Embedded Files
Amie Gallagher, Raritan Valley Community College Planetarium, Branchburg, NJ
Guilherme, Planetário da Unipampa, Bagé-Brazil
Alan Gould, The Lawrence Planetarium, University of California Berkeley USA
Adam Thanz, Retired from Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium, TN
Jean Creighton from U Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Brewers land.
Cal Powell, Alexandria, VA, US
Todd Ullery, York Learning Center Planetarium, PA, USA
Alyssa Rashid, Astronomy in Action, Toronto Canada
Karl von Ahnen Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Emma Broman, Visualization Center C, Norrköping, Sweden
Léon Snyman - Naval Hill Planetarium, Bloemfontein South Africa
“Star Guy” Gary Lazich (retired), PT Volunteer Planetarium Presenter, Asheville Museum of Science, Asheville, NC
Asaf Yurdakul Software Developer, from Sureyyasoft Bursa,Turkiye
Summer / North Carolina, U.S.A. 🇺🇸
Guilherme Frederico Marranghello to Everyone:
Are you presenting slides? there is nothing in the screen
11:37:47 From Alyssa Rashid to Everyone:
Canada!
[FAVORITE PRESENTER TIPS:]
11:58:37 From Alan Gould: Favorite tip: using your hands
12:05:39 From Todd Ullery: Repeat the questions when doing presentations
12:06:30 From Alan Gould: Sometimes I am amazed that a presenter can hear a question and repeat it for the audience!
12:07:12 From Daniel to Everyone: I will added my comments to post show notes
Jean Creighton's email: jcreight@uwm.edu
12:08:12 From Summer: Thank you Jean & Team. When /where will the recording be available?
12:09:03 From Alan Gould: Within a few days, the recording will be available at https://www.ppadomes.org/events/online-seminars/ppsarchive
12:11:11 From Todd Ullery: Don't diminish your expertise to the audience. I heard a co-worker tell the audience they were just learning the material. Felt the energy go out of the room..
12:11:32 From Alyssa Rashid: This was very helpful! Thank you for a great talk Jean & PPA team ⭐
12:23:51 From Summer: Great workshop. Thank you for the inclusion. 😊
Summary
Summary
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Jean Creighton delivered a comprehensive presentation on how to give effective talks, focusing on clarity and audience connection.
Key presentation strategies discussed include: knowing your audience, giving the "box top" (roadmap) upfront, using gestures, rehearsing thoroughly, being present, and handling Q&A effectively.
Discussed Topics
Discussed Topics
Presentation: How to Give an Effective Talk – Jean Creighton
Presentation: How to Give an Effective Talk – Jean Creighton
Jean Creighton, Director of the Manfred Olson Planetarium at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, delivered the main presentation on effective public speaking, drawing from approximately 4,500 live planetarium shows, nearly 250,000 guests, and over 200 media interviews.
Audience Challenges (Opening Discussion)
Details
Amie Gallagher: Struggles with remembering to ask questions rather than lecturing.
Alan Gould: Gets nervous in front of groups.
Gary Lazich: Challenges knowing what to leave in and what to leave out (referencing a Bob Seger lyric).
Conclusion
Common challenges include avoiding lecturing, managing nerves, and curating content effectively.
Know Your Audience
Jean emphasized that understanding the audience is the most critical preparation step.
Details
Jean Creighton: Key factors include level of expertise, language background, age range, and cultural context. Avoid cultural references (e.g., Star Trek) that may alienate unfamiliar audience members.
Jean Creighton: For non-native English speakers, having a few key words on slides can help them follow along despite accent differences.
Conclusion
Tailor every talk to the specific audience present, and avoid assumptions about shared cultural knowledge.
Clarity of Message – Give the "Box Top"
Jean challenged the "murder mystery" approach to storytelling and advocated for giving audiences a clear roadmap upfront.
Details
Jean Creighton: Compared a talk to a puzzle — without the box top (the big picture), audiences cannot assemble the pieces. Revealed the key message early rather than saving it for the end.
Jean Creighton: Example — in the "Life of a Star" program for 7th graders, leading with why stars matter (we are made of star material) dramatically improved engagement compared to revealing it only at the end.
Alan Gould: Asked whether giving the box top upfront could "ruin the story." Jean clarified that audiences retain only about 50% of what is said, so hooking them early is essential.
Conclusion
State the key message and its relevance to the audience early in the talk, then reinforce it again at the end.
Content and Timing Structure
Jean outlined a recommended time allocation for a 50-minute talk (within a 60-minute slot).
Details
Jean Creighton: 10 minutes of content accessible to everyone; 30 minutes for most of the audience; 10 minutes for experts. The remaining 10 minutes should be reserved for Q&A.
Jean Creighton: This proportional approach applies regardless of talk length, even for 4-minute graduate student presentations.
Alyssa: Asked whether the three tiers of content should be presented in order. Jean clarified it depends on context — for colloquia, broader content comes first, with technical detail at the end.
Alan Gould: Asked about applying the same proportions to a 30-minute talk. Jean confirmed the proportions remain the same.
Conclusion
Structure content to serve all audience levels, prioritizing accessibility and reserving technical depth for the end.
Making Ideas Relatable and Clear
Jean discussed practical techniques for improving clarity.
Details
Jean Creighton: Clarify all terms, including basic ones like "star." Avoid acronyms and jargon. Limit slide text to approximately 8 words. Use graphics but always explain axes, labels, and relevant details.
Jean Creighton: Demonstrated explaining the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram step by step, pausing to check audience understanding.
Jean Creighton: If an equation is used, every term must be explained; otherwise, omit it.
Jean Creighton: Humor is risky and culturally specific — aim for surprise or delight instead.
Alan Gould: Shared a personal example of failing to define "galaxy" during a planetarium show, only to have a child ask at the very end.
Jean Creighton: Recommended asking school groups "how many stars are in the solar system?" to quickly gauge baseline knowledge.
Conclusion
Never assume audience knowledge of terminology. Explain all terms, graphics, and equations clearly.
Using Gestures
Jean advocated for physical gestures as a memory and engagement tool.
Details
Jean Creighton: Gestures help audiences remember information. Examples include using a fist to represent a proton or chunks of rock around Saturn, or tracing the shape of Taurus with hands.
Jean Creighton: In large groups, model the gesture and invite participation. Use phrases like "nobody's too cool to make a Big Dipper."
Alyssa: Identified gestures as her favorite tip and expressed a desire to use them more in her shows.
Alan Gould: Asked about the mechanics of inviting audiences to mirror gestures. Jean confirmed she models the gesture first.
Conclusion
Incorporate gestures throughout presentations to boost audience engagement and memory retention.
Rehearsal
Jean stressed that rehearsal is essential, especially for experienced presenters.
Details
Jean Creighton: Record yourself and listen back, but also rehearse in front of a live audience to uncover blind spots. Rehearsal should occur over time — cramming is ineffective.
Jean Creighton: Shared a personal blind spot example: saying "90 degrees" when describing the tropics, which native English speakers interpreted as temperature rather than angle. A live audience caught this; self-recording did not.
Jean Creighton: As a bilingual speaker, she sometimes loses an English word mid-presentation. Writing down difficult words in advance helps. Rehearsal reduces the frequency of such gaps.
Conclusion
Rehearse multiple times, ideally in front of others, and over a period of time to identify and address blind spots.
During the Talk: Be Present and Pause
Jean discussed the importance of being attentive and responsive during a presentation.
Details
Jean Creighton: Pause at least once during the talk to allow ideas to sink in and to gauge audience comprehension. Avoid looking at slides or the floor — maintain eye contact with the audience.
Jean Creighton: Good rehearsal frees mental bandwidth to focus on the audience rather than on what to say next.
Gary Lazich: Highlighted pausing as his favorite tip, connecting it to Aristotle's laws of rhetoric — establish credibility and relevance before delivering content.
Dave Godman: Shared that his wife reminds him to watch for audience glazing over, noting the tendency to focus on the next slide rather than the audience.
Conclusion
Staying present and pausing deliberately improves audience engagement and allows real-time adjustment.
Pivoting to Meet the Audience
Jean shared an example of successfully adapting a talk on the spot.
Details
Jean Creighton: Was invited to speak at a school in Peristeri, Athens, and discovered upon arrival that most students were special needs learners. She pivoted from a standard astronomy talk to opening with a personal story of failure (not passing her university entrance exam on the first attempt), which resonated deeply with the students and led to a highly engaged session.
Daniel: Noted the power of vulnerability and sharing failure as a way to connect with audiences, referencing themes of resilience.
Conclusion
Being present enables effective pivoting. Sharing personal vulnerability can be a powerful tool for audience connection.
Multilingual Presenters
Jean offered specific advice for speakers presenting in a second language.
Details
Jean Creighton: Incorporating words or phrases from your native language can make bilingual audience members feel seen and can help the speaker retrieve vocabulary. Shared an example of saying the Greek word for "speaker" mid-presentation, which prompted an audience member who spoke Greek to supply the English word, leading to a meaningful post-show connection.
Conclusion
Bilingual presenters can use their native language strategically to connect with audiences and manage vocabulary gaps.
Bringing Personal Elements into Talks
Jean encouraged presenters to share appropriate personal details to humanize their presentations.
Details
Jean Creighton: Sharing personal stories — such as phone calls with a mother who has dementia — causes audiences to lean in and creates deeper connection. Being a human first, then an expert, makes talks more memorable.
Conclusion
Judicious personal sharing enriches the audience experience and builds rapport.
Handling Q&A After the Talk
Jean discussed strategies for managing the question-and-answer period effectively.
Details
Jean Creighton: The Q&A is her favorite part. Always repeat or restate questions for clarity. If you don't know the answer, say "I don't know, but here's my best guess." Rephrase questions that reveal audience confusion to introduce missing context. For off-topic questions from attention-seeking participants, offer to speak privately afterward.
Encourage feedback from the audience to understand what resonated.
Gary Lazich: Distinguished between open-ended and closed-ended questions. Closed-ended questions can stall a presentation if the expected answer is not given; open-ended questions are better suited for the end of a talk.
Jean Creighton: Uses open-ended questions (e.g., "What constellations do you know?") as transition tools between topics, allowing silence to signal a shift in pace.
Dave Godman: Advised always having a question ready when attending someone else's talk, to break the ice and encourage others. Shared an example of an astronaut visit where no one asked questions, leaving the speaker without feedback.
Todd Ullery: Cautioned against undermining your own credibility by telling the audience you are still learning the material, sharing an example from early in his career.
Todd Ullery: Shared an example from a solar eclipse cruise where a presenter unfamiliar with astronomy (including mispronouncing "Betelgeuse") faced an audience of astronomy enthusiasts — attributed the mismatch to poor planning by the organizers.
Jean Creighton: Agreed the mismatch was the organizer's responsibility, not the presenter's.
Alan Gould: Shared an unusual but effective example of an astronaut who opened with "Are there any questions?" and filled the entire session through audience-driven discussion.
Conclusion
Prepare for Q&A, repeat questions, admit uncertainty honestly, and use questions strategically to gauge and connect with the audience. Never undermine your own credibility.
Questions for Young Children
Gary Lazich raised the challenge of asking questions to very young audiences.
Details
Gary Lazich: Young children often interpret "question" as an invitation to tell a story rather than ask something. Finding ways to elicit curiosity without shutting them down is difficult.
Jean Creighton: The Manfred Olson Planetarium does not admit children under five. For very young audiences, asking questions may not be appropriate; instead, prompts like "What idea did you like?" may work better.
Conclusion
Adjust Q&A strategies based on audience age; formal questioning may not be suitable for very young children.
Challenges
Challenges
Daniel experienced significant audio quality issues during the meeting, making his contribution difficult to understand.
Presenters working with very young or special needs audiences face unique challenges in structuring questions and adapting content on the fly.
Matching presenter expertise to audience expectations (as illustrated by the cruise ship astronomy presenter example) remains an organizational challenge beyond individual presenters' control.
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