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Bus-Stop Talks to hone researchers’ presentation skills
Reminiscent of chats people had whenever they strolled up to a bus-stop and awaited this popular mode of transport in days gone by, it was innovative ‘Bus-Stop Talks 2019’ in a different setting recently.
It is time for a photograph after the meticulous planning – The Organising Committee, the Presenters and academic well-wishers pose for a photograph at the conclusion of the event.
The setting was not a bus-stop though the backdrop portrayed one, but the New Building Lecture Theatre of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo.
It was also not just a chat about this and that but a very specific one – just three minutes did each person armed with a single FM mike have on centre-stage along with the use of a single power point slide with no animation to present his/her ‘case’. The ‘case’ was an important research the person had conducted.
Organised by the Research & Higher Degrees Committee (RHDC) on Post-Graduate Communication Day for the second consecutive year on the theme, ‘Simplicity in research – the ultimate sophistication’, ‘Bus-Stop Talks’ were mooted by the RHDC’s Academic Coordinator Dr. Sumudu Nimali Seneviratne. They were open to all post-graduate students registered at the Colombo Medical Faculty, with 10 taking up the challenge to speak on a variety of scientific aspects.
The Chief Guest at this event was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Prof. Chandrika Wijeyaratne, while the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, Prof Jennifer Perera; the RHDC Chairperson, Prof. Vajira H.W. Dissanayake; academic staff members and post-graduate students also attended it.
Chief guest Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo, Prof Chandrika Wijayaratne lights the oil lamp while the Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Prof Jennifer Perera and Chairperson, Research and Higher Degrees Committee(RHDC) Prof Vajira Dissanayake look on
Explaining what ‘Bus-Stop Talks’ are, Dr. Seneviratne says it is a brief (lasting only a few minutes), persuasive speech to a non-expert audience which should spark an interest in a complex research idea, proposal, project and/or their outcomes.
“The researcher has to focus on the problem he/she has solved and how people will benefit from this study. He/she has to be excited about what the research is all about and be able to communicate his/her ‘unique selling proposition’ in an interesting, memorable and succinct manner,” she says.
Dr. Seneviratne was inspired to launch ‘Bus-Stop Talks’ in Sri Lanka after seeing a similar event during her doctoral studies at the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand. However, that had been a one-off project, but there is hope that the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, will continue to hold Bus-Stop Talks year after year and that other faculties and universities will follow suit.
“Bus-Stop Talks are a spin-off of the ‘elevator pitch’ which is widely used in business management. The idea is to enable effective communication of scientific work to the public. However, there is another, perhaps, greater value as it also motivates the researchers themselves to think about, understand and innovate on ways that their research can benefit the community at large,” she said.
To the query what the benefit is for the researcher, Dr. Seneviratne said when a researcher is able to present his/her studies simply and with clarity, it would motivate potential collaborators/funding bodies to support his/her ongoing and future research, without such research gathering dust on shelves.
While it would also enable a researcher to garner the support of colleagues, peers, family and friends by making them understand the importance of his/her research work, sharing the research findings with academia, industry and the public would also bring recognition to the researcher, she added.
The Best Presenter at the ‘Bus-Stop Talks 2019’, Jivendra Shankhani Wickramasinghe receives her certificate from Prof. Vajira Dissanayake, while Dr. Sumudu Seneviratne looks on.
| The best presenter | |
| The winner who ran ahead in the ‘Bus-Stop Talks’ was Jivendra Shankhani Wickramasinghe who spoke on ‘Protection against radiation side-effects in radiotherapy’.A surprise announcement at the event was that the top five of the 10 researchers would have the unique opportunity to present their work at the Colombo Medical Congress, organized by the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, in commemoration of its 150th anniversary in February next year (2020).The other nine presenters were: Dr. Dineshani Hettiarachchi who spoke on ‘Ending the diagnostic odyssey of rare/undiagnosed diseases’; Fathima Fairoosa on ‘Accurate prediction of Resting Energy Expenditure – new tool for Sri Lankans’; S.R. Karunaratne on ‘Anti-Mullerian Hormone – A fight against polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)’; Wanniarachchi Ishari Anuruddhika on ‘Development and validation of a culturally sensitive tool to measure participation among children aged 2-4 years in Sri Lanka’; Asith Wanniarachchi on ‘Snake venom kills cancer cells’; W.M. Ashan Madushanka Wijekoon on ‘A way to pay back for patriotism’;; Dr. Priyanga Ranasinghe on ‘Cinnamon – not just a S.P.I.C.E.’; Suhashini Marian Silva on ‘Is pre-pregnancy BMI sufficient to assess consequences of maternal obesity?’; and Dhanusha Dhananjani Thambavita on ‘Good quality drugs at lower cost’.Dr. Sumudu Seneviratne, meanwhile was very appreciative of the post-graduate students who organised and planned the event meticulously.
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