Melissa Marshall: Talk nerdy to me
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0:17 - 0:28Five 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.
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0:28 - 0:31And I was scared.
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0:31 - 0:38Really scared! Scared of these students, with their big brains, and their big books, and their big, unfamiliar words.
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0:38 - 0:48But, 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.
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0:48 - 0:51Thats just how I felt, as I had those conversations with the students.
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0:51 - 0:58I was amazed at the ideas that they had, and I wanted others to experience this wonderland as well.
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0:58 - 1:02And I believe the key to opening that door, is great communication
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1:02 - 1:08We desperately need great communication from our scientists and engineers, in order to change the world
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1:08 - 1:14Our scientists and engineers are the ones, that are tackling our greatest challenges,
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1:14 - 1:17from energy, to environment, to health care, among others
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1:17 - 1:22And if we don't know about it, and understand it, then the work isn't done.
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1:22 - 1:26And I believe that it's our responsibility, as non-scientists, to have these interactions.
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1:26 - 1:32But these great conversations can't occur, if our scientists and engineers don't invite us in to see their Wonderland
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1:32 - 1:36So, scientists and engineers - please!
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1:36 - 1:38Talk nerdy to us!
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1:38 - 1:42I want to share a few keys on how you can do that,
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1:42 - 1:47to make sure that we can see that your science is sexy, and that your engineering is engaging
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1:47 - 1:51First question, to answer for us: So what?
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1:51 - 1:55Tell us why your science is relevant to us!
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1:55 - 1:59Don't just tell me that you study trabeculae -
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1:59 - 2:02but tell me that you study trabeculae, which is the mesh-like structure of our bones,
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2:02 - 2:06because it's important to understanding and treating osteoporosis.
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2:06 - 2:11And when you're describing your science, be aware of jargon.
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2:11 - 2:14Jargon is a barrier to our understanding of your ideas.
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2:14 - 2:21Sure, you can say "spacial" and "temporal", but why not say "space" and "time", which is so much more accessible to us?
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2:21 - 2:26And making your ideas accessible to us, is not the same as dumbing it down.
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2:26 - 2:32Instead, as Einstein said, "Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler."
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2:32 - 2:37You can clearly communicate your science without compromising the ideas
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2:37 - 2:43A few things to consider are, having examples, stories and analogies -
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2:43 - 2:46Those are ways to engage and excite us about your content.
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2:46 - 2:51And, when presenting your work, drop the bullet points.
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2:51 - 2:55Have you ever wondered why they're called bullet points?
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2:55 - 2:59What do bullets do? They kill!
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2:59 - 3:00And they will kill your presentation.
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3:00 - 3:07A slide like this, is not only boring, but it relies too much on the language area of our brain and causes us
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3:07 - 3:08to become overwhelmed.
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3:08 - 3:13Instead, this example slide by Genevive Brown is much more effective.
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3:13 - 3:17It's showing that the special structure of trabeculae are so strong,
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3:17 - 3:21that they actually inspired the unique design of the Eiffel tower.
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3:21 - 3:25And the trick here, is to make a single, readable sentence
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3:25 - 3:28that the audience can key into, if they get a bit lost
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3:28 - 3:36and provide visuals, which appeal to our other senses and create a deeper sense of understanding of what's being described
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3:36 - 3:38I think these are just a few keys
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3:38 - 3:40that can help the rest of us
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3:40 - 3:44to open that door, and see the wonderland that is science and engineering
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3:44 - 3:49And because the engineers that I have worked with have taught me
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3:49 - 3:51to become in touch with my inner nerd,
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3:51 - 3:53I want to summarize with a simple equation
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3:53 - 3:57Take your science
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3:57 - 3:59Subtract your bullet points and your jargon
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3:59 - 4:03Divide by relevance, meaning share what's relevant to the audience
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4:03 - 4:08And multiply it by the passion that you have for this incredible work that you're doing
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4:08 - 4:12And that is going to equal incredible interaction
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4:12 - 4:14that are full of understanding.
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4:14 - 4:18And so, scientists and enginners, when you solve this equation,
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4:18 - 4:26by all means - talk nerdy to me.
- Title:
- Melissa Marshall: Talk nerdy to me
- Description:
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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/translateFollow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews
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- Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 04:35
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