Just In Time for Practice Job Talk Season....

Here is an excellent presentation put together by Rachel Meager on public speaking for academic economists. 

Look through it before giving a practice job talk, a real job talk, or any talk. I am giving a talk on Wednesday, and I will certainly try to incorporate the suggestions. 

Some of my favorites: 

"Really good ideas in economics are often obvious ex-post." 

This is exactly why the introduction and motivation parts of the talk are so important. Right from the beginning, tell the audience why your question is important and why the answer is not obvious. Then explain how you answered it. But be careful...

"..don’t try to show how hard you worked. This is boring for the audience which makes them think you don’t respect their time."

For sure, don't list all of the mistakes you have made and how you didn't get what you had hoped. More eloquently, 

"Present the work you have, not the work you wish you had."

But my very favorite piece of advice applies not only to giving talks, but pretty much all of life. 

"You can’t control the audience nor the outcome of the talk. You can only control what you do. Do not attempt to micromanage reality."

Go forth and do good work. Then show it to the world..in a way they can understand and appreciate it!