a

9tips for presenting at an

academic conference

What will you learn from these slides?

Tips for presenting at an academic conference

What not to do when presenting at an academic conference

Common presentation mistakes you should avoid…

• Use font that won’t be legible to people at the back of the room

• Use visual aids that you aren’t comfortable or haven’t rehearsed with

• Be unstructured (ensure that your points flow sensibly)

• Go over the time allotted to you

• Look continuously at the microphone or at your reference notes

• Skip practice sessions

• End abruptly

• Panic if you don’t know the answer to a question from the audience

DON’T !

9 tips for presenting at a conference

Know your audience

Strictly follow time limits

Rehearse in front of a

friend

Check the room in advance

Start confidently

Maintain eye contact

Usetransitions

Encourage questions & discussions

Ensure a natural closing

Here’s what you should do….

1. Know your audience (1/2)

Understand the composition of your audienceand write your paper accordingly.

Example: Avoid basic content with experts, but provide more background for a relatively general audience or one that is multidisciplinary.

Conference papers should be different

from journal articles.

1. Know your audience (2/2)

You paper is meant to be HEARD, not READ.

Audiences typically have limited attention spans.

So what should you do

Remember

1. Know your audience (2/2)

RememberYou paper is meant to be HEARD, not READ.

Audiences typically have limited attention spans.

So what should you do

Keep your content simple & straightforward

1. Know your audience (2/2)

RememberYou paper is meant to be HEARD, not READ.

Audiences typically have limited attention spans.

So what should you do

Keep your content simple & straightforward

1. Know your audience (2/2)

RememberYou paper is meant to be HEARD, not READ.

Audiences typically have limited attention spans.

So what should you do

Keep your content simple & straightforward

1. Know your audience (2/2)

RememberYou paper is meant to be HEARD, not READ.

Audiences typically have limited attention spans.

So what should you do

Keep your content simple & straightforward

Provide a quick recap of points whenever

needed

1. Know your audience (2/2)

RememberYou paper is meant to be HEARD, not READ.

Audiences typically have limited attention spans.

So what should you do

Keep your content simple & straightforward

Provide a quick recap of points whenever

needed

1. Know your audience (2/2)

RememberYou paper is meant to be HEARD, not READ.

Audiences typically have limited attention spans.

So what should you do

Keep your content simple & straightforward

Provide a quick recap of points whenever

needed

2. Strictly follow the time limit (1/2)

It is unlikely that you will be the only speaker scheduled for the day. Your

presentation session at a conference is likely to last for around 20-30 minutes.

Always find out beforehand how much time has been allocated to you and then

prepare your material accordingly.

Did you know ?

What you should do

2. Strictly follow time limits (2/2)

• Always be prepared to improvise, in case of any last-minute changes in session timings.

• If you have been allotted 20 minutes, be ready with a short outline, just in case the speaker before you has gone over his/her time limit and you only get 10 minutes to present.

• Keep some extra material handy, in case you get 30 minutes instead of 20.

Be prepared for 2 types of last-minute changes:

3. Rehearse in front of a friend

Rehearse your content aloud a few times in front of a friend or in front of the mirror.

Record a video of your practice sessions to view later, in order to understand where you need to improve.

Practise along with any form of aids you intend to use, e.g., slides, video clips.

Mentally reading you paper never corresponds to the timeit actually takes to read it aloud in front of an audience.

Here’s what you should do:

Did you know?

Don’t rehearse too much just before the actual session, or your voice might sound dull and tired.

4. Check out the room in advance (1/2)

• Always visit the room you are to make your presentation in,before the actual session.

• This will give you a clear picture of the room’s location and size as well as its contents.

WHY?• To ensure that you aren’t rushing across an unfamiliar

campus, trying to find the room you have been assigned. • To be prepared in advance to move any furniture as per

your requirements.

4. Check out the room in advance (2/2)

• Ensure that there is water at the podiumIt is likely the organizers will have made provisions for water, but always carry your own bottle of water as insurance.

• Test the technology you intend to use in the assigned roomMake sure you are comfortable with using any form of technology in the room before the actual session. This could include your slides, the sound arrangements, a microphone, etc.

• Be prepared to improvise in case something goes wrong Avoid using the time allocated to you to make technical adjustments. This might create an air of anxiety within the room, could distract your audience, or even make you look inept.

Additional tips

5. Start confidently (1/2)

• Like most first impressions, how you begin your presentation matters a great deal.

• The first 10-20 seconds of your session will mark whether or not you are able to gain the audience’s confidence and attention.

*Image designed by Freepik.com

Did you know?

5. Start confidently (2/2)

Start off with a quick introduction about yourself. This will help establishyour credibility. Make sure you prepare for this in advance. Carefullyselect a few highlights and be ready with a brief self-introduction.

“Good morning everybody! My name is Tom Smith. I am a post graduate in medicine from

the University of Michigan, New York, and I have spent the past five years working at the

Department of Internal Medicine, JJ Hospital. Today, I am going to present a paper titled …..”

Here is an example:

*Image designed by Freepik.com

6. Maintain eye contact with the audience (1/2)

As you begin your presentation, smile, take a deep breath and be calm. This will help you relax and dissolve any awkwardness between you and the audience.

Audience engagement tips

Be aware of your posture. Always stand straight and hold your head up. This will not only help you make eye contact with the audience but also make you more audible.

Talk “to” your audience. Avoid continuously reading to the desk or constantly looking into your reference material and slides . Be clear, loud, and energetic when you address the audience.

*Image designed by Freepik.com

6. Maintain eye contact with the audience (2/2)

Audience engagement tips

Use timely pauses to your advantage. Use these to give your audience time to process and react to what you are saying, or to give yourself a break to catch your breath.

Sweep your gaze around the room from time to time. This will help to keep your audience’s attention and convey to them that you are confident about what you are saying.

Maintain a steady speech pace.Try not to be too fast. Be mindful of the possibility that some people in the audience may not have English as their native language.

*Image designed by Freepik.com

7 . Use transitions (1/2)

What are transitions?

While speaking, transitions are filler words that are used as you move

from one idea to another. These will ensure that your

presentation flows smoothly.

Some useful transitions

• Furthermore

• In addition

• Consequently

• Meanwhile

• Finally

7 . Use transitions (2/2)

In case you are using the same idea twice, you can begin your statement with “A similar idea is…” or “Another example is…,” etc.

When giving a point-by-point explanation, you shouldfirst mention the total number of points. For example: “There are reasons for this. The first reason is….; the second reason is; etc.”

When introducing a new section or idea, you could simply pause. Alternately, you could make a direct statement: “Let’s move to the next part of the presentation” “To move on to another idea…”

8. Encourage questions and discussions

If you don’t understand a question, you could askthe person to rephrase it. In cases where audience members are excited, unprepared or are rambling, help them reframe a question.

Don’t panic if you don’t know the answer to one or two questions. Instead, thank the person for raising the question, and say that you have not explored this angle, but will definitely think about it.

Give the audience cues by pointing out a weaknessof the paper. However, don’t worry if questions

aren’t raised even after you’ve asked a few times.

When questions are asked

If no questions are asked

9. Ensure that the closing is natural

When you feel that you have answered enough questions or when you think that you are out of time:

• Ask the audience if there are any more questions (if there are questions, answer them)

• Offer your contact information

• Convey to the audience that you are open to receiving questions from them over email

If there are no more questions, then thank your audience for attending the session and walk off the stage or podium.

What you should do towards the end of the session

After your conference presentation

• Once your presentation session has come to an end, do not leave the room immediately.

• Take the time to interact further with people who could still have questions.

• It is also likely that some people might have questions that occurred to them after you concluded the presentation or might want to talk to you one-on-one.

• Ensure that you have handouts and business cards ready for potentially interested individuals.

*Image designed by Freepik.com

• 8 Tips for presenting a paper at an academic conferencehttp://www.editage.com/insights/8-tips-for-presenting-a-paper-at-an-academic-conference

• PRESENTING A CONFERENCE PAPERhttp://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/organisations/canadian/general%20documents%20not%20password%20protected/presenting%20a%20conference%20paper.pdf

• Conference Rules: Everything You Need to Know about Presenting a Scholarly Paper in Publichttps://cirt.gcu.edu/research/developmentresources/research_ready/presentationready/conf_formats

• So you have been asked to speak at a conferencehttps://www.slideshare.net/benjaminball/so-you-have-been-asked-to-speak-at-a-conference

Sources

www.editage.com/insights

@EditageInsights

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