“Let me start by telling you a story,” Ankita Shukla, M.D., told the TRI Research Day audience before briefly weaving a narrative of a new mother’s fears and how they relates to her research. Her opening was a technique she learned in TRIumph, TRI’s new communications training that helps scientists explain their work to general audiences.
Nine early‑career K12 Mentored Research Career Development Award Program scholars completed the TRIumph training this year, led by Julien Mirivel, Ph.D., from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Three of the scholars — Shukla, Lauren Appell, M.D., and Brian Piccolo, Ph.D., — used their newly honed skills to deliver engaging talks at Research Day. View their presentations here: https://youtu.be/faeDeJnoiPw.
TRIumph focuses on two main pillars: “macro‑structure,” or how presenters organize material, and delivery techniques such as voice, eye contact and movement that foster audience connection, said Mirivel, a professor of applied communication, book author and professional speaker.
“Public speaking is not about transmitting information,” he said. “It’s about connecting with your audience.”
Shukla, an associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Neonatal‑Perinatal Medicine, illustrated that principle in presenting her K12 project PERFORM: Persistent Effects of Intrauterine Growth Restriction on Infant Brain Development. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, her study compares neural patterns in infants born small for their gestational age. After her opening story, she guided listeners through the science with clear explanations and analogies.
“The training changed the way I will deliver presentations from here on,” Shukla said. “Even if I don’t give all the scientific nitty‑gritty, I’ll make sure I engage my audience with my passion. If I’m passionate and excited, they will be, too.”
Lauren Appell, an assistant professor of pediatric hematology/oncology, admitted she once dreaded public speaking. “I hate speaking in public,” she confessed. Her project, Stronger All: A Strength & Outpatient Exercise Regimen for Children with Newly Diagnosed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, tests whether structured exercise can improve treatment tolerance and quality of life.
Through TRIumph’s practice sessions, first a three‑minute elevator pitch, then an eight‑ to 10‑minute talk, Appell said she gained confidence.
“Practice made me more confident for something that can be very intimidating,” she said. “I’m sold; I’m all in. It’s a really effective way to engage and communicate important things.”
Piccolo, an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, said the most valuable technique he learned was how to structure his presentations.
“This framework limited my presentation to three major elements that helped me effectively communicate my research to a diverse audience at Research Day,” said Piccolo, who is also associate director of the Biostatistics and Data Innovation Team at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center. “With this framework, I can avoid a data deluge and ensure that I have concise points that will keep an audience engaged and interested.”
Members of TRI’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) praised the scholars’ clarity on Research Day. The Rev. Willie Wade, founder of Difference Makers of Hot Springs, said the presentations “broke down an important barrier between scientists and the communities they aim to help. We need the community involved in research since they are the most impacted by the outcome.”
Prior to Research Day, the nine K12 scholars presented to community members who provided official critiques of their talks. Among them was Victoria Akins, a TRI Community Scientist Academy graduate who served as a grant reviewer and advisory‑board member.
“The presentations were very clear and understandable, especially after the question‑and‑answer section,” she said. Akins suggested allowing questions after each presentation and encouraged scholars to “give a little more information about what sparked their interest and what they envision the long‑term impact to be.”
Esther Dixon, executive director of Diamonds in the Rough of Hot Springs and a TRI CAB member, said the presenters on Research Day “used key points that were relatable and spoke on a level that everyone, whether you were a scientist or community member, could understand, and left you eager to learn more about their work.”
TRI is assessing TRIumph’s impact with pre‑ and post‑training surveys and presentation evaluations to document improvements in structure, language and delivery.