The art of giving conference presentations

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The art of giving conference presentations

• Dr. Julie Fitness
• C3A 410
• Ph. 9850-8015
• Email jfitness_at_psy.mq.edu.au

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What is a conference?

• A meeting for consultation or discussion
• To confer
• To consult together
• To compare opinions
• To carry on a discussion
• (Macquarie Dictionary)

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Why attend conferences?

• A forum for communication and discussion of
  latest theories and empirical research in a field
• Provides opportunities for social networking..
• which in turn can lead to job offers, book
  contracts, holidays overseas, and lifelong
  friendships with colleagues

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Conferences are fun!

• Conferences tend to be
• stimulating
• exhausting
• collegial you feel part of a community of
  scholars
• a boost to the ego
• worth the time and expense

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But.. do I have to present?

• The price you pay for having so much fun! - but
  also one of the most rewarding aspects of
  academic life
• Its worth putting in maximum effort and energy
  to make the most of a presentation opportunity
• A good presentation will help forge your national
  and international reputation (and the reputation
  of your supervisor and University!)

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Presentation styles (1)

• The super-anxious presenter
• Cannot get symptoms of anxiety under control
• Dry mouth, small voice, sweaty palms
• Pre-presentation jitters vomiting, diarrhoea
• Tends to get lost, speak too fast, drop notes,
  blush, faint

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Presentation styles (2)

• The over-confident presenter
• tends to be under-prepared
• treats audience with contempt
• believes he/she can wing it
• is frequently off-topic
• may cave in half-way through

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Presentation styles (3)

• The oblivious presenter
• Unmindful of the audience
• Invisible slides
• Complex figures and tables
• Determination to finish
• Disregards timing

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Presentation styles (4)

• The bewildered presenter
• Where am I? What am I doing here?
• What am I talking about?
• Did I say that?
• What slide? Where? When?

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Presentation styles (5)

• The techno presenter
• Prefers style to substance
• Expends huge effort on special effects
• Slides are cute, animated, musical, distracting..
• Hopes to disguise lack of content or
  understanding of material

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The good presenter..

• Has just enough anxiety to get the blood pumping
• Has the confidence that comes from preparation,
  planning and practice
• Cares about the audience and wants very much to
  communicate effectively
• Is on top of their material and can handle
  questions

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Preparing your presentation

• Gather your material together
• Structure your presentation to tell a story
• A story has a beginning, a middle, and an end
  so should your presentation
• Practice on your own and with your peers TIME
  your talk

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Presentation structure

• Break your talk into four bits or key ideas
• For a 20 minute presentation, devote 5 minutes to
  each bit, e.g., Introduction, Method, Results,
  Discussion
• Introductions are CRUCIAL keep them short and
  sharp their job is to set up your study, not
  review all the literature in the field

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Power point tips

• One idea or major point per slide
• Dont clutter slides
• Slides are a visual aid, theyre not the script
  of your whole talk
• Check beforehand can the audience read whats
  on the slide?
• Have back-up for your slides

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On the day..

• Dont eat or drink too much before your talk
• Check out the room beforehand and make sure your
  talk is downloaded
• Make sure you can operate the equipment
• Dont panic at anxiety symptoms
• Remember that you are a competent person with an
  interesting message to communicate

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Giving your talk

• Glass of water ready
• Remember to breathe
• Try to talk rather than read
• Make eye contact with your audience
• Vary pitch, speak loudly and clearly
• Never go over time
• Leave a few minutes for questions

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Questions from audience

• Questions are a great opportunity to show how
  much more you know about the topic
• If you dont hear or understand a question, ask
  for it be repeated or rephrased
• Dont be offended by criticism
• Dont panic if someone seems to have spotted a
  fatal flaw in your paper!
• If you dont know the answer, admit it

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After the presentation

• Relax youve done it!
• Be willing to stay around and talk
• Seek honest feedback from friends in the audience
• Start planning for the next conference..

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Poster presentations

• Increasingly common
• Opportunity for small group interaction
• Dont have to worry about stage fright
• But can be expensive to produce (very
  competitive!)
• Can be awkward to carry around (may even be
  confiscated!)

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In conclusion (1)

• Presenting your work at conferences is
  challenging, fun, and worthwhile
• Go to as many talks as you can listen and
  observe..
• whose talks did you enjoy and learn from?
• whose talks were torture?
• why?

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In conclusion (2)

• Remember, you WILL get better with practice.
• Each talk is a learning opportunity
• Enjoy yourself!
• Your confidence will spill over into other areas
  of your life