The ability to present your research in a compelling, concise, and engaging manner will enhance your professional career. I will work to convince you that the best way to capture an audience and leave a lasting impression is to tell a story, do a demo, or pick a fight.The goal of a talk is not to show people how much work you did, how capable and dedicated you are, or how much you know. We don't care about any of those things. Instead, we want to learn something new and important, something that changes our perspective and influences our research. We want to be inspired, shocked, or moved. So, in the opening minutes of a talk, you must plant your flag and make your case. You are forecasting the arc of your story, rather than introducing your topic. If, for example, your very first three words are, "I will argue" you're on a good path. In these crucial opening minutes, you've either hooked them or lost them.The course is taught as a series of stand-and-deliver exercises with feedback from the other students and revision on the fly. You'll do exercises on talk openers and closers, physical demos, conference talks, job interviews, press interviews, and funding pitches. We also tackle scientific graphics, focusing on builder slides and posters. Special guests will enrich the course, including a graphic designer, Adobe Illustrator mavens, headhunters, entrepreneurs, and TV reporters.This is a 'flipped' class, so there are no lectures. Instead, students receive Class Notes before each week's classes, and a Postscript Letter afterwards. Grades are completely optional: ESS 70% in-class exercises, ESS 30% final presentation, such as your upcoming conference presentation. It's important to take this course when you have research to present. My pledge is that everyone will come away a more skilled and confident speaker than they were before.Anonymous 2022 Course Evaluation Comments:- "Truly the best course that I have taken in my life. There is simply an incredible amount of wisdom to be gained from this course. To no exaggeration, your life will be changed, and you will forever see presentations differently after this experience of a lifetime. It's also accessible to undergrads as long as you have a research project."-"By far, the best class I've taken at Stanford. Will change your entire perspective on presenting research."- "This is by far the best and most helpful course I have taken in all 5 years at Stanford. This course is really a must for anyone and has given me a huge confidence boost for public speaking in all scenarios. Ross is a fantastic instructor and makes the class a welcoming and collaborative environment." - "Ross is an engaging teacher with years of experience doing public speaking in academic, government, and business settings. This class is well worth the time that it takes to prepare the short talk exercises. Highly recommend this class for anyone looking to improve their speaking skills."
2-3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
The ability to present your research in a compelling, concise, and engaging manner will enhance your professional career. I will work to convince you that the best way to capture an audience and leave a lasting impression is to tell a story, do a demo, or pick a fight.The goal of a talk is not to show people how much work you did, how capable and dedicated you are, or how much you know. We don't care about any of those things. Instead, we want to learn something new and important, something that changes our perspective and influences our research. We want to be inspired, shocked, or moved. So, in the opening minutes of a talk, you must plant your flag and make your case. You are forecasting the arc of your story, rather than introducing your topic. If, for example, your very first three words are, "I will argue" you're on a good path. In these crucial opening minutes, you've either hooked them or lost them.The course is taught as a series of stand-and-deliver exercises with feedback from the other students and revision on the fly. You'll do exercises on talk openers and closers, physical demos, conference talks, job interviews, press interviews, and funding pitches. We also tackle scientific graphics, focusing on builder slides and posters. Special guests will enrich the course, including a graphic designer, Adobe Illustrator mavens, headhunters, entrepreneurs, and TV reporters.This is a 'flipped' class, so there are no lectures. Instead, students receive Class Notes before each week's classes, and a Postscript Letter afterwards. Grades are completely optional: 70% in-class exercises, 30% final presentation, such as your upcoming conference presentation. It's important to take this course when you have research to present. My pledge is that everyone will come away a more skilled and confident speaker than they were before.Anonymous 2022 Course Evaluation Comments:- "Truly the best course that I have taken in my life. There is simply an incredible amount of wisdom to be gained from this course. To no exaggeration, your life will be changed, and you will forever see presentations differently after this experience of a lifetime. It's also accessible to undergrads as long as you have a research project."-"By far, the best class I've taken at Stanford. Will change your entire perspective on presenting research."- "This is by far the best and most helpful course I have taken in all 5 years at Stanford. This course is really a must for anyone and has given me a huge confidence boost for public speaking in all scenarios. Ross is a fantastic instructor and makes the class a welcoming and collaborative environment." - "Ross is an engaging teacher with years of experience doing public speaking in academic, government, and business settings. This class is well worth the time that it takes to prepare the short talk exercises. Highly recommend this class for anyone looking to improve their speaking skills."
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.