You will give this explanation forty times in one day, to people with wildly different backgrounds. Build it in layers.
The 20-second version. Question, what you did, what you found. For someone walking past.
The 2-minute version. Adds the method, one figure, and one limitation. This is the default.
The 10-minute version. Full depth for the judge who is an expert in your field.
Drill it in this order:
- Record the 2-minute version and watch it back. It is unpleasant and it is the fastest fix for filler words and pacing.
- Deliver it to someone who knows nothing about your field. Where they look confused, you have used jargon.
- Deliver it to someone who knows more than you. They will ask the hard question early; that is the point.
- Have someone interrupt you at 30 seconds with a question, then recover and finish. This happens constantly.
- Practise standing at the board, gesturing at real figures. Sitting rehearsal does not transfer.
Learn the structure rather than a script. Memorised text collapses the moment someone interrupts; a structure survives.