Follow a Structure

The Organization and Framing of your Talk

Why is Structure Important?

Your structure can help organize your talk.
Your structure is an essential part of the flow of your talk.
Your structure is a way to connect with the context (expectations) and audience (communication).

How can you find your structure?

ASSESS | Ask Questions

Depending on your context (discipline, type of talk ) there may be a predetermined structure that you are expected to follow. In scientific contexts, a standard research talk typically follows the structure below. Standard research talks are usually presented in formal contexts like conferences or meetings and are typically a set length of between 3 and 20 minutes.

Standard Research Talk Structure

Title	Your title is a phrase that hints to your audience what your talk is about; it is best to keep it concise yet descriptive (avoid unnecessary words).
Background	Your background contextualizes your talk by providing the relevance, current knowledge, and contribution of your research question.
Hypothesis	Your hypothesis should be clearly labeled or identified.
Methods	Your methods outline your research process. Describe your methods clearly and add any statistics if applicable.
Results	Your results are a large part of your talk timewise. If your results are incomplete, make sure to at least discuss: limitations, progress/challenges, and anticipated/preliminary results.
Conclusion	Your conclusion is a summary of your results and a discussion of implications.

Sometimes, there is no predetermined structure for a talk. Talks such as grand rounds and lectures may not have a structure that you are expected to follow. For these types of talks, there are different ways you can find a structure that works for you, your talk, and your audience.

Here are a few examples of structures

Chronological: Begin with your earliest studies and track your scientific progress through subsequent studies.
Step-wise: Start with the idea and carry your audience to the findings.
Thematic: Follow a theme. Were there themes or patterns that emerged in your research that can frame your talk?

There are many other ways to structure your talks. Part of preparing for a talk includes exploring and being open to the various forms a talk can take.

Tip: Frame your talk mentally or make an outline. Does a structure or flow emerge? If not, can you choose from structure examples?

Overall, it is important to be clear on why you are structuring your talk in a particular way.

Exercise: Find a couple of talks you enjoyed and try to identify how the talk was structured. You can do this by drawing out key themes they highlight throughout the talk or observing how the talk was framed at the beginning.

I have a structure. Now what?

PREPARE | Make an Outline

Structure is closely linked with storytelling; once you have a structure you will soon need to consider how you will flow through that structure. How will you give your talk? How can you showcase your personality and authenticity during your talk?

Before that, it is helpful to refine your structure by mapping it out.

Exercise: Make an outline. This will help you build bridges between your content. In your outline, we recommend you include the following

Determine if there are expectations - If possible, ask questions to confirm what expectations there are. Is a certain structure expected for the type of talk that you are giving? What do you need to learn about the expectations before beginning?

Document the structure – how are you structuring your talk? Or rather what is guiding your structure (themes, time, steps, or something else)?

Start filling in the details – What are the themes, steps, or time frames you are using?

Bonus: If you did the previous exercise, can you apply lessons learned from talks you observed structures of?

With this exercise, you may produce many drafts before you come to an outline you are satisfied with and that’s okay!

Anything else I need to consider?

DELIVER | Review