Graduate Research School
Workshops for
Graduate Research Students
Successful Conference Presentations
2.00-4.00pm, Friday 7th September 2007
Guild Seminar Room 2
Presenter:
Karen Hall
[email protected]
Graduate Education Officer
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Objectives
o to identify the characteristics of successful conference
presentations
o how to effectively convey message to audience
o to look at planning and preparation as tools to enhance
delivery
o integrating audio-visual tools
o to consider elements of performance, and how to get
feedback, practice and improve
Timeline
2.00-2.20 Introduction
2.20-2.40 Planning
2.40-3.00 Preparation
3.00-3.15 Presentation Tools
3.15-3.45 Presentation Skills
3.45-4.00 Closing and Evaluation
Introduction: Characteristics of a Successful
Conference Presentation
What is the purpose of a conference presentation?
In your experience, what makes a good conference presentation?
Elements of a good presentation:
Structure
Self-presentation
Interaction
Content
Principles
Know the difference between talks that are about something
and talks that do something
Simple and clear communication is not the same as dumbing
down
Presentation elements should support what you are doing
Planning
A presentation that does something:
I am going to talk about
So my audience can
Knowing your audience:
What disciplines?
What place/time/subject are they familiar with?
What institutions do they come from?
How junior or senior/what mix of junior and senior academics?
Other presenters?
Conference theme?
Session theme?
What does your abstract suggest?
Who is your chair?
How familiar will the audience be with your work?
Identifying and prioritising topics:
Brainstorm or mindmap your topic
What elements are
Crucial
Supporting
Relevant
Irrelevant
Preparation
Pros
Notes
Script
Structure
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
Cons
What devices can you use to keep the audiences attention and
make your presentation memorable?
Presentation Tools
Pros
Whiteboard/Blackboard
Overhead/Visualiser
Handout
PowerPoint
Other?
Cons
Some simple rules for visual aids:
Keep it relevant
Use clear fonts and appropriate font size
Consider accessibility when using colour
Use colour consistently
Make figures, tables or graphs clear and easy to understand
Check the lighting in the room
Minimise text (except when displaying quotes)
Practice using the equipment in advance
Have backup options
Presentation Skills
Body language
- Stance
Good posture with weight evenly balanced (wear shoes
you find comfortable)
- Eye contact
Make eye contact with your audience, looking around
the room
- Gestures
Should suit the size of the room. Use to emphasis
information rather than fiddling. Use a variety of
gestures over a range of space.
- Smile! And appear confident.
- Keep control of your notes (they shouldnt block you off
from the audience)
Voice
- Pace
Shouldnt be too fast (or too slow). Practice in advance
and time yourself.
- Pitch
Vary your pitch. Use vocal colour to convey your story.
- Power
Volume should be appropriate to the venue. Take
microphones into account. Project to the back of the
room but dont shout.
- Pause
Use pauses the emphasise information, to indicate
structure and to allow the audience to consider your
ideas. Breathe.
Practicing and Feedback
Practice with a real audience (friends, family, pets) Dont use a
mirror as it is impossible to focus on being a speaker and an
audience member simultaneously.
Ask for feedback on specific areas. Get feedback on what went
well as well as what you can improve on!
What things did the speaker do well?
What could they work on for next time?
What did you like about their presentation?
What skills do they already have?
What skills require some attention?
What did you find distracting?
