Melissa Marshall: Talk nerdy to me

Melissa Marshall brings a message to all scientists (from non-scientists): We're fascinated by what you're doing. So tell us about it -- in a way we can understand. In just 4 minutes, she shares powerful tips on presenting complex scientific ideas to a general audience.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.
Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate

Follow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews
Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED

Subscribe to our channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector

Five years ago, I experienced a bit of what it must have been like, to be Alice in Wonderland. Penn State asked me, a communications teacher, to teach a communications class for engineering students.

And I was scared.

Really scared! Scared of these students, with their big brains, and their big books, and their big, unfamiliar words.

But, as these conversations unfolded, I experienced what Alice must have, when she went down that rabbit hole, and saw that door to a whole new world.

Thats just how I felt, as I had those conversations with the students.

I was amazed at the ideas that they had, and I wanted others to experience this wonderland as well.

And I believe the key to opening that door, is great communication

We desperately need great communication from our scientists and engineers, in order to change the world

Our scientists and engineers are the ones, that are tackling our greatest challenges,

from energy, to environment, to health care, among others

And if we don't know about it, and understand it, then the work isn't done.

And I believe that it's our responsibility, as non-scientists, to have these interactions.

But these great conversations can't occur, if our scientists and engineers don't invite us in to see their Wonderland

So, scientists and engineers - please!

Talk nerdy to us!

I want to share a few keys on how you can do that,

to make sure that we can see that your science is sexy, and that your engineering is engaging

First question, to answer for us: So what?

Tell us why your science is relevant to us!

Don't just tell me that you study trabeculae -

but tell me that you study trabeculae, which is the mesh-like structure of our bones,

because it's important to understanding and treating osteoporosis.

And when you're describing your science, be aware of jargon.

Jargon is a barrier to our understanding of your ideas.

Sure, you can say "spacial" and "temporal", but why not say "space" and "time", which is so much more accessible to us?

And making your ideas accessible to us, is not the same as dumbing it down.

Instead, as Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler."

You can clearly communicate your science without compromising the ideas

A few things to consider are, having examples, stories and analogies -

Those are ways to engage and excite us about your content.

And, when presenting your work, drop the bullet points.

Have you ever wondered why they're called bullet points?

What do bullets do? They kill!

And they will kill your presentation.

A slide like this, is not only boring, but it relies too much on the language area of our brain and causes us

to become overwhelmed.

Instead, this example slide by Genevive Brown is much more effective.

It's showing that the special structure of trabeculae are so strong,

that they actually inspired the unique design of the Eiffel tower.

And the trick here, is to make a single, readable sentence

that the audience can key into, if they get a bit lost

and provide visuals, which appeal to our other senses and create a deeper sense of understanding of what's being described

I think these are just a few keys

that can help the rest of us

to open that door, and see the wonderland that is science and engineering

And because the engineers that I have worked with have taught me

to become in touch with my inner nerd,

I want to summarize with a simple equation

Take your science

Subtract your bullet points and your jargon

Divide by relevance, meaning share what's relevant to the audience

And multiply it by the passion that you have for this incredible work that you're doing

And that is going to equal incredible interaction

that are full of understanding.

And so, scientists and enginners, when you solve this equation,

by all means - talk nerdy to me.