For Module 2, we had to give a journal club presentation to our peers on an article of our choosing. One article, 10 minutes-- not too hard, right? Except that it doesn't take long to realize one article worth of content takes way longer than 10 minutes to talk about. And that presentations are kind of scary. And that you'll have to face a bombardment of questions not only from your classmates, but also from your teaching staff and professors (yikes). So maybe not so easy after all.

When I was preparing for my presentation, I first obviously read my paper, cover-to-cover, in pretty extensive detail. And then read it again for good measure. I compiled and organized the major content of the paper and planned out slides for my presentation, making sure to hit each important area (intro, results, etc.) As soon as I started trying to run through my presentation, though, I immediately realized: oh no. There's no way this is going to fit in ten minutes-- it's been seven minutes and I've barely finished my introduction! My paper was even probably on the short side, too. And then came the slow, arduous process of cutting down.

When it came time for the actual presentation, I'd like to think I was ready, but I don't think-- no matter how many times I said it aloud to myself in my room-- I would have ever felt ready. I hate presentations; I really do. I'm not as terrible at them as I was a few years ago (and thank god for that), but what's there to like about them? It says a lot when virtually everyone is dreading their presentation, but it makes you feel a little better about yourself. For me, what works is:

• Know what you're going to say really well-- like, know your stuff enough that even if you're petrified with fear you won't draw a blank for relevant science to say
• Rehearse, but don't be too rehearsed that if you say something out of order it'll completely trip you up
• The section I'm always the most scared of is the Q&A session, so definitely keep a cool head here, because I personally am always terrified I will draw a blank here 

Overall, given the pretty high-stress circumstances of giving a presentation, I thought it was a rewarding experience and taught me a lot about synthesizing and presenting scientific research, whether it be my own or someone else's.