Andy Churchill,  phd, mba

Hone Communications

I work with individuals and organizations to help researchers present better. I start with helping them find their story and then coach them to deliver it in the most effective way.  Since Covid, my work has focused around helping people navigate the shifts to presenting online: 
👉 your voice (tone, pace, volume, pausing) remains your most important tool, and embracing the attitudes and feeling you want to convey is your most critical skill.
👉 stories still rule: tech interaction tricks are useful, but don't get sucked too far down that rabbit hole because stories are still the most effective driver of deep engagement, learning and memory.
👉 understand the impact of body language: while it has become less impactful on the audience, it still influences your own confidence and energy.
👉 the movement of visuals in person competes with your ability to engage your audience, but online, that same movement helps capture and retain attention: adjust accordingly.

A short selection of past companies & organizations with whom I've worked:
MY01
Engineva
McGill DeSautels School of Business
Research Institute of McGill University Health Care
Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress
MUHC Foundation
Bio-Sync
Integrated Program in Neuroscience

Co-Founder

Sounds of Science live

Co-Host

McGill University - Teaching and Learning Services

PROGRAMS INCLUDE:
3MT Training Developer & Director (100+ student competition)
Pitch Coach: McGill Hakim Family Prize (2x$50,000 winning grants)
Training Director, Lister Family Engaged Science Initiative (500 students/year)
Pitch Coach: Surgical Innovation Program (2-3 successful start-ups emerge each year)
Presentation Coach: TISED Changemakers (annual conference keynote speakers)
Pitch Coach: MI4 / McGill Advancement Collaboration (prepare professors for donor meetings)
Video Training (prepare professors for the recording studio)

Presentation Skills Training Manager

The McGill Writing Centre

COURSES INCLUDE: Fundamentals of Academic Presentations, Communication in Engineering, Cornerstones of Academic Writing, Communication in Management
👉These undergraduate, graduate and professional level courses all share communicating more effectively as their common thread.  Spanning from traditional academic writing (e.g., research papers and dissertations) to professional writing (e.g., cover letters & project proposals) to start-up needs (pitches & business plans) this work bridges the academic and professional spheres in ways that have come to define my career.

For this work, I have received the prestigious McGill Distinguished Teaching Award.

Sessional Instructor

Engineva

I work with clients to write the technical documentation needed for Science Research and Experimental Design (SR&ED) funding from federal and provincial governments. This work involves transforming technical texts to accessible, engaging narrative.

Technical Advisor

turn your audience into your champions: ignite curiosity 🔥 scaffold understanding ✔ maximize impact 🚀. The PresentBetter Program for lab research groups & academic institutes -now over 7,000 researchers served.

Every piece of research, when effectively communicated, can spark change. 

In academia. In careers. In society.

But too often, important findings remain hidden, their potential unrealized. 
The importance/impact of research gets:
●	Buried under layers of complexity
●	Communicated without connecting
●	Overwhelmed by scientific terms and processes

This is why I created PresentBetter: 
To transform how your researchers share their ideas with the world. 
Together we distill years of complex study into clear, compelling narratives that resonate with and inspire audiences.
By amplifying researcher’s voices, we elevate the ability to communicate research in ways that:
●	Moves people
●	Propels careers forward
●	Bridges the gap between academia and society

Through PresentBetter.org, I offer tailored solutions to meet diverse needs:
1.	Individual Coaching: One-on-one sessions crafted for your specific presentation challenges.
2.	Lab and Department Workshops: Small group training to elevate your entire team's communication skills.
3.	Institutional Programs: Comprehensive, scalable solutions for universities and research institutions.
4.	Conference and Event Preparation: Targeted coaching for high-stakes presentations that can define careers.
5.	Online Courses: Self-paced learning for researchers seeking flexibility.

We aim to create a future where every researcher's voice resonates with clarity and impact.



PS Wondering if too good to be true? Here's a link to the talk I coached that was voted the best 3 minute research presentation in North America last year. Scroll through the flipbook for the talk, key lessons, minute by minute breakdown, and a description of the program that I used to train the speaker: https://www.presentbetter.org/post/international-award-winning-talk

Andy Churchill, phd, mba

"You know you weren't sharing any slides?"
"No, I thought you could see them"
 An hour later the judges returned with their verdict.
The professor had won the McGill Clinical Innovation Pitch Competition.

Simple lesson: The presentation is better when it's not about your slides.

Don't get me wrong, I like slides, I work hard helping people improve their slides. I even have a slick "7 rules for better slides."

But before I do that I teach people to change their relationship with their slides. That's the root of most visuals problems, and fixing the root of problems is the way to help people actually improve.

And when you're no longer slide dependent, you make better slides and you give better presentations.


My newsletter this week shares 3 tips to fix the relationship problem most researchers have with your slides. If you're not signed up, join over 1,000 of your research colleagues here: https://lnkd.in/eb9kYBmx 

PS: you might have noticed: there's no visual here. Sometimes we're just better off without it.

Andrew Churchill, PhD

Amplifying the voice of researchers | Founder of PresentBetter | 10+ years & 10,000+ researchers trained | Currently booking with universities for winter/spring ’26

In my work with PhDs and postdocs, here's 1 thing I've noticed you often miss about your next presentation. 

It's not really like what you've mostly seen and often done before: in-class oral tests and classroom lectures. 

Neither of those are good models for the ones you now have to do:
 1. conference presentation
 2. dissertation defense
 3. job talk
 4. presentation beyond academia
And each of these is uniquely different from each other.  

That's the reason my digital course will start with the choice of 4 videos from the list above, each a deep dive into that particular genre.

Curious: if you could ask a question about just one, what would it be?  



video here is a cell phone recording of the intro to the 4 videos mentioned above.  Thought would be fun to share this behind the scenes look at the McGill University Telestudio when I've been recording the program.

Last time I was here it was a for a McGill project 
This time it's for you, well those of you who are PhDs or postdocs wanting to learn to present better.  

Tomorrow is the first day of filming.  
I can't wait.  

PS If you want updates, check in the comments. I'm starting a sign-up for people who want to be in the know for early releases.

Season 3 of my newsletter brings you stories of putting the research behind presenting better into practice.

Tomorrow's talks about my work with Dr. Jen Ronholm and her graduate students in the One Health Against Pathogens (OHAP) program supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). I explain how Jen and I integrated presentation training into lessons and assignments the students were already doing rather than as external workshops.

How'd we do it?
What was the result?
I’ll let you read for yourself tomorrow. 

Newsletter sign-up next to profile pic.

University of Waterloo

Waterloo recognizes exceptional achievement and pre-eminence in a particular field of knowledge through the designation 'University Research Chair'.

University Research Chair

My work is in UX and Games.

I solve problems within 

- communication technologies
- design
- psychology
- human-computer interaction
- human health
- wellbeing

I have a background working with biotechnology (namely, physiological sensors), where I evaluated physiological signals elicited by humans when playing games.

I train graduate students, mentor UX researchers, and create innovative technologies with startup companies and universities.

Professor

HCI Games Group

The HCI Games Group is a research group located within the Games Institute and the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business.

Our graduate students conduct research in:

- gamification
- games user research
- biofeedback and phsyiological game evaluation
- exergames
- storytelling in games
- virtual reality
- realism
- audio in games

We are not open for unsolicited applications. Please reach out to me directly before applying to work with us.

Director

MotiviUX

At MotiviUX, we use gamification to create enjoyable personalized user experiences.

We consult with you to help you create positive behavioural changes with your technology and build habit-forming, self-improvement products, systems, or services.

We help you create engaging customer and employee relationships, or meaningful learning.

Gamification and User Experience Strategist, CEO

Ontario Tech University

My research here combined the areas of entertainment computing, interaction design, affective gaming, and user experience evaluation.

Assistant Professor

University of Saskatchewan

The Human-Computer Interaction Lab is a research facility in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan, where I did research on affective computing, evaluation of virtual worlds, games for fitness, emotions, and user experience in games.

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Affective Computing

Blekinge Institute of Technology

Experimental research into forms of future entertainment, involving new interaction technologies and biofeedback mechanisms. Statistical analysis of psychophysiological player data.

PhD Candidate

FUGA - The fun of gaming: Measuring the human experience of media enjoyment

My main responsibilities in FUGA included game stimulus development and conducting empirical studies of game experience using psychophysiological equipment.

Researcher

Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg

Research into new forms of software engineering, project management, serious games and innovative game design.

Doctoral Student

Self-employed

Designed, implemented and administered several database-driven websites, wikis and linux servers.

Freelance Programmer

impara GmbH

Freelance Game Designer

I share effective strategies for better research + writing (often with AI). 34k+ citations of my research. University Research Chair & Tenured Full Professor.

I am a tenured University Research Chair and Full Professor with 20+ years of research and teaching experience in user experience (UX) design and research focused on gamification, human-computer interaction, and generative artificial intelligence (AI). My Ph.D. research was on the scientific measurement of UX in interactive entertainment. I direct a research group and a graduate degree program at the University of Waterloo, Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business. I'm also a solopreneur and online creator, helping early-career researchers to unlock their full potential.

I have written 300+ research papers (and counting), edited the major games user research book and several high-impact conference proceedings, started a top-tier academic conference series that is now a journal (CHI PLAY), and started companies for UX research and online training. My research programmes have been funded with millions of dollars over the past decade through joint funding from major companies and the Canadian government.

Many of my papers have won best paper awards and have hundreds of citations. In addition, I run  newsletters, a podcast, write daily on social media, and am fascinated by scientific copywriting.

Besides my academic work, my mission is to make the world a better place by creating more enjoyable experiences with technology and translating academic insights into actionable strategies for everyone.

If you want to know more about my academic writing strategy and how I created this research output over my career, you can take my self-guided online courses at:

→ https://go.lennartnacke.com/chicourse

Email me at linkedin@lennartnacke.com or find me on the following social networks:

• YouTube: @lennartnacke
• BlueSky: @lennartnacke.com
• X: @acagamic
• Instagram: acagamic
• TikTok: @acagamic
• Twitch.tv: acagamic

I also have a newsletter that helps you write better academic papers: https://go.lennartnacke.com/newsletter

Lennart Nacke

Academic publishing is a brutal game.

I keep watching six errors kill smart work.

And it’s even tougher when you keep hitting bumps like these.

Here are the 6 most common reasons your paper gets rejected:

1. You didn't show why your contribution has any clout.
↳ If readers don't see why your research matters, they won't care.

2. Your proposed solution doesn’t address the problem you identified.
↳ Problem-solution mismatch is a deal-breaker.

3. Your analysis lacks a link between problem, solution, and results.
↳ Clear connections make your argument bulletproof.

4. You've overstated your research's contribution.
↳ Overpromise, underdeliver, get rejected.

5. Poor structure hides your work's value.
↳ Poor writing buries ideas.

6. Your paper was rejected early due to a weak first impression.
↳ You’ve got seconds to hook your reader—don’t waste them.

I face off against this regularly.

And many researchers get discouraged quickly.

This is why you need to keep this in mind:

1. Most papers don’t bite the dust because the research isn’t any good.
2. They fail because the writing doesn’t do the research justice.
3. I hope YOU won’t make these mistakes.

Take it from me:

1. Focus on clarity in every section.
2. Ensure your analysis ties everything together.
3. Make your contribution crystal clear from the start.

Keep improving. Don’t call it quits → I’ll keep putting it in your mind.

Academic pep talk, done.

Good research doesn’t fail.
Unclear writing does.

--
The quickest way to defend your PhD or launch your research career? Master academic writing and research strategy. This is how I published 300+ papers, secured millions in funding, and supervised dozens of PhDs to completion. Every week, I share frameworks on how to become a smarter researcher. Join 12,814+ other subscribers here: https://lnkd.in/e4HfhmrH

#research #writing #phd

Making AI + UX research fun and accessible | 12,696+ researchers learning to 10x productivity | Research Chair & HCI Prof @ UWaterloo with 250+ published studies

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