I see you. You love science. Those “eureka” moments, the puzzle-solving, the new sparks of ideas, the never-ending curiosity-quenching of knowledge gathering, the experimenting… you live for that stuff.
But giving presentations (and writing project/funding proposals and journal papers)… doesn’t feel as exiting as science. It even feels scary!
The reason is not because you’re weird(although you might be, I mean who isn’t) or defective, it's because
1) we don't want to "waste time" on it
2) we over-complicate things to look “professional”
WASTE OF TIME
Imagine if you went to a very prestigious cooking school in Paris &
had developed this unique lip-smacking custard
but decided NOT to invest in your plating skills
because you KNOW it's good...
well... your food would still be good but it is less likely that
people will get/want to experience your food;
you'll have your own restaurant; you'll get featured in magazines or
be discovered for the next Top Chef/Master competition, right?
If you really want to maximise your previous and continuous investments in your science, your job and your education... then invest time in your presentation skills.
PROFESSIONAL
Believe it or not,
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SOMETHING YOUR ARE NOT TO GIVE A GOOD PRESENTATION.
Because whether you want to communicate your work to 1, 15 or 1000 people, all you have to do is these 3 things:
1. Show up like the (honest) human you are - I know sometimes you don’t feel like a human… but guess what… a lot of us don’t… it’s the paradox of being human
2. Talk about what you love (signal away my friend!)
3. Tell them why it’s important and useful for them to know (that is where the mastery is)
Strangely enough, that can actually be pretty hard at first. So let me guide you.
THE COURSE
Honest Signalling MasteryTM
Learn how to plan, create and deliver a scientific presentation that feels
clear, engaging and like yourself in 6 weeks.
So you keep yourself and your listener out of confusion, overwhelm & boredom;
& start loving making your work shine!
The truth is all successful presentations (scientific or not, virtual or in-person) all possess the same elements.
The good news? You can learn them!
Some of these elements you already know, might even have tried… and might have struggled with…
... they are what I call:
1. the “bones”, like the structure or the aesthetic of your presentation and those are important because you need a good bone structure.
Less often you will have worked on
2. the “nerves”: like your message, your goal etc…
And what is often missing in course is
3. the “meat”: you.
What do you do once you have you pretty and structured presentation.
Because, you are still you, and you still need to present it!!
Whether you’re an experienced researcher/engineer or a student getting started with giving presentations, I’ll help you elevate your presentation game by working on the bones, the nerves and the meat even if you are an introvert (like me), an HSP (like me) and/or a non-native speaker (like me).
It’s NOT just about the tricks, tips and tools;
it’s ALSO about reprogramming your “professionalism” with principles based on integrity and human connection (yuk… I know that used to feel scary to me too).
DO YOU KNOW WHY IT'S CALLED "HONEST SIGNALLING MASTERY"?
Well, if you are an ecologist or biologist you might.
But if, like me you’re an engineer & scientist (the kind that blows stuff up as a friend would say), you might not… so here is the story:
In the weeks I was designing this course, I shared one evening with my BFF - who happens to be an ecologist - my “marketing” approach for my coaching business and for this course… telling her:
"I am more like a baker who let’s the people in the street smell the smell of freshly baked bread and let them come to the bakery, than a salesperson (who builds a sales funnel etc) you know… I tend to work on referral from happy clients/bread eaters or walk-bye smellers…
As I was saying this I saw the lightbulb in her head light up, and she said:
“Oh yes, your marketing is like honest signalling in sexual selection!””
Me (process and material engineering scientist):
“Hein!?”
Her: “Yeah you know honest signalling! In biology, they’re signals that reliably convey useful information to the receiver but they have to be true (ie. reliable + useful = honest), they can’t be fake*". (*like some sales techniques that are taught)
And then I realised… that is also what good presentations that create connections are about!
Wikipedia (don’t judge me or do ... we all do it 😂) writes:
“Honest biological signals do not need to be perfectly informative, reducing uncertainty to zero [...]. Ultimately the value of the signalled information depends on the extent to which it allows the receiver to increase its fitness.[10]"
Now, replace "fitness" by "knowledge"… and BOOM that is all you need!
You don’t have to have it completely figured out.
You need to communicate the knowledge you DO have that will benefit your audience’s knowledge, understanding or reflection.
Honest signalling. Not perfect communicating.
Bottom line, I believe:
the way we present reflects the way we show up in life.
MY STORY
The Clarity Wizard
I’ve spent 12 years crafting presentations and helping others improve theirs (not full time of course… I also had lab work to do!).
But I started noticing the power of presentations wayyy before that… when I was studying.
You see, I was a very shy & introverted young woman (to the point that my dada confessed to me later that he was worried I wouldn't make friends at Uni) and I never considered myself a brilliant student, engineer or scientist (although I was always very hard working) but I noticed I had one thing on my side:
I knew how to present what I did, in a way that left that my teachers, supervisors, students and audience in general with a sense of clarity.
And I believe that this is what led me to
-
Get offered a PhD position right after presenting my M.Eng thesis
-
Get offered a job during my PhD
-
Get asked to lecture more by students
Plus, overtime, I found that there is no better way to clarify things for yourself than to make them clear for others.
So in this course, I teach you
-
The approach I used to re-write the summary of a bid which went from 2nd Tier to getting funded
-
The principle I used to present at my first international conference ever and got me looking so confident people didn't realise I had vomited just the day before
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The approach I used to get “best poster award” at my very first conference and a professor to tell me “wouha, I though, I was told that was complicated! It’s the first time I really understand it”
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The principles and practices I use to this day to “un-shy” and took me from having ZERO social media presence to having made over 600 posts in a year and promoting this course!
Now the serious bit:
Déborah Le Corre (aka. Dr Débi) holds an M. Eng, M.BA and PhD in Science and is a former senior scientist and team leader (in NZ Crown Research Institute) whose passion for helping people outgrew that of science; and thus became a coach.
She works with people, from all genders and cultural backgrounds, including those who experience pre/post burn-out, post-concussion syndrome, light post-traumatic syndrome, A.D.H.D, A.S.D, HSP and/or mood disorders; and want to implement change in their life/career.
Deborah channels her joyful and curious nature to understand the underlying root cause of confusion, indecision and inaction. She shares evidence-based tools and theories; and helps her client use them to make confident choices and actions.
Outside of her professional interests, Deborah enjoys yoga, Pilates, cooking, pottery, hiking, biking, and any water/bathing activity