. Especially in online presentations, the integration of poll questions at various points in the presentation can be useful to keep the audience active and attentive.

Presenter mode

Presenter mode can be helpful for accessing notes during the presentation. If you plan to use this, it is important to inquire in advance whether the event’s media department supports this mode or not. However, reading a pre-written script in presenter mode usually appears rehearsed and takes away from the presentation’s individuality and spontaneity.

Creating the presentation

Speaking time

In most cases, the speaking time is clearly specified. A good presentation is one in which you stay within the allocated speaking time and do not deviate significantly from it. Achieving this precision requires some experience but can be planned to some extent. A good rule of thumb is to allow an average of about 30 s per slide. This means that a presentation intended to fill 10 min should contain approximately 20 slides. Practicing the presentation beforehand can help you get a feeling for the right timing.

Even if there is no exact time limit, it is important to consider what a reasonable duration is for the audience. The oft-cited claim that the attention span of learners is 15 min and rapidly declines thereafter has not been scientifically proven. Our attention is based on automatic, unconscious processes. Every 125 to 250 milliseconds, our attention oscillates from highly focused to unfocused and back [1]. Therefore, it helps to engage the audience’s attention through various methods, which will be described later in the article.

Layout

A consistent layout for the slides should be chosen. It is important to familiarize yourself with the event’s guidelines. Some organizers may require a 4:3 slide format, while others nowadays prefer a widescreen 16:9 format.

Citing

Just as it is when creating a manuscript, it is also important to provide proper citations in a presentation. This can be done directly beneath an image or quoted portion of text, or at the bottom of the slide. An adequate format includes the first author, journal, and publication year (e.g., Günther et al. AGA-Themenheft 2023).

Uniform language

The presentation should be conducted in the language of the conference or event. Mixing, for example, English and German slides, appears unprofessional and should be avoided.

One topic per slide

A well-organized and focused presentation only covers one topic per slide. The slide should contain only what is essential for the audience to understand the topic. If you are confident in the content of your presentation and your speaking ability, it may be enough to have a single image or diagram on a slide and explain its content. If you are not so confident, it may be helpful to write down important keywords on the slide. However, listing full sentences should be avoided. Figure 1a, b show corresponding examples.

Fig. 1
figure 1

Positive example of slide design with a single image and important keywords (a), and a negative example of slide design with consecutive full sentences without visual appeal (b)

Full size image

Structuring

Before you start your presentation, a brief thankyou note to the chairs/moderators and the audience is good practice. Any conflicts of interest should be communicated openly and clearly directly after the title slide.

Subsequently, a clear and logical structure is the key to a successful presentation. A typical structure includes the following sections:

  • Introduction: The introduction introduces the topic and explains the significance of the research. Ideally, it arouses the audience’s curiosity and helps individuals understand the relevance of the work.

  • Research question or hypothesis: The main question and/or hypothesis that the research aims to address should be formulated. This helps the audience understand the context of the presentation.

  • Methods: Briefly describe the research methods and techniques applied. This allows the audience to better assess the results.

  • Results: Research findings should be presented clearly and comprehensibly. Diagrams, tables, or graphics can be used to visualize the data.

  • Discussion: Interpret the results and answer the research question or hypothesis. Discuss possible implications and impacts of the research.

  • Conclusion/conclusions: These should be based on the research findings and re-emphasize the significance of the work.

Graphics

If you want to present diagrams or graphics, it is important to label them correctly. This includes labeling the axes with their respective units (e.g., age of patients in years), indicating standard deviations, significance levels (e.g., p < 0.05), and the number of objects examined (e.g., N = 100).

Attention techniques

To increase the audience’s attention during a presentation, various techniques and strategies can be employed:

  • Arouse interest: Start with a brief anecdote that piques the audience’s interest and establishes a personal connection.

  • Use visual aids: Well-designed visual elements such as images, charts, graphics, or videos can support statements and help present information attractively. While support from visual elements is important, it should not be overdone. Use legible fonts and colors. Diagrams and graphics should be simple and precise for easy audience comprehension.

  • Vary media and formats: Presentation media and formats can be changed to maintain audience attention. For example, videos or small live demonstrations can be integrated.

  • Interact with the audience: Asking the audience questions, conducting brief surveys, or requesting feedback increases interaction, encourages active participation, and keeps attention high. Directly addressing an audience member can be effective if you are confident that it won’t embarrass them. Asking a friendly expert in the audience for their opinion on the topic can be an option and can increase interaction.

  • Incorporate changes in speed: Varying speaking speed and volume can highlight specific points and control audience attention.

  • Use irony or humor: Appropriately used humor can relax the audience and keep them attentive. However, humor should be suitable and culturally sensitive. This is especially important in international presentations to avoid an unintended effect.

  • Storytelling techniques: The presentation should be structured with a clear narrative to help the audience follow.

  • Emphasize the utility and relevance: The presentation’s importance to the audience should be highlighted. Explain the practical or clinical applicability of the research or ideas.

  • Use rhetorical questions: Rhetorical questions can make the audience contemplate the topic.

  • Movement and gestures: Space and gestures can be used to underscore statements and make the presentation more dynamic. Excessive movement that could distract from the content should be avoided.

  • Energy and enthusiasm: Enthusiastic presenters with passion and energy for the topic can engage the audience more effectively.

  • Concise and clear language: Clear and easily understandable language should be used to convey the presentation’s content clearly.

Closing slide

A closing slide can express gratitude to the research team or provide a preview of an upcoming event. If you choose not to do this, you can use this slide to thank the audience and indicate your availability for questions.

Questions/discussion

You should be prepared to answer questions from the audience adequately. Openness to discussions and willingness to take questions are crucial parts of a good presentation. As mentioned in the “Speaking time” section, practicing the presentation in advance can help. Conducting this practice in front of a test audience, such as during lab meetings or doctoral/research colloquia, can help you improve the presentation based on the audience’s feedback or gain a good sense of the questions that may arise in the audience. Even seemingly simple questions should be answered in a friendly manner, as not everyone in the audience is as familiar with the topic as the presenter.

Practice presentation

Good preparation is essential. A practice presentation in front of an appropriate audience helps identify potential weaknesses and build self-confidence for the actual presentation. A confident and composed demeanor during the presentation is important, and arrogance should be avoided. Pay attention to clear pronunciation and appropriate body language. A calm demeanor conveys to the audience that you are knowledgeable on the topic.

A well-prepared scientific presentation is the key to effectively communicating research findings. Through a clear structure, visual support, and interaction with the audience, you can convince the audience and successfully convey your scientific message.

Checklist

Checklist before concluding the presentation

  • Do I know my audience, the organizers, and my predecessors and successors, and am I familiar with the event’s program?

  • Am I staying within the allotted speaking time?

  • Is the layout in line with the guidelines, are all sources correctly cited, and is a consistent language used?

  • Are the slides well-structured and focused?

  • Is the structure maintained, and does a clear narrative run through the presentation?

  • Are all graphics and diagrams correctly labeled?

  • Am I prepared to answer questions from the audience, and do I feel confident in my presentation role?