Beyond the “Big Ones”: Sankha Subhra Mahanti on Presenting at TEDxUofA

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Sankha Subhra Mahanti, a doctoral student in Geosciences at the University of Arizona and 1^st place presenter of Grad Slam 2024, recently took on an exciting challenge: presenting his research at TEDxUofA. Originally from West Bengal, India, and now working with Dr. Eric Kiser in the Global Seismology and Tectonics Group, Sankha is no stranger to complex research. His work, which focuses on detecting small earthquakes and imaging subsurface structures, often involves technical details intended for a specialist audience. However, TEDx offered him a unique opportunity to make his research accessible to a broader audience.

In this Q&A, Sankha reflects on his journey to the TEDx stage, from transforming his scientific findings into an engaging story to overcoming stage nerves. He shares the insights he gained about communicating complex ideas to non-specialists, the strategies he used to connect with his audience, and the valuable lessons he learned that will shape his future presentations.

Graduate Center: What was it like to be part of a TEDx?

Mahanti: “It was an amazing experience. I have watched so many TED talks in my life but never imagined being a speaker at a TEDx event. The whole process of preparing for this talk was a great learning experience as well. I felt it was more like performing an art with my science content.”

Graduate Center: Can you give an example of what made the experience exceptional? Was there an interaction with the TEDx team or someone else throughout the preparation process, or even the actual presenting process that made it so enjoyable?

Mahanti: “The best experience was walking up to the TEDx stage which only a few people get the opportunity to do, and then speaking to a really large audience for the first time in my life. Moreover, the preparation process with the TEDx team, where I sorted out the elements from my research, got feedback from the TEDx team, and finally developing a storyline based on that, was also an incredible experience.”

Graduate Center: How did presenting at TEDxUofA differ from presenting your research in academic settings, like conferences, class, or your research group meetings?

Mahanti: “It was completely different from any other talks. The goal of presentation in academic settings is to explain research and to show results mostly to people who have technical knowledge on that topic. However, a TEDx talk is more like telling a story built on my research and how that is relevant to a general audience. The purpose here is to share an idea and make people interested on that topic.”

Graduate Center: What resources did you use to help understand the differences between a TEDx talk and a typical academic presentation? Are there any resources you’d recommend?

Mahanti: “I watched a few TED talks from researchers to see how they presented their highly technical research work at the TED platform. Also, the past TEDxUofA talk videos helped to set some expectations about what my talk should be.”

Graduate Center: What strategies did you use to make your research accessible for a general audience while maintaining the integrity of your work?

Mahanti: “I definitely tried to avoid any technical descriptions and focused on big-picture outcomes of my research. I also tried to incorporate analogy and examples which would help the audience to connect to the topic.  Specifically starting the talk with such examples helps to engage the audience better.”

Graduate Center: What was a key piece of advice or guidance that you received in the process of preparing your research and making it more accessible?

Mahanti: “A key piece of advice I received while preparing for my TEDx talk was to engage the audience by asking a question or providing an example that they can relate to, and then dive deep into that topic during the rest of the talk.”

Graduate Center: What did you learn from the experience at TEDx that has influenced how you approach future academic presentations?

Mahanti: “I have always focused on making better slides for my presentation. But the TEDx experience taught me that we can significantly improve our presentation based on how we are speaking as we present. Academic presentation will have more technical information but if we can design the talk with a story-like format, it will help even for a specialist audience.”

Graduate Center: How has what you’ve learned influenced the way you interact with your research or other material that you are trying to communicate, on any scale? Has it changed how you interact with students that you teach (if you’re a teaching assistant)? Has it changed how/how often you talk to people about your research in a casual setting? 

Mahanti: “Simplifying a complex research topic is one of the most challenging things to do. This experience has taught me to break down my research to a level where I can explain it to anyone. This learning experience has given me a good sense of how other people comprehend when I am talking about my research or any topic. So, it is essentially understanding the audience and designing the talk based on that.”

Graduate Center: How can storytelling enhance a research presentation, and what techniques do you recommend for integrating narrative into data-driven talks?

Mahanti: “Whenever a research topic is presented to [a] general audience or anyone who is not familiar with that topic, storytelling makes a presentation really accessible. It helps the audience remain engaged in that talk and look for a take-away message. A narrative can be designed by thinking about what the research problem is and why that is important. Then one can proceed to explain the research and how the outcome of the research solves the problem. The narrative should also include a reason why the audience should care about the research.”

Graduate Center: Have you continued to present your research in this way since your Grad Slam and TEDx experiences? (Or, do you plan to?)

Mahanti: “I have not presented my research after Grad Slam and TEDx but I definitely plan on including my learning experience from these events in my future research presentations so that they are more engaging and accessible to everyone.”

Graduate Center: What advice do you have for graduate students who may feel nervous or unsure about presenting their research to a larger or non-specialist audience?

Mahanti: “I think it is normal to feel nervous but based on my experience, I felt that when I went up to the stage and spoke the first few words, the nervousness decreased a lot and I felt more confident. So, pushing oneself is the best step one can take. Also, when you are presenting to a non-specialist audience, you are the one in that room who knows the best about that topic, and nobody is going to judge you if you make a mistake. That should bring in a lot of confidence.”

Graduate Center: Do you have any specific techniques that you use to manage your nerves before you step on stage to present?

Mahanti: “I feel taking a deep breath helps me to calm down. Also slowing down or taking a small pause helps me to reorganize if I feel nervous on stage while speaking.”

For more information on Sankha’s research, visit his website. To watch his winning Grad Slam presentation, visit this link. Be on the lookout for his TEDx talk soon.