It’s a common misconception that researchers simply need to carry out research work and get it published to attract more readers and make an impact in their field. This is far removed from reality; your work does not stop once you get published. A key element of academic growth is attending research conferences and presenting your findings effectively to the larger academic universe. Doing this is a sure-shot way of expanding one’s professional network, getting relevant feedback on your work, and earning more credibility as a researcher; this is especially important early on in one’s career.
Today it’s a norm to encourage and sometimes even mandate that graduate and doctoral researchers know how to deliver good academic conference presentations. The reason for this is clear: research conferences are a great forum to share your work with experts and peers in your field who can support, steer, and strengthen your research with subject-specific insights. Furthermore, attending research conferences allows one to keep abreast of the latest developments in the world of science and connect with other researchers in your own and related fields, opening the door for future collaboration.
However, the idea of presenting your work in front of a group of learned peers can be daunting, especially for those who are more comfortable with writing rather than speaking. Thankfully, there are a few simple tips that can help you master the art of presenting at research conferences in a way that engages your audience. Take a look!
1. Structure your presentation to focus on the key points: When presenting at research conferences, remember your audience will likely be made up of peers that have a certain academic calibre. They do not need to be fed information they would most likely know, for instance, explaining established facts that are freely available in the public domain. So don’t dwell too long on building up the background of your research, instead emphasize your key research findings and keep the content simple to absorb. It’s easy to get carried away by the novelty and quality of your research findings, but remember not to pack your scientific conference presentation with excessive or unnecessary information or you risk the core message getting lost. One way to avoid this is to structure your presentation carefully, with an introduction, body and conclusion. Avoid complex jargon and if you need to use technical terms, briefly explain them so it’s easy to understand for the non-academics in the audience.
2. Create a compelling introduction and keep the presentation engaging: For those who are uncomfortable making research conference presentations, it helps to have an interesting introduction. You can choose to start with an analogy that will help your audience understand why your work is significant or relevant in minutes. Once you’ve grabbed the audience’s attention, offer more detail on your research problem, methods, the results of your study, and how your work helps advance your subject area. The introduction, in fact your entire presentation, should be impactful enough to keep your audience engaged till the end. A useful tip would be to introduce some storytelling in your academic conference presentation to not only make your session interesting while you’re presenting, but also to ensure it is remembered well after you’re done.
3. Make your presentation concise and visually appealing: Another great tip when presenting at research conferences is to make use of visual elements as much as possible. Use simple visuals, graphics, and infographics to quickly communicate key points and often complex data in a concise, easily comprehensible manner. Don’t go overboard though; look for a professional template and avoid too many or too bright colors, ornamental fonts, and unnecessary imagery. An unconventional way to make your presentation more conversational is to write down what you want to convey in the form of a speech and then transform it into a compelling presentation with text and visuals.
4. Practice your presentation multiple times before the day: The adage ‘practice makes perfect’ is also applicable in the case of academic conference presentations; it’s a key step no matter how well you think you know your research. Practicing out loud will help you understand where to pause and emphasize key points, how to use your body language and be able to pace yourself in a way that you stick to prescribed time limits. This allows you to communicate your core findings and messages without confusing or overwhelming your audience. On the other hand if you don’t practice, you may find yourself running out of time or improvising without thought. You may choose to skips some slides which runs the risk of not being able to highlight your findings effectively or having to rush through and being unable to leave your listeners with crucial concluding remarks as you’d intended to.
We hope the key pointers in the article above help you develop your skills and improve how you present your work effectively in research conferences.
