A conference is a great opportunity to establish the legitimacy of your research in the academic community. Often, it also provides an outlet for your work and networking with scholars working in similar areas.
Presenting at a conference involves giving a presentation to an audience. This typically includes slides and a Q&A session after the talk.
Know Your Topic
It’s important that you fully understand the topic that you are presenting about. If you don’t know your subject inside out, you will have a hard time keeping the audience interested and understanding what you are saying.
It is also a good idea to anticipate questions that your audience might ask. If you have extra slides with additional information about your methodology or with more data, it will be easier to answer any questions that come up.
Lastly, you will want to practice your presentation. This will help you to feel more comfortable and it will also give you a chance to see if you need to adjust any parts of your presentation to make it flow better.
It’s normal to be nervous when presenting, even if you feel confident in your knowledge of the subject matter. However, it is important not to let your nerves get in the way of delivering a quality presentation. Having the right attitude will help you deliver an engaging presentation that will be remembered by the conference participants. In addition, be sure to have a bottle of water with you, so that you can take a quick drink if you start to feel overwhelmed. This will keep you focused and on point throughout your presentation.
Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience is one of the most important things you can do to prepare for a conference presentation. Identify the main audience persona or key stakeholders that will be in attendance to ensure your message aligns with their interests and values. Consider how their background and experience may influence their perspectives on the topic, as well as any areas of potential disagreement.
Leverage audience champions to encourage open discussion and to help you refocus discussions if they begin to veer off-topic. Anticipate the questions they might ask and provide concise answers that address their concerns. Be sure to leave time for any Q&A session following your presentation.
Make eye contact with your audience to engage them and convey that you are speaking directly to them. Incorporate visual aids that reinforce your message. Use simple images, charts, and graphs to illustrate your points. Gestures can also be a powerful communication tool, but avoid idiosyncratic gestures that will distract from your presentation. Finally, rehearse with a timer to ensure you stick to your allotted time. A well-rehearsed presentation gives the impression that you are confident and in control. This in turn makes the audience more receptive and engaged. If you are nervous, try not to let it show on your face or body language.
Know Your Materials
Conference organizers often spend a lot of time finding and recruiting presenters for their events. The process involves sending out a call for submissions (which may be in conjunction with pre-conference registration materials, or even earlier), advertising in professional journals, blanketing schools and agencies, and other strategies.
Once the sessions are scheduled, it is a good idea to send out a printed conference brochure that includes schedules, lists of attendees and their institutions, names of keynote speakers, and any other information participants might need. Providing physical copies of these materials makes it easy for people to access the information on their phones or tablets, and can also make them easier to read than online versions.
If the conference features talks, a poster session is an excellent way for researchers to share their work with other participants. Posters offer a chance for participants to walk around, view the data and charts, and ask questions. A presentation of a poster can last for hours, and a speaker will usually stand next to it and answer any questions that arise.
Conference evaluations are a key part of the event, and they have a huge impact on whether someone will be invited to give future presentations. To help collect these, organizers will often provide a box for each session to hold the evaluation forms, handouts (if any), continuing education sign-up sheets, and anything else needed for that particular session. Sleek folders with the event branding can make these boxes stand out and add a little extra professionalism and convenience for the participants.