Flash Talks Foundations Scientists & Researchers
A short skills session to help researchers understand what flash talks are, why they matter, and how to craft one: fast!
A focused online session to help researchers communicate their work in short talk formats (typically between 1 ad 5 minutes). This 2-hour interactive training teaches the structure and strategy behind effective flash talks, focusing on distilling research and sharing it using a simple structure. This is suitable for most short-form talks, including Lightning Talks, Three Minute Thesis presentations, and poster pitches.
Scientists, researchers, students, and staff will learn transferable skills in this training that they can apply immediately to short conference talks, elevator pitches, and public outreach.
Approach: Interactive skill-bulding session, with examples, useful theory and frameworks, individual exercises, peer-sharing, and Q&A
Practical component: Participants draft a flash talk script for their own research, then share and refine through peer feedback.
Delivery: 2 hours online (Zoom or your preferred platform)
Group size: up 100 participants
What we cover in 2 hours:
- What flash talks are and when they’re used: from lightning talk competitions to conference flash sessions to poster pitches
- Why flash talks matter: the strategic value of ultra-short presentations for visibility, networking, and skill-building
- How flash talks differ from longer presentations: what to include, what to cut, and how to make every second count
- Effective flash talk structures: frameworks that work for 1, 3, and 5-minute formats
- How to craft a compelling script: writing for the spoken word, not the written page
- What makes flash talks succeed or fail: common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Practical work: Researchers will use their own research during exercises, preparing a draft presentation outline for a hypothetical presentation.
Interaction in this Skills Session is designed around guided individual exercises, chat-based reflection, and selected plenary discussion, rather than small-group coaching or personalised feedback.
What this session does NOT cover:
This session focuses on flash talk structure and strategy. We don’t cover:
- Slide design or visual communication principles
- Delivery techniques, voice, or body language
- Storytelling frameworks
- Longer presentation formats (10+ minutes)
Need those skills too?
See related training options below – or consider our comprehensive multi-day, 1-day, and half-day presentation training options.
Perfect for
- PhD programmes preparing students for 3MT competitions or conference presentations
- Graduate schools running flash talk sessions as part of doctoral training
- Research groups where scientists present at conferences with poster pitches or lightning talks
- Conference organisers looking for flash talk training as part of their professional development offerings
- Institutions building efficient, high-impact communication skills across disciplines
This session works well as standalone training for specific events (like Flash Talk sessions) or as part of a broader presentation skills programme.
Looking for related skills sessions or longer-format training?
Strengthen flash talk delivery with other SciComm Skills Sessions like:
- Scientific Slide Design Best Practices
- Effective Use of Voice and Body Language for Presenting, and
- Visual Communication Foundations.
Working on longer presentations? Our Presentation Messaging & Structure skills session covers strategic planning for full-length talks.
Explore all training topics
Not sure which format or topic you need? Browse our complete catalogue of communication training, organised by category.
Ready to plan a short skills session that focuses on planning and structuring flash talks?
We’d love to help you design the right training approach for your researchers or group.
This 2-hour session can be delivered as:
- A standalone workshop for your researchers, scientists, or staff
- Part of a doctoral training programme
- A mini-workshop or interactive session for a conference
- A component of a custom skills-building series
