How to Present at a Conference

Co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD

Last Updated: January 28, 2023 References

Presenting a paper or other research results at a professional conference can be very rewarding. If you are a scientist, educator, business leader or other professional, this may be a powerful way for you to share ideas with others in your field. You need to find a topic that interests you, locate a conference that is accepting papers, and apply. If you get your paper accepted, you then need to prepare carefully for your presentation.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Applying and Getting Selected to Present

1
Find a conference that interests you. The first step in presenting your paper is finding an appropriate conference. If you are already a member of a professional organization, then this may be easy. Check the website of your organization to see if they are sponsoring a conference in the near future.
- There are several websites where you can search for conferences, including https://www.papercrowd.com/, http://conference.researchbib.com/, https://www.cfplist.com/, and https://www.allconferencealert.com/.
- You can also conduct a general Internet search to find conferences on subjects that interest you. For example, if you are an art teacher, you might search for “Art teacher conferences.” This would show you that the National Art Education Association is having a conference in March 2017 in New York City.^{[1]
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- If you search for “animal care conferences,” you will find, among other things, that the National Humane Society is sponsoring the Animal Care Expo in May 2017 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.^{[2]
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2
Look for calls for papers or presenters. You can narrow your search more specifically to find conferences that are accepting proposals for presentations. Check the websites for any upcoming conferences that you find to see if they are still accepting papers or presentations. You can also run a general search using the phrase “call for papers” or "call for proposals" along with your subject area.
- For example, using the phrase “call for papers in hotel management” results in a conference on “Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Marketing,” which is to be held in July 2017 in Cyprus. The website outlines a range of topics that will be accepted and provides the information for submitting proposals.
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3
Read the call for papers carefully. It is important that your submission match the topics requested. For example, the Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Marketing conference has a list of approximately 40 different topics that would be considered for presentation topics.
- If you have an idea that you do not see listed in the call for papers, you should contact the organizers of the event to ask if they would consider your idea. Some conferences are more flexible in the papers they will accept, but you should not just assume this without checking.
- For example, a call for papers for an Animal Welfare Act conference at Harvard Law School contained a list of topics, but added, “Potential topics include, but are not limited to…”^{[3]
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Meet the paper specifications. The call for papers will generally include details about the length and style of presentation that is expected. In some cases, there may be several options to choose from. These formats often include including paper sessions, poster sessions, workshops, or breakout discussion groups.
- Each type will have its own requirements for length, the style of graphics or supporting materials you will use, and amount of material you are expected to cover. Know what you are applying for and meet the expectations.
5
Prepare an abstract. In most cases, your abstract will determine whether or not you are accepted to speak at the conference. Therefore, it's crucial that you submit a clear, concise, and interesting abstract. Be sure to identify the purpose of your paper, explore the pertinent issue, explain your methods, and describe your results.
- Find out if you are applying to speak as part a panel (in which several people speak on the same topic) or in an open session (in which your presentation stands alone). If you'll be part of a panel, ensure your abstract explains how your paper fits within the panel.
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Meet the deadlines. Most conferences will provide 2 or more deadlines for submission. The earliest deadline will be for an abstract of your presentation. The abstract is generally a short description of your presentation, with minimal references to source material. Some time later, you will then be expected to provide the final copy of your presentation. Know the deadlines and then meet them.
- These conferences often receive many more applications than they need, so it would be easy for them to deny yours if you fail to meet a deadline.
7
Participate in any editing or revisions. Many conferences will “peer review” the proposals before accepting them. Experts in the field will review your paper and return it to you for editing or further research. Cooperate with these revisions if you wish to be accepted as a final presenter at the conference. As before, return each stage of the paper on time.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Preparing for the Conference

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Understand and meet time expectations. Your acceptance letter should clarify the expectations for your presentation. If it is not clear, you should immediately contact the conference organizers to inquire. You don't want to plan for a 75 minute lecture and then find out that you were expected to speak for 45 minutes and then respond to a Q&A session for 15 minutes. Conferences operate on a tight schedule, and you cannot overrun your allotted time.^{[4]
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- It's crucial that you don't speak for longer than you are scheduled to. However, it's okay to end a few minutes early.
2
Know your presentation format. This is another item that should be made clear to you in the acceptance letter. You will need to know if you are presenting your paper to a large conference room as a keynote speaker, or if you are one of three presenters sharing a small space and time. If the acceptance letter does not answer any questions you may have, you should call the organizers and ask.^{[5]
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- Presentation formats may include conference panels, small workshops, large keynote addresses, round-table discussions, or general research reports.
3
Familiarize yourself with the expected audience. Review the conference website and study information about the sponsoring organization to understand the style that they expect. Many conference sites will include links to materials from prior years. These can be valuable sources of information as you prepare.^{[6]
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4
Know your technology. Verify what technology will be available for your presentation. Do not assume that you will have access to wi-fi, for example, if you rely on Internet links as part of your presentation. If you are preparing a slide show, make sure that you are using a program (PowerPoint, Prezi, LaTex, Beamer, for example) that the host system will support.^{[7]
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5
Practice your presentation. You must be thoroughly prepared to present your paper as clearly and professionally as possible, especially if you hope to be asked to return. You need to practice your presentation repeatedly. Whether you are standing at a podium reading your paper or presenting a more extemporaneous lecture using a slide show outline, you must appear polished and professional. Ask some trusted friends or colleagues to listen to your presentation and let you know if you are loud enough, slow enough, and can be understood.^{[8]
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- Ensure your paper is written clearly so the audience can understand your points.
- Note that reading helps keep your audience engaged, while simply listening can make it more difficult for them to pay attention.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Presenting your Paper

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Arrive early. As the presenter, you should arrive at your assigned location at least 15 to 30 minutes before your presentation is scheduled to begin. You may need to set up your computer, arrange seating, or distribute copies of any materials you want to hand out. Conference schedules are often very tightly arranged, and you will be expected to begin promptly as scheduled.^{[9]
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- You can gauge your audience and the space that you have. If you are scheduled to begin at a particular time, but it is clear that many audience members are still entering, you may wish to delay briefly to let the space fill. If possible, you may wish to check with conference organizers to make them aware of the situation and get their okay.
2
Speak TO your audience, not AT them. Unless you have been invited specifically to read a published paper, you are more likely going to be presenting from a slide show or outline. The best presentations are organized but given in a loose, conversational style. Use your slides to organize your speech, but do not read every word on every slide, or you will bore your audience. At the same time, avoid getting too technical in details, which the audience likely will not be able to absorb as part of a busy day.^{[10]
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- Bear in mind that your presentation is only one of several that the audience will be hearing that day. If you become too detailed or too technical, you will lose people's attention.
3
Include graphs, pictures or tables when possible. Even at a high level conference, simplifying and summarizing your words with graphic presentations can be very powerful. Pictures that you may use to illustrate key points are likely to be remembered more than five minutes of talking. A graph or table can quickly summarize years worth of data. Make use of these tools to your advantage.^{[11]
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End with a strong conclusion. Because your audience's attention is going to be highly taxed through the course of a busy conference, your opening and your closing will be the most memorable moments. Provide a strong opening introduction with an outline. Then conclude by reviewing the outline and the general topics you covered. Repeat the main highlights of your presentation.^{[12]
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Follow up with conference organizers. If you had a good experience at the conference, and if you would like to present again, you should send the organizers a brief note as soon as possible. Just like attending a party, you should send a note of thanks for allowing you the opportunity. This may not directly get you invited back again, but it can't hurt and will add a touch of professionalism.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Dealing with Nerves

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Be prepared. You can combat a tendency to get nervous speaking in front of an audience by preparing thoroughly. Practice your presentation many times. Think about questions that your audience might ask and prepare some responses.
2
Delay your start. Nervous speakers feel the need to speak as soon as they take the stage. If you take a deep breath and pause briefly, you will feel more control and present an attitude of strength.^{[13]
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Use eye contact. As you speak, look at individual audience members. Instead of scanning your gaze across the entire room, look at one person and present one thought. Then move to focus on someone else. This serves two purposes. It will help you slow your speech as you focus your attention on someone. It will also help you see your audience as individuals rather than a large collection.^{[14]
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- Even if you do not make contact with each person in the audience, the appearance helps personalize your presentation for everyone.
4
Speak - ve - ry - slow - ly. Nervous speakers tend automatically to speak quickly. This can make you difficult to understand, which leads to a lack of focus by your audience, which then makes you feel more nervous. To break this cycle, you must consciously speak very slowly. If you believe you are speaking naturally, you are probably speaking too fast.^{[15]
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- When you feel that you are speaking... unusually... slowly..., then... you... are... probably... speaking... just... right.
5
Use deep breaths to your advantage. If you feel your nerves taking over, just pause and take a deep breath. This will help you regain composure and will slow your speech. In addition, the brief pause has a way of attracting attention. Any audience members who were drifting will be likely to refocus on your presentation.^{[16]
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Focus on the positive. If your topic is at all controversial, you may notice audience members who frown at you, scowl, cross their arms or display other negative body language. Ignore them. Focus instead on those audience members who support you and your presentation. You may not change the attitudes of those negative members, but your presentation will be better.^{[17]
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