Give a Talk They Actually Listen To
Andrew Akbashev
5,027 views
Andrew Churchill is a widely renowned presentation coach at McGill University and Head Coach for McGill’s 3 Minute Thesis Competition (3MT). He also leads the “train-the-trainer” programs for graduate students so that they can lead workshops themselves.
Over the last 12 years, Andrew Churchill has led 500+ workshops, coached 1,000+ presentations, and taught 10,000+ researchers — including teams that went from campus wins to national + North American 3MT titles. His training spans everything from traditional academic talks to research-to-startup pitches, beyond-academia presentations, and networking-style introductions.
Follow Dr. Andrew Churchill: @presentbetter
PresentBetter program: www.presentbetter.org/thepresentbetterprogram
LinkedIn: LinkedIn: andrewhchurchill
Follow Dr. Andrew Akbashev:
LinkedIn: LinkedIn: andrew-akbashev
X: https://x.com/Andrew_Akbashev
Instagram: Instagram: andrew.akbashev
TikTok: TikTok: andrewakbashev
00:00 - Can science speak for itself?
02:05 - Audiences are bimodal
03:38 - Audience and purpose
05:43 - Being afraid of looking dumb
10:31 - Simple or complex the talk?
14:25 - How to avoid distracting the audience
19:09 - How to structure the talk
26:18 - Memorization & emotions: Can it hurt your talk??
36:25 - How to practice speaking skills
45:15 - Talk construction and duration
53:35 - How to show your credibility
57:17 - Key messages in the talk
1:06:20 - How to transition between slides correctly
1:09:35 - Should the speaker follow the slides?
1:11:14 - Pauses and their tactical advantage
1:14:13 - How to fit in narrow time constraints
1:19:43 - When you don’t have enough results to show
True or False (and why):
1:21:57 - Should you not record yourself?
1:23:04 - Should your speech be reflected in the slides?
1:24:26 - Should you show fewer slides despite much data?
1:27:12 - Should you use 1 image per slide?
1:28:14 - Are images better than words?
1:29:20 - Should you be provocative and emotional during talks?
1:30:51 - Does an emotional story contradict academia?
1:35:04 - Does a good talk mean a sales pitch?
Key Schematics (within 3 mins of the timestamp):
02:16 - Audiences are bimodal
03:13 - The 80:20 Rule
04:21 - Problem with “Your Own Lab” Audience
08:20 - What You Know is Unique
11:57 - Tell Me Your Research in 50 Words
16:39 - The goal of research presentation
19:20 - How to structure the talk
20:32 - How bimodal audience perceives a talk
40:16 - How to practice speaking skills
55:29 - Credibility during the talk
59:01 - Key messages in the talk
1:07:40 - Transition between slides in PowerPoint
1:10:09 - How slides should follow the speaker
❗️ COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
This video is protected under Fair Use (Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976). Allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright law that might otherwise be infringing. This video is created for educational and non-profit purposes. All rights and credit go to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
12 Comments
The two Andrew(s)!
Excited to watch this episode.
02:16 - Audiences are bimodal
03:13 - The 80:20 Rule
04:21 - Problem with “Your Own Lab” Audience
08:20 - What You Know is Unique
11:57 - Tell Me Your Research in 50 Words
16:39 - The goal of research presentation
19:20 - How to structure the talk
20:32 - How bimodal audience perceives a talk
40:16 - How to practice speaking skills
55:29 - Credibility during the talk
59:01 - Key messages in the talk
1:07:40 - Transition between slides in PowerPoint
1:10:09 - How slides should follow the speaker
One thing I'm wondering about is humor when appropriate in talks. For example, if you have some funny metaphor or in Gen Z audiences including relevant custom memes in slides. Do you find this to be appropriate for specific audiences, would it work in a conference, or should it be reserved for more casual audiences?
I ask this because I've been trying it in my weekly seminars in my current lab, and it seems to have good success, but I wonder how translatable this is to a broader audience. When I picture myself in the audience I believe I would appreciate the humor when it's relevant to the topic, but I'd like to hear your perspective.
Give a Talk They Actually Listen To
Andrew Akbashev
5,027 views
Andrew Churchill is a widely renowned presentation coach at McGill University and Head Coach for McGill’s 3 Minute Thesis Competition (3MT). He also leads the “train-the-trainer” programs for graduate students so that they can lead workshops themselves.
Over the last 12 years, Andrew Churchill has led 500+ workshops, coached 1,000+ presentations, and taught 10,000+ researchers — including teams that went from campus wins to national + North American 3MT titles. His training spans everything from traditional academic talks to research-to-startup pitches, beyond-academia presentations, and networking-style introductions.
Follow Dr. Andrew Churchill: @presentbetter
PresentBetter program: www.presentbetter.org/thepresentbetterprogram
LinkedIn: LinkedIn: andrewhchurchill
Follow Dr. Andrew Akbashev:
LinkedIn: LinkedIn: andrew-akbashev
X: https://x.com/Andrew_Akbashev
Instagram: Instagram: andrew.akbashev
TikTok: TikTok: andrewakbashev
00:00 - Can science speak for itself?
02:05 - Audiences are bimodal
03:38 - Audience and purpose
05:43 - Being afraid of looking dumb
10:31 - Simple or complex the talk?
14:25 - How to avoid distracting the audience
19:09 - How to structure the talk
26:18 - Memorization & emotions: Can it hurt your talk??
36:25 - How to practice speaking skills
45:15 - Talk construction and duration
53:35 - How to show your credibility
57:17 - Key messages in the talk
1:06:20 - How to transition between slides correctly
1:09:35 - Should the speaker follow the slides?
1:11:14 - Pauses and their tactical advantage
1:14:13 - How to fit in narrow time constraints
1:19:43 - When you don’t have enough results to show
True or False (and why):
1:21:57 - Should you not record yourself?
1:23:04 - Should your speech be reflected in the slides?
1:24:26 - Should you show fewer slides despite much data?
1:27:12 - Should you use 1 image per slide?
1:28:14 - Are images better than words?
1:29:20 - Should you be provocative and emotional during talks?
1:30:51 - Does an emotional story contradict academia?
1:35:04 - Does a good talk mean a sales pitch?
Key Schematics (within 3 mins of the timestamp):
02:16 - Audiences are bimodal
03:13 - The 80:20 Rule
04:21 - Problem with “Your Own Lab” Audience
08:20 - What You Know is Unique
11:57 - Tell Me Your Research in 50 Words
16:39 - The goal of research presentation
19:20 - How to structure the talk
20:32 - How bimodal audience perceives a talk
40:16 - How to practice speaking skills
55:29 - Credibility during the talk
59:01 - Key messages in the talk
1:07:40 - Transition between slides in PowerPoint
1:10:09 - How slides should follow the speaker
❗️ COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
This video is protected under Fair Use (Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976). Allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright law that might otherwise be infringing. This video is created for educational and non-profit purposes. All rights and credit go to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
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