For very special occasions (a AAS plenary session a big faculty job talk) you may want to write an almost-complete script rather than notes. I like to write out my first and last sentences, to help me begin and end strong. Most of these will be reminders (“Mention selection bias” mention Dr. (In Keynote, it’s View>Show Presenter Notes.) In the white space below each slide, write notes to yourself. Your laptop screen will act like a teleprompter, and the main projector will display your slides. Now, here’s my best tip: Presenter Notes, which give the speaker all the notes she wants, without tipping her hand to the audience. Previously, I recommended strategies for lean, effective slides when giving scientific talks. Worse, your audience’s attention will be divided between your voice and your wordy slides. Why are our slides so wordy? Are we afraid we’ll forget what to say? That would be bad, because memory-jogging notes for you aren’t words tuned for your audience.
