41. Context Before Detail: Dr Michael Wheeler on the hourglass method for structuring talks, papers, and career-building communication
Subscribe to the Amplifying Research podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocketcasts
Episode show notes
Wish more people knew about your team’s amazing research, but worried you don’t have natural charisma or the “gift of the gab”? Never fear! Sci comms expert Dr Michael Wheeler argues that powerful communication comes down to two fundamentals: the quality of your ideas and the order in which you present them. In this episode, Michael introduces the hourglass method — a simple framework for structuring any research communication, from conference talks to grant applications to casual conversations at the pub.
Michael is a research fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University, part of the University of Melbourne Science Communication Teaching Program, and co-host of the podcast Let's Talk SciComm with A/Prof Jen Martin.
In this episode, Michael walks through the hourglass method in practice, sharing examples from rocket scientists bursting through doors to heart disease statistics that make entire lecture theatres sit up and pay attention.
"Context before detail. If you jump straight into the detail, you're gonna lose people immediately. The way I like to think about a piece of communication is like an hourglass. You start off big picture, you provide some context, then you narrow down into the detail, and then you return to something big picture at the end as a way of having a strong finish." — Dr Michael Wheeler
Whether you're preparing for your next conference talk, writing a grant application, or simply want to explain your research more clearly to colleagues outside your field, this episode offers a practical framework and actionable advice you can start using immediately.
For research leaders, Michael's insights on building diverse communication skills can help you think about professional development for your team. And for early-career researchers uncertain about your career path, Michael’s "academic Christmas tree" philosophy offers a refreshing perspective on keeping your options open.
Our conversation covers:
Why communication is fundamental to every research achievement (not just dissemination)
The hourglass method: context before detail, then return to big picture
How to craft hooks that are both attention-grabbing AND accurate
Simplifying language while retaining nuance (making the audience feel smart, not making yourself sound smart)
Practical ways to practice: the pub test, voice memos, AI feedback tools
Why scripting talks word-for-word makes you sound stiff
Using visuals to make ideas more memorable
The "virtuous circle": how communication work clarifies your research thinking
Building your "academic Christmas tree" with diverse skills across your career
Practical tips:
Start with context, not detail:
Structure any communication using the hourglass method: start broad with context, narrow to specific details, then return to big picture for a strong finish.
"Context before detail. If you jump straight into the detail, you're gonna lose people immediately... You really need to try and put yourself in the shoes of the audience. What do I need to say first to prime the audience to care about what I've done? Because they're not automatically gonna care." — Dr Michael Wheeler
Use communication work to clarify your research thinking:
Working on how to explain your research can reveal gaps or weak points in your thinking.
"When I'm cooking dinner in the kitchen, just thinking about it, I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, it all makes sense. But when I actually sit down to try and refine the quality of my ideas and put them in order, all of a sudden I can see these big gaps that I haven't quite figured out yet." — Chris Pahlow
Don't script your talks word-for-word:
The words you choose when writing are different from the words you choose when speaking. If you script everything, you'll sound stiff and unnatural.
Instead, have the main pieces of information you want to cover, then speak to them naturally.
"How many times have you been down the pub and you say, 'Moreover, can I have another beer, please?' You know, if you write out a script, you're probably gonna include words like moreover... that sounds a little bit stiff."— Dr Michael Wheeler
Practice with the "pub test":
Use informal social situations to test your explanations—if someone asks "what do you do?" at a barbecue or pub, practice explaining your research in an engaging way.
They don't have to listen to you (there are other people they could talk to), so you need to make them care.
"You don't have to have an accepted talk at a conference to practice science communication. Do it with your friends, do it with your family. Speak up in a lab meeting, talk to your colleagues about science in the lunch room. All of that is good practice." — Dr Michael Wheeler
Make the audience feel smart, not yourself sound smart:
Don't simplify your ideas—simplify your language while retaining nuance.
Avoid including technical jargon just to signal that you know what you're talking about.
"It's not about simplifying the ideas. It's about simplifying the language, but retaining the same nuance in those ideas if you can. It's not about sounding smart, it's about making the audience feel smart." — Dr Michael Wheeler
Use AI tools strategically for feedback:
Record yourself giving a talk using voice memos, then use AI to transcribe and provide feedback on structure, pacing, or what to cut.
But don't outsource your thinking—ask yourself: "Is this going to deprive me of a learning opportunity or not?"
"If it's something where you are outsourcing your thinking, that's not a good thing. You'll get an immediate sense of whether you think it's good or not, but it's really important to ask yourself, okay, why was that good?" — Dr Michael Wheeler
Get comfortable watching/listening to yourself back:
The discomfort of hearing your own voice or watching yourself on video fades with practice.
You'll pick up on pacing, emphasis, and whether you're conveying what you intended.
If watching yourself feels too uncomfortable initially, start with AI feedback or asking a friend.
Write with topic sentences:
People skim read, even when they're required to read something.
Make the first sentence of each paragraph state what that paragraph is about.
"You've got a paragraph that focuses on one idea, and the very first sentence of that paragraph says what that idea is because people skim read." — Dr Michael Wheeler
Build your "academic Christmas tree":
Diversify your communication experiences across different formats and audiences.
Only approximately 1% of PhD graduates become professors—building varied communication skills keeps career options open.
Look for gaps: Have you written for The Conversation? Given public talks? Done co-design? Try activities you haven't done before.
"A nice Christmas tree has lots of different decorations on it, and they're kind of spread across the tree in a uniform way. And it looks really nice. An academic career can be like that too, where we don't have only one type of decoration on there... but we've actually got a varied kind of skills and experience." — Dr Michael Wheeler
Compare yourself to yourself, not others:
When learning new communication skills, don't measure your progress against other people.
Instead ask: Am I learning? Am I growing? Am I progressing?
"Don't compare yourself to other people. The best comparison to make is to compare yourself to yourself. Am I learning? Am I growing? Am I progressing?" — Dr Michael Wheeler
Credits:
Host & Producer: Chris Pahlow
Edited by: Laura Carolina Corrigan
Music by: La Boucle and Blue Steel, courtesy of Epidemic Sound
- Career development
- Collaborating with professional staff
- Communicating in different formats/mediums
- Community engagement
- Feedback
- Impact planning
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Knowledge mobilisation
- Listening
- Making your work relatable
- Mentorship
- Public engagement
- Stakeholder/audience mapping
- Storytelling
- Strategic comms
- Strategy
- Talks and presentations
- Team alignment
- Visual communication
- Your pitch
