Designing and Delivering Effective Flash Talks

Flash talks, or short-form presentations, are critical opportunities to communicate your science. For this reason, preparing a flash talk requires thoughtful consideration around everything from slide design to managing Q&A. With access to a highly-curated curriculum of resources, participants will receive feedback from their peers and an expert in scientific communication.

The workshop is designed to support participants as they prepare to deliver an actual 10-13 minute flash talk within the next three months on a topic related to clinical and translational research.

Topics may include, but are not limited to: short research talks, pitches to funders or investors, job talks, and administrative research program updates. Applicants will be asked to describe the audience, purpose, and topic of their upcoming talk in the application.

Meet the coach

Shelby Doyle, PhD, has more than 10 years of experience at the intersection of STEM education and innovation. She is a communication coach and consultant at Founder to Leader, working with innovation-sector clients who are ready to make an impact. Recently, she led the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), managing a portfolio of basic research projects, investigator-led clinical trials, and STEM education programs in microbiome research. Doyle earned her PhD in biological engineering from MIT under Angela Koehler at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. There, she led interdisciplinary teams that developed chemical tools for modulating transcription, resulting in multiple papers and patents, and contributed heavily to the external communications and fundraising efforts needed to support this research. Throughout her career, she has honed her skills as a science communicator through years of coaching scientists in effective communication with the MIT Communication Lab, as well as through her own praxis as a scientist, research executive, and science advocate.

Time commitment

Accepted participants will:

• Submit an initial draft of a presentation slide deck for a 10-13 minute flash talk. Topics may include, but are not limited to: short research talks, pitches to funders or investors, job talks, administrative research program updates.
• Complete one to two hours of pre-work, including viewing an introductory video and exploring resources from Harvard Catalyst’s Writing and Communication Center.
• Revise and resubmit their presentation slide deck.
• Participate in a two-hour workshop (via Zoom) in which they will: deliver their 10-13 minute talk, receive feedback from their peers and a communication expert, and provide feedback for their peers’ talks.

Session dates and times:

We will ask for your availability across these five options. If accepted,  you will attend a live coaching session via Zoom on one of these five days.

• October 15, 2024: 10:00am – 12:00pm EST
• October 15, 2024: 2:00 – 4:00pm EST
• October 22, 2024: 1:00 – 3:00pm EST
• October 23, 2024: 9:00 – 11:00am EST
  October 25, 2024: 10:00am – 12:00pm EST

Sessions will be held via Zoom. Live captioning will be available upon request. Persons with disabilities who wish to request accommodations or who have questions about access, please contact WritingCenter@Catalyst.Harvard.edu in advance of the session.

Eligibility

This workshop is open only to Harvard-affiliated schools and institutions.

We believe that the research community is strengthened by understanding how a number of factors including gender identity, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, religion, national origin, language, disability, and age shape the environment in which we live and work, affect each of our personal identities, and impacts all areas of human health.

Fee

This workshop is free for participants from Harvard-affiliated schools and institutions.