Thread by @mnoetel

Most of us use multimedia every day. Our new paper shows how to use to use it best. As you'll see in this 🧵you might do some things right, but there are lots of ways to get even better. Read the full paper or doi.org/10.3102/003465…
psyarxiv.com/pynzr/

2/ Our brains have systems for both hearing and seeing. Try to use the 'seeing' system for meaningful images, and the 'hearing' system for your voice

3/ And if there are no meaningful images that make sense, then just add some key words to the slides, so the audience can catch-up if their attention wanders for a moment

4/ Our brains struggle to connect dots that don't happen at the same time. Make it easier for us to connect what we hear to what we see by making the bullets come out as you speak to them

5/ Our brains need to work to connect things in space too, so if you've got labels, put them on the image itself, rather than in a legend all the way over there (applies to plots in scientific papers too)

6/ If you can't make things come out one bit at a time, at least show the audience where to look using arrows, colours, your voice, animations, or a laser pointer

7/ Memes are fun, but *because* they're fun, we remember the memes, and not what you were trying to say. Make all stories, images, and text relate to the core thing you want people to learn.

8/ Don't be boring, but don't overwhelm us. Use a bit of colour to make things look nice, and use it meaningfully so we know where to focus.

9/ We're often trying to explain how things are done or how they work together, so show the audience, rather than making them imagine how it works. Grab a gif or YouTube video for what you're trying to explain. Videos are great psyarxiv.com/kynez/

10/ Sure, we're teaching abstract concepts, sometimes, but try to make it more real and human. Give things faces, needs, or goals. Don't talk abstractly about a virus replicating, say it wants to attack a host cell.

11/ Yes, we're trying to teach people the jargon: the language needed to understand key concepts. But, don't start with that language. Start by explaining the concept in simple words that connect to what the learner already knows.

12/ Break your lectures up with discussions, your videos into smaller chunks, or add breaks for multiple choice questions. There's no 'right size' chunk (e.g., 10 minutes); choose something small but meaningful.

12/ I know you're gorgeous, but they don't need to see us the whole time. It can be distracting, taking their attention away from the images or text. Use a face occasionally so they connect with you, and if you want to point to something, but otherwise use images or slides

13/ That's it: every finding about designing multimedia that's supported by a meta-analysis. There is other stuff that might work (e.g., using conversations or misconceptions) but starting with those 10 or so points will be the most reliable for your presentations

14/ This YouTube playlist I made a few years ago summarises most of the key ideas. Try to find how many of my own rules I've broken (hint: there may be some memes)
bit.ly/ScissorsPaperR…

@CurranDowd @PKarenMurphy @AERA_EdResearch @thealexlist