A couple of weeks ago I was at the Institute of Physics. There I watched an excellent presentation given by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society. The audience were hanging on his every word. What did he do to achieve that? Here are the three top tips I took away:

1. Relax at the lectern.
   Lecterns are certainly useful, but they can tempt us into some bad habits. Stand a few inches back from the lectern to remind yourself not to grip the sides (creating shoulder tension) or lean on it (interrupting confident posture). At the IOP, Gavin’s urge to connect with his audience brought him out from behind the lectern onto the front of the stage. It was a great moment: he wasn’t allowing the lectern to fix him to one spot. If you can do the same, give it a try! You’ll energise your presentation and engage strongly with your audience.
2. Give us some silent time to look at your slides.
   On two very large screens behind him, Gavin showed stunning photographs of various types of clouds. After revealing a new slide, he stopped talking and closed his body language. By turning to look at the screens himself, he directed his audience’s attention towards them. After a few moments, he blanked the slide (while playing a Slideshow in Powerpoint, press the B key). He then turned back to us and continued with his presentation.
3. Have a strong central message.
   Especially in the UK, attitudes towards clouds – blockers of the sun and bringers of rain – tend to be negative. Gavin’s mission is to change our minds. Summing up at the end, he asked (rhetorically) ‘Why clouds?’. After a pause he answered the question: ‘If we can find beauty in the mundane’, he told his hushed audience, ‘not in things that are far off but in what is around us every day, perhaps we have found a path to happiness.’

Gavin’s presentation was purposeful and joyful, and he deserved his rapturous applause. There was plenty of hard science, too, but because of the emotional connection between him and his subject and him and us, it was easy and pleasurable to follow.