How to prepare for the state heats

2014 International FameLab at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival.

In 2015, FameLab Australia State Heats will be held in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne. The Heats consist of a half-day’s presentation training, followed in the evening by a public event in which you will make your presentation in front of a supportive crowd (family, friends and fans all welcome!).

At the State Heat events, a panel of judges – representing both the science and cultural worlds – will assess your presentation, choosing their favourites to go through to the National Final at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle,.

Want to know what we are looking for from FameLab contestants? We asked the judges for their tips for putting together the perfect FameLab presentation.

Think about the beginning and the end.

Hook us at the start, and then give us a satisfying ending that leaves us feeling we’ve had a complete journey (it’s nice if it brings the beginning back in some way, but that’s not the only way to end).

Don’t try to copy somebody else’s style.

Go with what works for you.

Make sure there’s enough science in there.

We can learn a lot in three minutes if you tell it well.

Tell us something you’re excited about...

...your enthusiasm will shine through.

Let go of the PowerPoint safety net.

Printing your slides onto a t-shirt or – worse – laminated bits of paper reduces you from 3 to 2 dimensions.

Be in the moment.

Acknowledging what’s happening right here, right now (even if it’s something going wrong!) keeps us engaged – and shows you’re confident enough to cope.

Don't overdo your introduction.

You need to set a scene, give us a moment to grasp who you are and lead into your subject, sure. But you need to do all of that quickly, because you haven't really started until the introduction is behind you. Keep it punchy.

Know where you're going.

However much you've slaved over the individual words of your performance, make sure you know the waymarks too: the bullet-points that keep you on track. There are probably around five of them, and the last one will usually be your last line. If that's fixed in your mind then no matter how many of your carefully-honed bons mots fall apart, you still know how you're going to finish. So that's one less distraction.

'What will they talk about in the pub?'

What's your piece about? You need to be able to answer that in, say, ten words. Those words need to work when prefixed with 'Did you know' or 'I heard this amazing thing today'. Give people memorable nuggets they can use as social currency, it's the best way of spreading ideas around.

Think theatrically.

The impact of a prop can be changed by how it's introduced – is it carried on, picked up, or revealed? Similarly, you can trail your finale, tease it, or reveal it from an unexpected direction. There's no right or wrong here, you have to choose what best suits you and your story. But make sure you choose rather than just letting it happen.