Speaker Guidelines

Science Capital events aim to bring researchers, business experts and industry leaders together around a common set of challenges and opportunities for growth. The events are held in central Birmingham, refreshments are served from 5:30pm, a set of short talks begin at 6pm, and a panel discussion follows. The event concludes around 9pm after further discussions and networking over dinner.

Suggestions for the presentation

  1. Speakers are asked to say a few words of background about themselves to start out.
  2. Focus on a single challenge. Show how this presented a unique opportunity. Aim to give your best short talk (no more than 15 minutes). Reveal a discovery or transformative idea, as well as the struggles to get there.
  3. Turn complexity and jargon into plain English. Use accessible pictures or videos. Avoid technical terms and abstraction. Instead, give specific examples and explain.
  4. Be passionate. Present obstacles and vulnerabilities, not just successes. Show emotions. People connect with them.
  5. Don't be boastful, flaunt your ego or sell your business or products.
  6. Present your personal story with authenticity.
  7. Engage with the other speakers and audience, whether with praise or constructive criticism.
  8. Controversy excites, as does enthusiastic convergence. Present a hypothesis or pose a question to stimulate the audience’s imagination and thinking.
  9. Don’t read your talk. Notes are ok. Rehearse beforehand to get the timing, clarity and impact right.

Web Profile and Optional Interview

Speakers are asked to email their bio and picture to us beforehand, and may be offered a video-taped interview in the afternoon, this can incorporate the speaker’s images or videos, and will be edited and shared with the public.

Slide guidance

  1. A graphic image or video communicates better than text. Avoid crowded collages.
  2. Text is not needed. Spoken words communicate more effectively. If text is used, a few lines should suffice. Avoid slides which consist of only a headline and list of bullet-points.
  3. Show several slides which each present a single idea, image or data type, and form a progression, e.g. from challenge, opportunity, discovery, reality check, to future plan.
  4. Use no more than 1 slide per minute.
  5. Keep a clear surrounding margin around text for increased legibility.
  6. Sans-serif fonts (e.g. Helvetica) are easier to read at a distance than serif fonts (e.g. Times).
  7. Use a simple background.
  8. Use high-resolution images that are from your work or are licensed, e.g. under Creative Commons, so that your slides can be shared with the public.
  9. For data graphs or charts, use a text font size that can be read from the back of a theatre, including labels on x- and y-axes and data points.
  10. Email your presentation to us beforehand so that we can combine them and ensure technical compatibility. Feel free to bring your own Flash drive or computer with cable and adapter.