Creating your own “bus stop” talk…..
A “bus stop talk” is a brief, persuasive speech that you can use to spark interest in your research idea, proposal, project and/or outcomes.
A good bus stop talk should last no longer than a few minutes. It should be interesting, memorable, and succinct.
You also need to explain what makes your research unique.
It can take some time to get your talk right. You’ll likely go through several versions before finding one that is compelling, and that sounds natural in conversation.
Follow these steps to create a great talk but bear in mind that you’ll need to vary your approach depending on what your talk is about.
Start by thinking about the objective of your talk.
For instance, do you want to tell potential collaborators/ funding bodies about your novel research idea? Do you want a simple and engaging speech to explain what you are doing in you research project as a MPhil/ PhD candidate? Or do you have a great research finding that you want to share with the academia, industry or the public?
Start your talk by describing what you want/ wanted to find out. Focus on the problems that you solve/d and how you can help people. If you can, add information or a statistic that shows the value in what you do.
Ask yourself this question as you start thinking: what do you want your audience to remember most about you?
Keep in mind that your talk should excite you first; after all, if you don’t get excited about what you’re saying, neither will your audience. Your talk should bring a smile to your face and quicken your heartbeat. People may not remember everything that you say, but they will likely remember your enthusiasm.
Your bus stop talk also needs to communicate what makes your work or your idea, unique. You’ll want to communicate your USP after you’ve talked about what you do.
After you communicate your USP, you need to engage your audience. To do this, prepare open-ended questions (questions that can’t be answered with a “yes” or “no” answer) to involve them in the conversation.
Make sure that you’re able to answer any questions that he or she may have.
When you’ve completed each section of your talk, put it all together.
Then, read it aloud and use a stopwatch to time how long it takes. It should be no longer than the allocated time. Otherwise you risk losing the person’s interest, or monopolizing the conversation.
Then, try to cut out anything that doesn’t absolutely need to be there. Remember, your talk needs to be snappy and compelling, so the shorter it is, the better!
Like anything else, practice makes perfect. Remember, how you say it is just as important as what you say. If you don’t practice, it’s likely that you’ll talk too fast, sound unnatural, or forget important elements of your talk.Set a goal to practice your talk regularly. The more you practice, the more natural your talk will become. You want it to sound like a smooth conversation, not an aggressive sales talk.
Make sure that you’re aware of your body language as you talk, which conveys just as much information to the listener as your words do. Practice in front of a mirror or, better yet, in front of colleagues until the talk feels natural.
As you get used to delivering your talk, it’s fine to vary it a little – the idea is that it doesn’t sound too formulaic or like it’s pre-prepared, even though it is!
Remember to tailor your talk for different audiences, if appropriate
A bus stop talk is a brief, persuasive speech that you can use to spark interest in your research. You can also use one to create interest in a project, idea, or product.
It needs to be succinct, while conveying important information.
To craft a great talk, follow these steps.
- Identify your goal.
- Explain what you do.
- Communicate your USP.
- Engage with a question.
- Put it all together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZTWx2bftaw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrjlW00kkws
Adapted from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/communication_skills.htm