I’m running a workshop and coaching program for researchers at the moment. Something we addressed recently is this idea, common in research institutions especially, where caution and care with words when presenting is crucial:
“You’re sharing information when presenting findings and recommendations. That’s it.”
I’m going to push back on this for three reasons:
- We’re never just sharing information. There’s always meaning behind that information or data.
- Humans remember mainly what they attach emotion to.
- Precision and energy aren’t opposites.
(By the way, this equally applies if you work in technology or as a lawyer – any profession where sounding measured and steady is important.)
Why caution is important
Researchers are trained to avoid over-claiming, overselling, or sounding biased. Vital – but the downside is that it can turn into emotional flatness.
How does this show up in delivery? I typically see:
- A slide into monotony, with very little contrast.
- Or low energy, because people equate that with seriousness.
Communication choices can also be seen as binary:
- Accurate or engaging
- Careful or compelling
- Neutral or meaningful
- Evidence-based or emotional
They’ll think “I can’t be both”.
But good research communication needs both.
You can have, for example, rigour and colour.
And using some colour will in fact help rigour to land.
What do I mean by colour?
Well I’m not suggesting you suddenly need to bring out your inner fire and deliver with a passion or energy that would startle your audience!
Nor do you need to become a ‘storyteller’ (this would make some of my clients’ toes curl at the very thought! Which I totally get).
You do need to:
- Help people understand what the information means.
- Transfer energy and meaning to your audience. Not just facts.
Why there may be pushback
I understand that researchers may resist “emotion” because they associate it with performance, manipulation, or exaggeration.
When I say your audience needs to feel something, I don’t mean you need to become theatrical. And definitely not emotional (although that may occasionally have its place).
How to see it instead
Your audience needs to sense why the work matters.
And this comes from feeling connected to the emotions behind your findings, and then conveying those emotions to your audience through your tone.
For example:
- Curiosity
- Urgency
- Confidence
- Surprise
- Hope
- Disturbance
To sum up
Emotion in research or similar types of communication doesn’t – and shouldn’t – look like passion.
But it does influence what people pay attention to, how deeply they process it, and what they later remember.
A useful source is a review paper called “The impact of emotion on perception, attention, memory, and decision-making”. It summarises research showing that emotion affects perception, attention, memory and decisions.
As a presenter, you don’t need to become a performer. You don’t need to exaggerate, oversimplify, or abandon caution.
You do need to recognise that audiences are trying to work out what matters, what to remember, and what to do next.
So your job is more than simply to share information. It’s to transfer meaning, with enough energy that the audience can feel why it matters.
Step Up | Be Heard | Stand Out
