

Speaker Tips
Welcome and Thank You
The NESM Board extends our thanks and appreciation to you for agreeing to present at our upcoming meeting. The purpose of the Speaker Tips page is to provide information to aid you in preparing for your presentation. Below, you will read about the NESM audience, the presentation format, and what technology will be available to you on presentation day. Please contact info@nesmicroscopy.org for any questions.
Your Audience
NESM is a society for all types of microscopists in the New England region. As such, your audience will be a mixture of light, electron, and scanning probe microscopists. Some members have advanced degrees while others are microscopists-in-training. Their fields of study include biology, geology, chemistry, materials science and physics, among others. However, you should not assume that your entire audience is knowledgeable about the parts of the cell, the nature of biological processes, the fundamentals of alloys or crystallography, or the processes occurring inside the earth or stars. What they are interested in learning is how microscopy supports your scientific work, the equipment you employ, an overview of any novel microscopy techniques used, a selection of application images from your research, and the conclusions you were able to draw from them. NESM evening meetings typically draw around 30-40 attendees and NESM symposia often have upwards of 80 attendees.
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Your Presentation
Presentation times vary depending on the meeting schedule; however, a typical lightening talk is 15-20 minutes and a typical keynote talk is 30-50 minutes. Each talk is followed by a 10 minute question and answer session where the audience has an opportunity to request clarification and seek further information on certain topics. When designing your presentation, please be sure to keep the NESM audience in mind. Here are some tips that have led to successful and memorable presentations at past meetings:
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Focus on the “big picture” view of your research projects – explain how they will significantly contribute to your field in a way that scientists of all disciplines will comprehend.
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Highlight the role microscopy has played in your science
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Try to avoid field-specific jargon
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Images, images, and more images (and videos, if you have them!)
Your Moderator
Your presentation will be introduced by a talk moderator, typically a member of the NESM Board of Directors. The moderator will introduce you with the information provided in your Bio. The moderator will be responsible for providing time cues and for handling the question and answer session following your talk. Please alert your moderator to any special requests (time cues, bio changes, etc.) prior to your presentation.
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Your Computer
NESM does not currently provide speakers with a computer for their presentation. Each speaker is expected to bring their own computer and any necessary VGA and/or DVI adapters (i.e. Apple adapters). If you require a computer or specialized connector, please notify NESM at info@nesmicroscopy.org at least three (3) days prior to the meeting.