The Conference Presentation

Lynda GagneUniversity of Victoria

October 2004

Overview Preparing for your presentation Giving your presentation Chairing a session Discussing a paper Concluding comments

Preparing for your presentation Knowing your audience Knowing yourself Knowing your subject Selling your research question Selling your methodology Choosing the right media What to include in your presentation Practicing for your presentation

Knowing your audience Are the participants experts in your field

of study, are they peripherally related to the field, or can you expect some of both groups?

How much do you expect participants to know about your research methodology?

How much do you expect participants about the policy relevance of your research question?

Knowing yourself How often have you presented and

how much confidence do you have in presenting?

What are your weaknesses? How much preparation do you

need?

Knowing your subject What have other people done in

your field of study? Do you have a good handle on the

literature? What specifically did you do? What data did you use (if any) and

what’s the story behind this data?

Selling your research question Why is your research question

interesting? What policy relevance (if any) does

it have?

Selling your methodology What’s innovative about your

methodology or your research? Are you using a new method? Are you using a well-accepted method

with new data? What differentiates what you have

done from what all the other work that has been done in the area?

Choosing the right media Power Point slides have become a

standard in many conference presentations

However, in some disciplines, simple transparencies are still the norm

What to include in your presentation The chair should introduce you Start with a “front” page that includes

Title of your presentation Your name and affiliation [Date, name of conference, paper prepared

for…] [Your next page should include]

Acknowledgement to granters, assistants, etc. [Any required disclaimers]

What to include in your presentation Introduction

Tell the audience what issues you are addressing

Place your work in the context of the existing literature

Identify your specific research questions

What to include in your presentation Methods

Describe your data (if applicable) In an academic conference, describe

your methods in moderate but sufficient detail that listeners would be in a position to criticize your methods (if needed)

In a policy conference, use heuristic devices to convey complex methodology

What to include in your presentation Findings

Summarize the key aspects of your findings

Use graphs and charts whenever possible or applicable

Graphs and charts should be adequately labeled – you may want to test them on others before your conference

What to include in your presentation Discussion/conclusion

Discuss the (policy) implications of your findings

Point out the limitations of your research

[Make suggestions for further studies]

Practicing for your presentation Practice giving your presentation

to insure that it is the right length – adjust accordingly

Practice voice control Learn your materials to remember

the order in which they are

Giving your presentation The presentation Question period

The presentation Engage your audience

Make eye contact Use voice projection Show confidence – the people who took

the time to come to your presentation are interested in your work

Smile and try to build rapport with light humour (if you’re comfortable with that)

The presentation The chair will usually defer questions

to the end of the presentation If someone interrupts, be friendly and

do answer clarification questions Postpone responding to substantive

question until the question period

Question period Thank the people who ask

questions (oh yes, very good point, I’ll check into it; oh yes, I did address this, but …)

Disarm the obnoxious (active listening, as above)

Avoid protracted debates Take notes

Chairing a Session Chairing a session is often

expected of presenters Carefully review the terms of your

engagement Contact participants shortly after

you receive your assignment to agree on process (or to inform them of the process)

Chairing a Session Decide on order (presentations,

discussants, question periods) Begin the session by describing

the process (unless the process is standard)

Introduce each section/speaker You are the time and order keeper

Discussing a paper Often required of conference presenters, or

others – usually allotted around five minutes

Junior people should accept these assignments, although they are time-consuming, because of the exposure

You will need to become sufficiently familiar with the related literature and the paper (ideally you should discuss a paper in your area of research)

Discussing a paper You enjoyed reading the paper, or

you found the paper interesting Brief summary / key points Paper’s contribution to the existing

body of knowledge Ideas for extensions or revisions

(constructive criticism)

Concluding comments Attending a conference is an ideal way

for academics and students to make useful connections and to communicate their research findings

Students will get the opportunity to suitably impress potential employers with their work and presentation skills

Don’t forget to bring your business cards!