Overview

Presenting research to a scientific or academic audience can be a daunting task, especially if you are not confident in your communication skills. This workshop will provide you with the skills to enhance your presentation abilities and help you effectively communicate your research. We will cover the basics of presentation skills, as well as the use of LaTeX to create professional posters and presentations. Whether you are a student, a postdoctoral researcher, or a principal investigator, this workshop will help you communicate your research in a clear, concise, and visually appealing manner.

Motivations

As researchers, it is crucial to communicate your findings effectively in order to have a meaningful impact on your field and on society. Whether you are presenting your work at a conference, publishing in a journal, or sharing your results with collaborators, it is essential to present your work in a way that is clear, concise, and visually appealing. With the increasing use of technology in scientific communication, it is important to be equipped with the skills to create professional posters and presentations using LaTeX, a powerful typesetting system that is widely used in the academic community.

Learning Outcomes

  • Understand the basics of presentation skills and how to effectively communicate research results
  • Learn how to structure your presentations and posters for maximum impact
  • Acquire the skills to use LaTeX and Beamer to create professional posters and presentations
  • Explore the use of alternative tools for creating posters and presentations when time is limited or a specific style is desired

Lesson Outline

  1. Introduction to Presentation Skills
    • The importance of clear and concise communication
    • Tips for making effective presentations
    • How to structure your presentation or poster for maximum impact
  2. Introduction to LaTeX
    • Overview of LaTeX and its use in the academic community
    • The basics of using LaTeX for posters and presentations
  3. Creating Presentations with Beamer
    • Introduction to Beamer, the LaTeX Package for Creating Presentations
    • Advantages of Beamer over other presentation software
    • Installing Beamer
    • Basic structure of a Beamer presentation
  4. LaTeX for Poster Creation:
    • Introduction to TikZ, the LaTeX Package for Creating Posters
      • Advantages of TikZ over other poster creation software
      • Installing TikZ
      • Basic structure of a TikZ poster
    • Formatting your poster in TikZ
      • Themes and templates
      • Including figures, tables, and multimedia
      • Creating a custom theme
    • Best practices for poster creation in TikZ
      • Organizing content for maximum impact
      • Avoiding clutter and maintaining a clear focus
      • Creating an aesthetically pleasing layout
    • Alternatives to LaTeX for Poster Creation
      • When to use software like Canva or Adobe Illustrator
      • When to use LaTeX
      • Comparing and contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of each option

Workshop Format

The workshop will consist of a 90-minute presentation that covers the basics of effective research communication, including the use of LaTeX for presentations and posters. Following the presentation, there will be two optional modules.

The first is a one-hour poster critique session, where participants can apply the concepts covered in the presentation to real-world examples.

The second is a 2-4 hour hands-on session, where participants will work with web-based LaTeX software, such as Overleaf and MyBinder, to create their own posters. This session will provide participants with a more granular level of control over their computational environment, allowing them to experiment and refine their skills.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a solid understanding of how to use LaTeX for creating effective and professional-looking presentations and posters for their research.

See the workshop structure page for more information about general workshop format.