How to survive your first lab meeting

Don’t just get through it – make it awesome (for you!)

May 13, 2024

It’s today: your first lab meeting. Shiiiiiit! Okay back up, hold on. You got this.

You’ve got your slides together, tested the animations and as long as that one video loads, everything should be smooth sailing. But you’re probably still worrying, “What about Professor Knowsitall and the inevitable question? What if someone interrupts me? What if I forget what I’m talking about?!”

It’s okay. Relax. Breeeaaathe.

Me and a long line of newbie researchers have all been there and we know it can be sweat-straight-through-your-t-shirt kinda thing. And that’s okay.

Thankfully, I’ve got some tried and true words of wisdom that’’ll show you how to not only survive but crush your first lab meeting.

Hey, hi, hello, listen: even if you’re not giving a lab meeting, and are instead giving your first presentation, talk, whatever – this is going to help. Being in front of a bunch of people to talk about something is daunting, whether it’s a show and tell or a rundown of your research. So, read on and panic less.

1. No one expects you to present a breakthrough

Let’s get this one out of the way because it’s a biggie: no one’s sitting there waiting for you to deliver groundbreaking, earth shattering, paradigm shifting data. This isn’t about that and no one’s bar is that high. People are just here to listen, maybe learn something or even dish out a few pointers. This isn’t a big unveiling where you bear your soul.

You build your research up bit-by-bit and these wee early stages are just the foundations – everyone knows that. Relax. You’ve done enough and you’ve got this.

2. Interruptions are a chance to clarify things

Rather than going “Shit shit shit” when you see someone’s hand go up mid-way through your talk, see it as a chance to explain something you already know. Most interruptions are just to clarify minor points and you know all the bloody points. Maybe they’re not familiar with the topic. Maybe they want a little more info. Maybe they totally zoned out and panicked because now they’re a little lost. Whatever.

Pause.

Take a breath.

Acknowledge the question.

Have another little think, and then answer.

Questions are typically borne out of a genuine interest and folk want to hear from you — it’s your meeting. Try to see this as a good thing. You can even use it to make your next talk better because someone’s already pointed out something that might need a little more explaining. Bonus!

3. Slow and steady

Nerves are going to make you want to race through your slides, reelling off facts and points and tangents, but don’t give into them! Instead, talk through each slide at a leisurely pace – even at a pace you feel is too slow. Pause. Think. Just like when you paused for questions, pause between pionts – let ‘em sink into your audience’s mind grapes – stew a little. Let ‘em mull things over for a second or two.

Your talk will come across much clearer and more thoughtful. It’ll also stop you from potentially stumbling over concepts because you’re just thinking about the next slide.

Slow it way down and really reinforce your main points. Maybe take a casual stroll over to the whiteboard to sketch out an idea you’re trying to explain. Gesticulate wildly if that’s your thing (it’s absolutely my thing).

You can script your talk if you want, but I don’t recommend it. Have talking points, and maybe rehearse a few lines in your head, but trying to remember a script just adds more effort, in my opinion. If scripting calms you down, go for it, but try not to stand there and read from it. This isn’t as serious as you think it is.

4. Less is more

You’re not writing your thesis yet so don’t pack your lab meeting slides with dense AF text as you’ll only end up reading it off word-for-word. Have a title, maybe a sentence or two, and then some interesting data that you can discuss. No one wants to read a whole slide – they want to hear your interpretation of the results.

Walk people through your findings. Repeat the main point. Explain how you got to this point. Let the slide support what you're saying not be everything you want to say. Again: repeat the main point.

5. Even negative results are results

I know I know: you want significant results and definitive conclusions with tiny p values. But that isn’t really the way this works. Lab meetings often turn into a troubleshooting sessions, so don’t feel the need to only include successful/positive data. If something keeps giving unexpected results, add it in – talk about it. Maybe someone can help. No great discovery ever started with “Eureka!” but it almost certainly started with “WTF is that?” while looking at weird data.

You’re going to have your fair share (and what will feel like a very unfair share!) of failed experiments and your lab meetings can be a time for your peers to shine and come through with an answer based on their years of experience. Your lab members want to help you. Honestly!

6. Everyone hates PowerPoint

It’s going to happen so just accept it now: PowerPoint is a crock of shit and will freeze, fail to load a slide or just give you a great big FU and crash.

That’s okay . Everyone sadly expects it. No one will blame you. Just apologise, lament the shitness of Microsoft, and pick up where you left off. It’s almost over by now anyway.

7. “This isn’t as serious as you think it is.”

I just wrote that and it got me thinking about why we get so anxious about these things. If you don’t get anxious at these things, move along, why are you even here?

Anyway, the thing is we make this sort of stuff out to be a super serious thing where we have to perform and for which we’ll be judged. It might not be that explicit but in most cases that’s what it boils down to. But while we’re building our first lab meeting up in our minds – playing out the worst possible scenarios where Nobel laureates fire questions at you under the gaze of you supervisor, who’s also laughing at you and your pants fall down and the fire alarm is going off – everyone else is just going to another lab meeting. Another talk. You’re probably not even particularly noteworthy.

But we make these things out to be way more serious than they are. It’s just that no one else sees them this way: they’re just a little mundane. And so long as we’re honest, have put in a sensible amount of work, then we’ve done all we can – how people respond is out of our control.

It’s just a talk. You’re just talking. And other people are listening, or not. What goes on in their heads is nothing to you. Just think of this as one of the many talks you’ve been too and half listened to and never held a life-long grudge about.

8. “Any questions?”

Okay, time to shut this thing down. You’ve strolled through you findings, pointed out some cool data points, got some insight from the postdoc and even answered one remark about an image you showed. Nice.

“Any questions?” you ask..

HOLD ON! Don’t end your talk with “Any questions?” in big letters on your final slide, ffs. Instead, put the take-home message on that final slide. The main finding. The thing. The bit you want them to remember. Don’t just write the question you’re about to ask. Okay, as you were

… And as you do ask it, try not to wince. There will be questions. But, surprise, unlike the scenario you created in your head, no one’s trying to trip you up. Instead, they’re trying to understand what you did so they can, ultimately, make it and you better. If someone throws something tough your way or you don’t know a term, a reference, or the question in general, just say so. Own it. There’s no shame in not knowing something. Don’t be all Billy Big Balls and pretend you know, because that shit’ll come unstuck a at some point and then you’ll look like a massive plonker.

They’re the experts at this point, so feel free to ask for their input even on their question: “That’s a great question but I’m not sure how I’d go about that. What do you think would work best?” is a perfectly acceptable answer.

Even though lab meetings – and especially your first one – can seem terrifying, no one’s out to get you. It’s a chance to troubleshoot, to discuss ideas, and, hopefully, focus the direction of your work. Think of your lab meetings as coming up with new ideas rather than interrogations.

You really have got this.