How well you connect with the audience depends on your presentation style. Researchers need to be factual and engaging. In this video, ACS editors discuss their experiences and tactics used to captivate an audience and the tools they used to increase their reach. Peter License, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham and […]

How well you connect with the audience depends on your presentation style. Researchers need to be factual and engaging. In this video, ACS editors discuss their experiences and tactics used to captivate an audience and the tools they used to increase their reach.

Peter License, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham and Associate Editor of ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering recommends face to face style presentation. He says including a live experiment boosts the enthusiasm from the audience. License points out that live presentations have their limitations, so he created a topical YouTube video series.

William B. Tolman, Ph.D., Chemistry Professor and Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences at Washington University, St. Louis and Editor-in-Chief of Inorganic Chemistry advocates share your work with the public, especially once your science is published. Tolman says post it on facebook or social media, get out and talk about it. He says you need to develop a message that tells a story to the greater community, beyond your colleagues and friends in your field.

Commonwealth Professor of Chemistry at the University of Virginia and Associate Editor of ACS Catalysis, T. Brent Gunnoe, Ph.D., tells a story of when he presented to students preparing to go to a football game. He initially had low expectations, but his Q&A portion went on for an hour and proved to be a very rewarding experience.

Connecting with your audience can be broken down into three key elements, the experts say: Pick a medium that suits you; Expand your reach through social media; and tailor your message to go beyond your colleagues.

Watch this video to learn more:


For more publishing tips, visit the ACS Publishing Center, a hub for researchers to prepare and track manuscripts. This website features resources on submission, open access licensing, peer review education and more. Log in today to discover how the ACS Publishing Center can help you advance your research.

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