- First presenter presents their paper
- Second presenter presents their paper
- Third presenter presents their paper
- Discussant(s) presents their comments
- Audience Discussion
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] .
You received an email with contact information for all the people taking part in your session (other presenters, chair and discussant(s)). Please reach out to your chair and let them know the status of your paper and when you plan on uploading it for the discussant. If your paper is not ready to be posted publicly, you can share it with the discussant privately but you must share it with them by the submission deadline to give them adequate time to prepare comments.
The following format is suggested as it has been found to work well within the 12-15 minute time frame you are allotted for your presentation.
Organization.
Begin with a one-minute overview summary of the paper that includes the central question addressed and the major conclusions. To the extent possible, these conclusions should include policy implications.
Follow with the reasons listeners ought to accept the paper's conclusions: the underlying theory, description of the evidence, methodological defense of the evidence, and connection to (and improvement upon) the existing literature. This manner of exposition differs from that of a journal article but it is more appropriate to a conference format. Speaking is a more effective way to get an explanation across than reading.
It is highly encouraged to utilize PowerPoint to prepare and display presentations. APPAM will provide LCD projectors and screens in all meeting rooms for use during conference sessions. Presenters will need to provide their own computers. The Program Committee urges all conference participants to ensure that use of this technology does not interrupt or delay a session. With a strict 90 minutes for panel sessions, even a minor delay can greatly hamper the success of a panel. Remember that there will be less than 15 minutes available for setting up computer equipment prior to the start of most sessions. All presenters on a session may wish to put their presentations on a single computer or flash drive to simplify matters during the panel.
Try to economize on the number of slides in a presentation. Slides should be readable from at least 30 feet (some of the presentation rooms are quite large, some are small), and should be displayed long enough for viewers actually to comprehend the message they are supposed to convey. A good rule of thumb is one substantive slide (a key exhibit, not an outline page) for every two minutes of presentation (or no more than 6 or 7 total slides per presentation). Slides should serve as an aid but should not be read from directly.
All presenters are invited to have their published book exhibited at the conference. To take advantage of this offer, please provide the title, author and publisher information on this form . The form can be emailed directly to Association Book Exhibit who will contact the publisher directly. Every effort will be made to display titles but this is ultimately the deicison of the publisher. Authors are also able to personally provide copies of the books for display.
For more information on this display, please contact Association Book Exhibit at [email protected]
The chair can be critical to the success of a session. The principal challenge for a chair is to enforce time allotments. A presenter that runs over his or her allotted time is using time that belongs to another presenter or to the audience. APPAM asks chairs to do the following:
Discussants play a critical role in determining the quality of audience participation in the session. Discussants should be aware of the above time limits. Please allow yourself at least two weeks to read the papers for the sessions and formulate comments tying the papers together before the conference. If the presenter(s) have not uploaded their paper(s) or sent them to you privately by the paper submission deadline, please let the APPAM office know at [email protected] .
The bulk of the time in the session should be spent encouraging audience participation. Discussants should also keep the following in mind:
What should you include in your presenter guidelines.
Picture this: hundreds of experts from different industries are coming to present at your conference. However, as the first speaker takes the stage, glitchy slides and muffled audio rear their heads.
Avoid the risks. Set the right expectations from the start.
You need to inform your presenters of the event’s objectives while keeping them updated about the audiovisual requirements, slide formatting guidelines, or presentation instructions.
Plus, don’t forget about setting guidelines for audience engagement and interaction—whether it’s encouraging Q&A sessions, incorporating polls and surveys, or fostering networking opportunities.
In this article, we’ll share all the details you should include in your presenter guidelines to help your presenters prepare for the big day and refine their delivery.
Presenters need a clear understanding of the conference format, schedule, and logistics . Keeping that in mind, cover the following details in your presenter guidelines:
The experts you invite to present at your conferences are the main highlight of the event—the audience comes to see them in action and listen to their valuable insights. Make sure you’re introducing them in an impactful manner, highlighting their relevant experience, accomplishments, and areas of expertise.
For that, you need to request their details, such as the following:
The best headshots and bios showcase both the presenter’s personality and expertise . It’s fine for them to offer a friendly photo, as well as mention some particular interests in their bios. For example, you’ll often find tech conference speakers talking about their love of travel or specialty coffee.
While this isn’t directly related to your conference, it does help attendees find common ground and break the ice with speakers during networking opportunities.
To ensure a smooth conference and avoid discrepancies related to presentation material, it’s best to request your presenters to submit their content in advance .
That gives you the chance to run a quality control check on their files and make sure they match the conference standards.
Specify due dates for uploading the files, so you and the organizers can ask them to make any changes ahead of time.
If you want to attract top-notch presenters for your next conference, offering them benefits and perks makes all the difference! It shows your commitment to providing an enriching experience for them beyond their presentation.
Plus, these gestures make them feel valued and contribute to their overall comfort and satisfaction during the entire event.
Provide details about other complimentary perks such as access to special events, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.
Provide clear information about the equipment and technical setup planned for the conference. This allows them to come prepared with any additional materials or devices they may need for their presentation.
Provide a comprehensive list of available AV tech equipment such as projectors, screens, microphones, and speakers. If you offer speaker-ready rooms, note it in the guidelines. Similarly, you can mention the tools like Preseria which you might be using for presentation management and content gathering.
Expert Tip: “Inform speakers through a preliminary email or the event website that detailed upload instructions and a unique link will be sent. Highlight if the presentation gathering tool’s email address differs from your default speaker communication email to avoid confusion.”
Often, it feels like presenters come up with updates to their slides before they even send in the files. To avoid any last-minute hassles related to presentation updates, and to ensure there’s enough time for your tech team to do quality assurance, provide strict deadlines and request them to submit any updates before that deadline.
However, there’s always a chance of last-minute rushes. That doesn’t mean you have to add unnecessary pressure to your plate, though. Use Preseria’s presentation management software to easily update content, sync any last-minute changes, and ensure the event goes off without a hitch.
Audiences love interactive sessions where they get to participate in polls, share their insights, and connect with the speaker. However, engaging the audience while delivering a presentation is not everyone’s cup of tea—especially when the presenter has never done it before.
If you expect your presenter to encourage audience engagement during their presentation, you need to be explicit about it and state it in your guidelines:
Encourage them to allocate sufficient time after their presentation for Q&A.
Presentation guidelines are crucial in setting the right expectations for your presenters. More importantly, they help you gather all their presentation files well in advance, and ensure they match all quality checks.
With a presentation management tool like Preseria , you can make this process a breeze—all you need to do is import the event’s presentation schedule and bulk send a personalized invitation to all your presenters to upload their files. You can even set individual deadlines for them to upload their content and schedule automatic reminder emails to give laggers a little push before the due date.
Once everything’s up and running you can sit back and watch back as presentations start trickling in. Preseria will automatically scan uploads for common file errors , such as missing non-embedded videos. When production time comes around and you’re on-site at the live event, Preseria will let you seamlessly switch between presentations of different file types .
Presentation management can be a breeze. Book your demo with Preseria today!
Presenting at a conference is a core part of scientific communication for any researcher or academic. Finding the right conference with the right audience and successfully communicating your latest findings is a great way to enhance your career prospects and, in turn, learn about the newest developments in your research field.
Before we jump in, an important note on fake conferences. There has been a growth in the number of predatory conferences in recent years, so before you register to attend and present your work at any conference, familiarise yourself with ways to tell a predatory conference from a legitimate one .
Developing a conference presentation is no different to developing any other presentation – you need to be well prepared, consistent throughout and ensure you’re able to resonate with your audience.
One of the biggest challenges in giving a good presentation is managing your nerves. Even the most experienced and respected speakers and performers get a bundle of nerves before they start, so you’re in good company. The good news is that the techniques of an effective presenter can be practised. So how can this be accomplished? Here are 11 tips that will help you give an effective conference presentation.
The first thing you need to know about creating an effective conference presentation is not to dive head first into your slides.
It’s hard to beat the feeling of getting an email letting you know that the proposal you worked tirelessly on for a conference has been accepted. Finding out that your work has been well received by a committee can mean a huge amount, especially when you’re driven by your passion for it, like the majority of researchers out there.
So it’s super easy to just start adding slide after slide to your presentation. When I first presented at a conference, we ended up with 40 slides for a 15-minute presentation. And I was lucky enough to be working with some more experienced researchers that reeled in my confusing and inconsistent slides.
Once we started again and made a clear outline first. I simply sketched it out, slide by slide and got back into a flow, but this time it was in a much more controlled manner. Take your time and make a strong outline to keep you on track. Use this checklist to keep you on the right road.
Ensuring your timing is right is so important when presenting at a conference. If you have ten minutes to present, prepare ten minutes of material . No more. If you don’t practice your timing, you may not get a chance to highlight your findings and recommendations – the most important part.
In my experience conference organisers are usually quite clear about how much time you have allocated. The best presenters know exactly how much time they have to work with, then they tailor their presentation to fit the time and keep an eye on the time throughout.
And if you are running out of time, stop. Jump past a couple of slides if you need to make one last point.
Images are key elements to any presentation. Whether it’s a pie chart to show percentages, or a strong image to convey a point, visuals can be much more effective than words. They help reinforce or complement the ideas or points you’re trying to get across. Your audience may be able to understand your message a little easier when it’s presented with visuals that relate to it.
But remember to keep your visuals clean and simple. Some of the worst conference presentations I’ve seen are ones with complex imagery that forces the audience to try and figure out how the image and the speaker’s point are related.
Don’t be afraid of using some text and bullet points if you need to make a point that isn’t easy to communicate visually, or if you’re discussing steps or sequences.
But use them to communicate your point to the audience, not as a prompt for what you want to say. That’s what your speaker notes are for. You want your audience to listen to you instead of reading from your slides, so less is more in terms of the text on the slides.
Inconsistency in slides is a subtle thing but can take away from a presentation very easily. While slides with different colours may look nice, they may be distracting to your audience. Use a consistent template with the same fonts to make it easier for your audience to follow along. And remember, your audience will view your conference presentation from a distance, so use large clear fonts and as few words as possible in your slides.
One of the most common mistakes I have seen being made by conference presenters is presenting a roomful of people with information they already have . A great way to make this mistake is spending the majority of your presentation going over the existing literature and giving background information on your work.
Just like when you’re in the audience at a conference, researchers are there to learn about your new and exciting research, not to hear a summary of old work. The worst speakers assume that the audience doesn’t know anything and need educating.
Before you begin speaking to a group, find out what they already know and where they are up to with your topic. It’s not easy to get details on all delegates but you will know the plenary sessions and whoever you have networked with before this. Most conferences use mobile apps now, and these are a great way to get an insight to exactly who is attending the conference and what their speciality topics are from the programme.
This can give you a good idea of how much background you need to give so that your key presentation points will make sense. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re giving a 15-minute presentation, by the 6th minute you should be discussing your data or case study.
I shouldn’t even need to include this on the list, but so many people fail to do enough of this. Rehearsing is crucial to making you feel comfortable with every word you are going to say. Rehearse your paper aloud in private and in front of a friend. This can feel a bit embarrassing, but reading it through in your head never corresponds to the time it takes to read it aloud in public. The more times you say the words aloud, the more you will be familiar with it. And if you are familiar with what you’re saying, your confidence in your conference presentation will increase.
When I’m practising for a conference presenting slot, I rehearse out loud in my bedroom. It feels strange but it works. If you’re feeling self-conscious about this (or don’t want your housemates to overhear) you could play some music at the same time.
Another strategy that works well is recording yourself . This lets you see where you’re doing well and where you need to improve. And if being recorded makes you feel under pressure, this helps mimic the actual feelings you’ll have while presenting in front of a real live audience. So you’ll get a good idea for how you will perform on the day.
After I’ve recorded myself, I usually ask a friend or colleague to listen and be critical of my efforts. Getting grilled beforehand really helps ease any presenting nerves or anxiety you will get if you’re unlucky enough to get grilled after your presentation.
Preparation for anything is key, especially for conference presentations. You’ve prepared enough to find the right conference , and to submit a proposal worthy of acceptance, now you need to prepare to present it.
Know your slides inside out. You should use them as a guide for your presentation, not an autocue.
Think about your clothing. Wear something that makes you feel comfortable when facing your audience. If you’re not sure what clothes are appropriate, check the dress code with the organisers or with colleagues.
Conference session rooms can get stuffy, so if you’re someone who sweats when they’re nervous, choose clothing that won’t show it. And don’t wear something that’s awkward and restrictive, even if you think it will project a confident image. If you’re not comfortable, you won’t look or feel confident.
Try to get a good night’s sleep before your presentation; everything looks better and more manageable when you’re well rested.
A good way to think about your presentation technology requirements is this: any tech you want to use can and will fail. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility for your memory card or flash drive not to work when the big moment comes. Or for your laptop to decide to reboot. Or for the conference’s presentation facilities to fail.
Arm yourself with a back-up plan so you aren’t left stranded if things go awry. As well as following the conference instructions to submit your presentation online or at their drop-off desk, copy your slides to an online deck service and upload a copy of your presentation to Dropbox . Then email yourself any links you need so they’re within arms reach if you need them. Take no chances.
And if you have any specific audio-visual requirements, make them known to the conference organiser well in advance. If they don’t ask, tell them anyway. Never assume that they’ll just know . Not all conference venues can accommodate the latest technology.
One thing presenters often forget to do before starting a presentation is sussing out the room they’ll be speaking in. If you get the opportunity, get down to the room where you’ll be presenting ahead of time and check it out. This will save you from the last-minute panic of running across an unfamiliar campus. Trying to find the room you’re supposed to be in.
Most rooms will be kitted out with everything you need to present. But there’s no harm in making sure all the equipment you need is there and works. Take no risks and you’ll eliminate nasty last-minute surprises.
Get comfortable with the presentation area, walk around it until you feel familiar with the environment in the room. This will save you the shock of unexpectedly being faced with a large/tiny room. Bring your set of notes with you, and make sure you can read them in the lighting conditions in the room. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need – if there are open windows that are bothering you, ask for them to be closed.
Body language has an important role in presentations, especially at academic conferences. There are usually a lot of facts and findings to be highlighted in a conference presentation, and you need to use all the presenting tools available to you to remain interesting and effective throughout. Your gestures, tone of voice and positivity can be seen through your body language. And may determine how engaged your audience is.
When you’re speaking, a few body language tips can help improve your rapport with your audience. For your audience to engage, it’s important that they can see you. And that you look at them and make eye contact. Try to spread your gaze, rather than staring at one person. And avoid focusing intently on your laptop screen, your notes, or the floor. This can give the impression that you’re nervous or uninterested, and can also prevent you from projecting your voice clearly.
If possible, don’t stand behind a lectern or hold any notes. Instead, keep a straight, relaxed, open posture, and feel free to be comfortable with the full stage. And move around the stage a little as you speak.
The great presenters use gestures to emphasise their points and to highlight their visual material to guide the audience’s attention. When you see a speaker rooted rigidly to the spot and without positive body language the presentation loses a lot of its emphasis. Avoid other distracting movements, such as repeatedly putting your hands in and out of your pockets, jingling coins in your pocket, or fiddling with pens, clothing, or props such as laser pointers.
If you manage your time well, you’ll have sufficient time left for questions. Or an open discussion after your conference presentation. Expect questions, but don’t worry if there aren’t any. If your audience is reluctant to ask questions, a good session chair will usually pose a question. Presentation questions are a good thing . They give you a chance to elaborate on something that wasn’t clear. Or address the topic that everyone wants to know but you forgot to include.
Answering questions can be nerve-wracking because of the fear that you might not be able to answer them. But when the audience is asking questions, it’s generally out of genuine interest. Don’t trip you up, so see it as a good opportunity to explore how you can expand your work.
Though the majority of questions in a conference Q&A session are fairly benign, like me, you could find yourself at the end of a grilling (perhaps from someone who’s research you’ve had the temerity to challenge) after you present at a conference. If you think this might happen to you, it’s worth doing some reading on how to respond to destructive criticism from peers.
And if you’re feeling nervous about facing tough questions. Here’s something that might help: if you’re attending with someone you know (and trust), ask them to ask you a question. Some people even like to agree in advance what the question will be. This can simply help get the ball rolling and boost your confidence.
And finally, a trick I learnt from an experienced researcher is to keep a notebook and pen handy. And to make notes of the good questions to reflect on later.
Once you’ve mastered the tips above, you’ll be all set to give a great conference presentation. And the more you do, the easier they’ll get. Until you’ll reach a point when you can’t remember how nervous they used to make you.
One final note on audience size: never take it personally. Some of the best papers out there were presented to small audiences. Nobody ever asks how many people were in the audience. And you don’t have to state it on your academic CV. No matter what size the audience, a great presentation is a great presentation.
Brian Campbell
Brian is a data-driven marketeer, and responsible for helping people find Ex Ordo. He works part-time as a lecturer at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and loves quizzing his students on the latest business trends and insights. Brian enjoys hanging out with his little nephews, and playing and watching sports. He also likes to keep a keen eye on the scholarly research space, and has co-organised an academic conference to boot.
General Rules: Citing Lectures, Conference Presentations, or other Talks
In-text Citation: Information to Include
In-text citations and signal phrases can be woven into sentences and paragraphs in multiple ways, and what you emphasize depends on what information will be most relevant and/or persuasive to your reader. However, the following information should always be included:
Reference Citation: Information to Include
This depends on whether or not the talk is “recoverable” or available for your reader to view. See below for details.
Specific Example: Lecture Posted to YouTube
In-text Citation
David Ian Howe (2023) argued, in a guest lecture at the University of Wyoming, that most cultures place dogs in a category of their own; they aren’t human, but they also aren’t animals.
According to a guest lecture at the University of Wyoming, most cultures place dogs in a category of their own; they aren’t human, but they also aren’t animals (Howe, 2023).
References Page Entry
Howe, D. (2023, January 9). The history of dogs: Evolution, archaeology, and mythology . [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiD-qZDl9jQ
Specific Example: Lecture Posted to a Website
Eric Jay Dolin (2022), speaking at the University of Mary Washington, demonstrated that the history of piracy in early America is a history of violence and criminality, in contrast to the attractive portrayal of pirates in fiction and film.
The lecture demonstrated that the history of piracy in early America is a history of violence and criminality, in contrast to the attractive portrayal of pirates in fiction and film (Dolin, 2022).
Dolin, E. (2022, February 4). America’s Pirates . [Video]. https://www.umw.edu/greatlives/lecture/page/2/
Specific Example: Lecture That isn’t Publicly Available
This is considered an “unrecoverable” source and is cited as personal communication, similar to an informational interview or an email message.
Frances Laskey, in a lecture on collegiality, noted that, all other things being equal, employees who make the effort to behave pleasantly will receive raises and promotions (personal communication, September 7, 2023).
One thing the professor emphasized was collegiality, noting that, all other things being equal, employees who make the effort to behave pleasantly will receive raises and promotions (F. Laskey, personal communication, September 7, 2023).
None. Sources that your readers can’t access aren’t cited on the References page.
Published on 18 Nov 2021
Presenting at a conference is an important part of a researcher’s life: it allows you to share all the work you’ve been doing for months or years.
At the same time, it also exposes some intimate aspects of yourself to the outside world, like your thought process, your level of knowledge on a topic, or your ability to structure ideas.
I personally found myself frightened about presenting on multiple occasions. I remember my first seminar at the beginning of my master's degree in biochemistry. Coming from a bachelor in ecology, I felt like an imposter in the new department and was scared others would judge my level of knowledge or the quality of my presentation. Of course, these were only negative projections I was making in my mind, but they reflect the stressful vibe one can feel when preparing to give a talk.
On the positive side, a successful presentation leads to a better understanding of your work by the audience. This generates insightful discussions that can provide ideas about what the next steps of your research should be or clues to solve roadblocks.
It also leaves a good impression on the work done at your lab which can attract new collaborators. Also, getting your work noticed, especially at large conferences, can lead to your publications being more cited. If you’re a student, you can be rewarded with a presentation prize that will boost your curriculum when applying for scholarships.
Above all, learning to communicate, especially to the general public, is a valued skill.
So how can you nail your next presentation? There are no magic pills, but in this article, we’ll share some important tips to help you deliver the best presentation at your next event.
It is very easy to get lost in your slides if you do not plan first. That is why you need to outline your key ideas and the order in which you want to present them BEFORE jumping into building slides in PowerPoint (or another platform).
You can start with bullet points, a flowchart, or something similar. The crucial part here is to make sure you are laying out the information and not just throwing it on the slides as they come to your mind. It is easy to get lost if you just keep adding slide after slide without any concern for length and/or connections between the information.
You can use sticky notes, paper planners, online flowchart generators, or other tools to help you in the layout phase.
Then, equally important to the key ideas is how you tie all of that content together. You should plan a logical transition and a progression between each idea. This will help you define a common thread and establish the flow of your presentation. Ultimately, it will help the audience capture the message you’re sharing.
In summary, knowing what you want to talk about is key. So before working on your slide deck and your handouts, develop this layout that highlights and connects the information you want to share.
You’ll have a limited amount of time to get your message across, so you have to plan your presentation around that time frame. If you have 15 minutes to present your work, plan a presentation that lasts slightly less than that time limit.
Another tip for presentations is to use a timer while presenting to ensure you don’t go overtime.
A lot of people do not plan their time wisely and end up skipping slides in their presentation or going overtime. And guess what? Your audience knows when you skip content because you ran out of time. It comes off as unprofessional and may affect the way people see your work. So take your time preparing your presentation around your time constraints.
If your initial mockup is longer than what it should be, start by analyzing what information could be deleted or ways to get the information across using fewer words.
It’s often just a matter of focusing on the details that matter the most. Don’t explain all the details of the methodology or the results if it doesn’t add to the story. Keep that for smaller group discussions or during the Q&A period.
Visuals are a must in any presentation. Whether it is an image, a chart, a graphic, or a video, visuals help with interpretation and can be an effective way to get your message across or grab the audience's attention.
Just because you’re presenting at an academic conference, it doesn’t mean you can’t use images, videos, or even gifs to help get the message across.
Most people deal better with visuals than words , especially when the information is heavy with data and numbers. But even with visuals, remember to keep it simple. The whole purpose of using visual aids is to help your audience understand the message and not to confuse them with too much information.
If you’re presenting figures or graphs, remember to use the pointer to highlight the key points while you explain your slide. This is something that is easy to forget when the stress level is high, but it can be a good way to stay grounded and focused on the presentation.
In any academic conference, knowing your audience puts you one step closer to delivering an effective presentation. Do your research when starting to prepare your presentation.
Skimming the proceedings of past editions of a conference can reveal past participant lists and their profile. Different conferences have different proportions of undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, or principal investigators. Knowing the proportions of each category can indicate the level of knowledge on certain topics and if you need to spend time explaining certain areas so they understand the rest of the presentation or not.
If you find the abstracts, the Powerpoints, or the recordings of talks from previous editions, it can also help you adjust the depth in which you can go when explaining certain concepts.
Do not fall under the trap of assuming your audience knows nothing about your research subject. If they are at your research conference, it is most likely that they possess knowledge of (and interest in) what you are talking about. So, skip the basics that everyone knows if you feel you can.
Use jargon that is easily understood by the community at large and make sure you define less common abbreviations.
Knowing your audience is not always an easy task. If you’re not sure if your audience is familiar with a specific topic, don't be afraid to ask them! It will make everyone feel more involved and you will get their attention for the rest of the presentation. The bottom line, adapt your message to the audience.
No one should know your presentation better than you. When preparing for a particular conference, rehearse your talking points out loud and make sure you feel 100% comfortable with the information laid out on your slides.
In addition, make sure the key ideas and the logical transition between them are crystal clear. One of the worst things that can happen to presenters is getting lost in their own presentation.
You should practice your speech out loud to become familiar with the words as this will help your tone and confidence. When you sound confident, people are keener to listen to what you are saying.
One additional common but useful tip is to record yourself while practicing. It will help you know where you're lacking and what needs to be improved.
For example, some people tend to talk really fast or jump on sentences while others tend to ignore full stops. No matter what the issues are, recording yourself is a great tactic to find and address them.
Outside of practicing it out loud on your own, practice it in front of your colleagues. It will give you an experience that will resemble the real presentation the most.
While you present, notice their facial expressions. They can reveal parts of your presentation that are unclear. Tell them not to interrupt you during the presentation, but tell them to note down their suggestions or questions for the end. Make sure to use a timer to measure how you’re doing on time.
Some people like to present to someone completely detached from the topic. The idea is that if people who are not completely familiar with the subject can follow your presentation, people in the field should be able to easily follow it as well.
No matter which option you choose, this exercise will help if you have difficulties speaking in public. Do not be afraid of doing these multiple times before your presentation and always ask for honest feedback. The more you practice, the more confident and more fluent you will be.
During my Ph.D., we often presented to our lab members and went through a Q&A section. Not only was it a good opportunity to practice the presenting skills, but it was also a moment to discuss specific aspects and prepare for potential questions. I remember in some instances, the feedback led to reshuffling the ideas completely in a way that made more sense.
Even though people are coming to your presentation because they are interested in your research, appearances matter. The way you speak, how you interact with your audience, and even what you wear, make an impact. Make sure you wear comfortable clothes.
If you’re presenting at an online event, make sure the lighting comes from in front of you and not from behind or it will make your face appear darker. Not seeing a presenter clearly can distract the audience and decrease attention.
Also make sure there isn’t anything distracting in the background, like television or someone walking. The best background is usually solid-colored walls.
Get a good night of sleep the night before the event. You will feel well-rested and ready to tackle the presentation. It can be tempting to practice your slides and go over your presentation late at night, but it is sometimes better to get a good night's sleep.
In addition, make sure to eat well. You don’t want to feel dizzy or be occupied thinking about food when you should be thinking about the presentation.
Lastly, have a bottle of water close to you while you’re presenting. That will allow you to take pauses when needed and give your audience time to absorb the information after you jump into the next slide or argument.
If you have your presentation stored on a hard drive, make sure to have an extra copy on the cloud and vice-versa. Hard drives can break and technical difficulties can occur with cloud storage, so always have a backup just in case.
Depending on the guidelines of the event, you can also send a copy of your presentation to the organizer and/or colleague. Send yourself a copy of the presentation by email as well.
A lot of people also have a paper copy of their presentation. That’s the last case alternative but also nice to have. If you are in a poster presentation, this may be harder to achieve.
If you have videos in your presentation, check out if the platform and/or venue can display that, especially the audio (if it’s important). Not all software or places have the necessary (or compatible) technology to display your presentation as they should.
Body language has an essential role in presentations, especially online ones. Make sure you use body language the right way, otherwise it can be distracting for your audience. That includes fidgeting, repeatedly fixing your hair or clothes, among other things.
In academic conferences, the presentations are usually heavy on the information and data side, so it is important that presenters take advantage of tone of voice, gestures, and other body language resources to get their point across.
It is best to keep eye contact with people in the audience. This way, they will feel you are talking TO them and not AT them. But make sure to alternate and not stare at one single person throughout the whole presentation.
Be aware of your posture and if you have any notes, make sure to either hold them or have them at eyesight. It is common to have notecards during a conference talk, but it is important to know your presentation and not depend on the notes.
A big part of your presentation is for you to talk about your research. People are there to listen to you and absorb information, but they are also there to make the most out of the experience, and that includes engaging and asking questions.
Prepare yourself to answer questions from the audience. It is impossible to cover everything in a short presentation, so try to cover as much as possible and if there are questions you think will arise from the audience, prepare to answer them.
Depending on the type of presentation and what’s expected, you can keep questions for the end or allow questions during the presentation.
If there is a question that you do not have the answer to, it’s ok to say it. It’s better to offer to look more into it and get back to them rather than trying to improvise an answer. Provide your contact information in the final slide or at the end of your presentation. Some participants can reach out to you if they have any questions, suggestions, or opportunities that could be beneficial to you.
If you are giving an online presentation, invite participants to ask a question through the conference platform or website. For example, Fourwaves has a built-in Q&A section on each presentation page where presenters and participants can interact.
Let your audience know what you will be covering in your presentation. Have a clear outline of the topics and make sure to have this journey clear so the audience understands where you are taking them.
You can start the presentation by highlighting the key messages, but don’t forget to have a summary at the end (your conclusion), where you reiterate the main points of your presentation.
Adhere to the following basic design principles when building your slides. Avoid distracting colors and mixing more than 2 colors in each slide. If you use a light background, you should use a dark font and vice-versa. Make sure the font size is also big enough and that you are not stuffing too much information into a slide.
A good rule of thumb for your slides is to have about 5 bullet points on each one and give enough time for people to read through them if they need to. Most of the information should be coming out of your mouth and not described in the slides. The slides are just a summary (the bullet points) of what you will cover.
If you are adding visuals, make sure they are big enough so people can see them and they are not covering any information.
You have probably been part of dozens and dozens of presentations in a lifetime. Is there something you liked a lot in those or something you hated? If yes, write it down. If it is positive, strive to replicate that in your presentation. If it is negative, discard it.
If you are taking part in an annual event, you may be able to access presentations from the years before and draw conclusions from there. You can also look for similar poster presentations or templates and get inspiration from those.
Keep in mind that every person has a presentation style. Learn the basic guidelines and find what works best for you.
Storytelling is relying on stories (narrative) to talk about something (e.g. personal anecdotes, metaphors, comparisons, etc.). People rely on stories for mnemonic purposes and most of the time, it is easier to remember a story or an analogy than it is to remember a specific situation.
No matter what the topic is, analogies make it easier for people to understand facts. Whenever possible, try to use a metaphor or a comparison
It’s normal to feel stressed even if you’re super well prepared and that you know your topic inside out.
Make sure to take the time to pause in between slides and to take a good slow deep breath. It will help you stay focused throughout the presentation.
Practice this during your rehearsals. Not talking for 3-4 seconds can seem long for you, but your audience will appreciate it and it will help you feel calmer.
At the core, preparing for a conference presentation is no different than preparing for any type of public speaking assignment. You need to understand the topic very well, research and practice what you are going to say, and know your audience, among other things.
Most of all, remember: no one is born with great presentation skills, so give yourself room to improve.
Conference abstracts are crucial in the world of academic research and professional health associati...
By having one software to organize registrations and submissions, a pediatric health center runs aro...
Formatting rules, various examples.
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Author, A. A. & Author, B. B.
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Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
Paper from published conference proceedings available online | Dahal, G. (2016). Paper presented at the 3 Teaching and Education Conference, Barcelona Spain. Retrieved from http://www.iises.net/proceedings/3rd-teaching-education-conference-barcelona/table-of-content/detail?article=education-policy-and-its-contribution-to-socioeconomic-development-of-nepal-with-reference-to-some-selected-as |
Paper from published conference proceedings available in print | Arem, G. L. (2006). The effects of teaching and playing experience on ability to diagnose a motor skill. In P. Brewer & Firmin, M. (Eds.), (pp.1-20). Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Press. |
Paper presentation | Zhang, H. & Llebot, C. (2019, April). [Paper presentation]. Association of College and Research Libraries meeting, Cleveland, OH. |
See Ch. 10 pp. 313-352 of APA Manual for more examples and formatting rules
This page contains reference examples for works presented at conferences and meetings, including the following:
Evans, A. C., Jr., Garbarino, J., Bocanegra, E., Kinscherff, R. T., & Márquez-Greene, N. (2019, August 8–11). Gun violence: An event on the power of community [Conference presentation]. APA 2019 Convention, Chicago, IL, United States. https://convention.apa.org/2019-video
Cacioppo, S. (2019, April 25–28). Evolutionary theory of social connections: Past, present, and future [Conference presentation abstract]. Ninety-ninth annual convention of the Western Psychological Association, Pasadena, CA, United States. https://westernpsych.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/WPA-Program-2019-Final-2.pdf
Conference presentation references are covered in the seventh edition Publication Manual Section 10.5
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Learn how to create effective conference presentation slides with tips on design, content, and delivery. Avoid common mistakes and master slide transitions, multimedia, and time constraints.
Rule 2: Spend only 1 minute per slide. When you present your slide in the talk, it should take 1 minute or less to discuss. This rule is really helpful for planning purposes—a 20-minute presentation should have somewhere around 20 slides. Also, frequently giving your audience new information to feast on helps keep them engaged.
Guidelines for Academic Presentations. The time allocated for a presentation is 15 minutes, with a further 5 minutes allowed for discussion. Think in terms of the following slides: A title slide - Name, Title and what the paper is about. One slide with the hypothesis you want to investigate. 2 or 3 slides covering your current research plan.
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Learn how to give a successful academic conference presentation from idea to delivery, with tips on abstract writing, choosing a conference, posters, online and face-to-face presentations. This book is based on the author's own experiences and covers topics such as English for Academic Purposes, Communication Studies and Social Sciences.
2. Talk at a pace that everybody in the audience can understand. Speak slowly, clearly, and loudly. 3. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Ask a colleague to judge your presentation, delivery, clarity of language, and use of time. 4. Balance the amount of material you present with a reasonable pace of presentation.
Learn from a Silicon Valley CEO and a Harvard instructor how to deliver effective and memorable business presentations. Discover tips on conciseness, visuals, voice, surprise, and practice.
Learn how to design slides that convey meaningful information, keep the audience engaged, and deliver the intended message in academic presentations. The article provides practical tips on slide content, design, and preparation based on cognitive processing principles.
Learn how to prepare and present your research at the APPAM Fall Research Conference in Denver, Colorado. Find out the general guidelines, session formats, dates to remember, and best practices for presenters, chairs, and discussants.
Learn how to organize, prepare and deliver your academic presentation at conferences. This document provides guidelines for slides, structure, delivery and questions based on the author's experience and research.
Learn how to create a visually engaging and informative conference presentation with these six essential tips. Find out how to tailor your design to your audience, use images and contrast, and avoid cluttered text and slides.
Learn how to create a conference presentation that is tailored to your audience, concise, and visually appealing. Find out what to include in each slide, how to pace your speech, and how to engage the audience.
Presenters need a clear understanding of the conference format, schedule, and logistics. Keeping that in mind, cover the following details in your presenter guidelines: An overview of the conference—theme, objectives, and target audience. A detailed schedule and agenda of the conference, including session times, durations, and any breaks or ...
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Guidelines for Scientific Presentations Know Your Audience There are many different contexts in which you might be asked to give a scientific presentation: department colloquium, conference presentation, outreach at a public library or school, for a funding agency (to name a few). The content and tone of your presentation will significantly
General Rules: Citing Lectures, Conference Presentations, or other Talks. In-text Citation: Information to Include. In-text citations and signal phrases can be woven into sentences and paragraphs in multiple ways, and what you emphasize depends on what information will be most relevant and/or persuasive to your reader. However, the following information should always be included:
Learn how to plan, structure, and deliver a successful presentation at an academic conference. Find out how to use visuals, time, and audience knowledge to your advantage.
Basic Presentation Guidelines Each presentati on should remain within the allotted time for questions/answers. It is critical to ... Plan to use the conference laptops for your PowerPoint presentations (Conference laptops are PC-based; Apple platform may not be supported.) Microphone, projector, screen, and podium will be provided for the ...
Paper from published conference proceedings available in print. Arem, G. L. (2006). The effects of teaching and playing experience on ability to diagnose a motor skill. In P. Brewer & Firmin, M. (Eds.), Ethnographic and qualitative research in education: Proceedings of the seventeenth annual conference (pp.1-20). Newcastle, UK: Cambridge ...
Learn how to cite conference presentations and abstracts in APA style, with examples and guidelines. Include the names of the presenters, the dates and locations of the conference, and the description of the presentation in the reference.
How to Prepare Review Submission Guidelines. Visit the WOCNext 2025 website for essential info on deadlines, formatting, review process, scoring, and more.; Choose Your Abstract Category. Research Study: Present original research focusing on wound, ostomy, continence, foot care, or professional practice; Case Series: Present THREE cases that present a clinical challenge managed with a unique ...