• How to make your presentation more engaging: puzzle or problem?

    How do you, as scientist, invite and welcome non-scientists into your wonderland? By making your ideas accessible? Do you avoid jargon and bullet points? Yes, you should definitely make your ideas accessible, avoid jargon and bullet points, and use all the other tricks of the trade to present ideas clearly and convincingly. However, this is not—any more—enough. Let me explain: we’re all suffering from information overload, so what’s the point in presenting more and more information even if it is clear and convincing? In this information-filled landscape, you may find that engaging an audience is becoming harder and harder. I tell scientists to use a different approach—present a problem, not…