Presenting your research via video is a good way to reach audiences that otherwise would never hear of you. However, getting in front of a camera can be daunting, especially if you’ve never done it before. This can lead to a lack of confidence that manifests itself as an attack of nerves. Before you get to the point of staring into a lens, you should be thoroughly prepared in order to boost your confidence. Below are some tips and suggestions for making the most of your science communication video.
1. Choose your words in advance
The first thing you should do is decide what you want to say. This can include writing yourself a script. You don’t need to stick to it when it comes time to film, but it often helps to get all your ideas down on paper. Keep in mind who your target audience is, and tune your language for them. Scientists are used to writing for colleagues in their own field. The general public will quickly lose interest if they’re presented with a barrage of technical terms. Many science communication promoters will tell you to avoid scientific jargon entirely, but I’m of the opinion that one or two key terms are acceptable if you can define them in a quick aside. With this approach, you can teach the audience a new word, and it may even be one they’ve heard before but didn’t understand. People tend to distrust things they don’t understand, so by demystifying a term, you can help build public trust in science. Scientists are also guilty of burying the exciting details at the end of a formal paper.
2. Get to the point
The public needs to be told why they should care right at the beginning, otherwise they won’t sit through your video. You’ll want to keep the whole thing short. Distill your research down to its fundamental points, and then build a story out of it. Consider your video to be a highlight reel. You don’t need to shoehorn in every detail from every experiment you’ve done.
3. Engage on a human level
Put something of yourself into your video. Talk about what went right, but also talk about what went wrong. Show your audience that you’re a human being, not an automaton. Share the excitement and frustration inherent in research.
4. Add flavour and personal touches
Once you have your content laid out, you can try embellishing it. Resist the urge to go overboard here. Your research should be the driving force of your video, not the bells and whistles. I use humour in my videos because it’s impossible for me not to try and be funny. However, the jokes support the content, not the other way around. They keep the audience interested and entertained, and add a touch of levity to what can sometimes be a dry subject. Don’t feel obligated to add jokes to your video just because that’s what I do. Whatever unique flavour you give your effort should reflect you and your interests. Play to your skills. I have a background in public speaking and community theatre, so most of my flavour involves speech and performing. My Flame Challenge video was simply me standing in front of a camera, with no graphics or cutaways. If your talents lean towards the arts or graphic design, consider making on-screen illustrations your focus. You don’t need to put yourself on camera, but you’ll connect with your audience better if they can see the person behind the work. Do take the opportunity to show off your work and your lab, demonstrating visually appealing techniques or equipment.
5. Rehearse, revise, review
With your script finalised, you should take the opportunity to rehearse it a few times, especially if you’re not used to speaking. Don’t be afraid to rewrite as you go. Words that look good on paper are sometimes impossible to speak smoothly. Your goal should be something that’s both easy to say and easy to listen to. Your delivery of the words is also important. Many inexperienced speakers default to a stilted monotone. You want your delivery to sound natural. It may help to imagine you’re speaking directly to someone in the room. Try to make it conversational rather than a lecture. Vary your pitch and tone to match the rhythms of casual speech. Another thing to watch is pacing. I normally speak quite quickly, so I have to consciously slow myself down to avoid tripping over my own tongue. Speak slowly and pause frequently. Your audience is probably hearing this for the first time, and needs time to process what they’re hearing. You need to let them catch up instead of rushing through it and overwhelming them. Also make sure you’re pronouncing each word distinctly and giving each syllable its proper weight. A common bad speech habit is to swallow the final consonant. I advise people to hiT the enD of the worD. Make sure that you’re not slurring words together, and take care to carefully pronounce any scientific words the audience may be unfamiliar with.
As an aside, if you watch my videos you can probably find examples of me breaking every one of these rules. It can be hard to hold all this in your head and remember your lines at the same time. If you slip up once in a while, that’s all right. If you can only remember one thing, remember this: you’re not delivering a lecture, you’re telling a story. You’re relating the tale of discovering something new.
6. Scout for locations and set up your shots
When you’re ready to film, take the time to set up your shots and locations. One thing that continually takes me by surprise is how far away from the camera I need to be in order to have more than just my nose in frame. Having someone else to operate the camera is essential. A sound person might also be needed, if you’re using a separate microphone. Lighting is another thing to consider. Avoid direct light sources, as these can cast shadows. Professionals bounce light off a surface to give a diffuse, non-directional illumination. In a pinch, ordinary lab or office lighting can be sufficient for your purposes.
7. Keep in mind your eye contact and expressions
When you finally step in front of the camera, you should already be prepared and confident in what you’re going to say. By this point, most of the hard work should be done. This is your moment to show off your research. Relax and maintain eye contact with the camera lens, which is your audience surrogate. Remember to blink (I’ve been corrected on this a few times). Also remember to keep a pleasant or neutral expression. I’ve watched videos of myself where I appear to be frowning or scowling.
8. Keep at it and have fun
Finally, don’t worry that your first effort might be awful. Accept that it will be awful, and then make your second one better. The only way to get good at something is to start off bad at it and improve over time. I find my first videos to be almost unwatchable now compared to my later ones. Treat your video like a new research topic: it probably won’t work the first time, and might not work the second time either. Keep at it.
