It’s a heady idea, presenting at a conference, whether you’ve done it before, or not. You’re putting your work in front of an audience of your peers and hoping for positive feedback. In this post I’m going to reflect on the process I’ve used when I’ve been applying to present at a conference, I think you’ll find them helpful. Although you may have others, I’ve broken it down into six main steps:
- Read the brief.
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay - Look at past conferences.
- Tailor your work!
- Review and adapt.
- Get feedback.
- Bonus: say thank you!
Let’s have a look at them.
- Read the brief.
It seems obvious, but it’s really important you read and understand what the conference is asking for. Conference committees are keen to have good quality papers presented at their conferences. They want to attract interesting speakers and innovative ideas. They also need to justify attendance cost and bring in an audience. For that reason, they want to make sure their conference is relevant and exciting for presenters, attendees and sponsors. Without a good programme, conferences can be stale and dull. They also don’t want to review hundreds of lacklustre abstracts. It takes a lot of time to review abstracts and put together a programme, so they’re trying to make it straightforward for all involved. Therefore the committees put together themes and information to guide prospective speakers on what to include. Make sure you include and refer to these as you draft your abstract. Is there specific language that they’re using? Are they linking it to an idea or debate that’s prevalent in your profession? If your idea for the abstract doesn’t meet their guidance, save yourself a lot of heartache and look for a conference where it would fit better. Most conferences are specific, even within a sector they look at key elements and debates. Make sure you’re choosing the conference that’s right for you and your work – rather than the most glamorous one in the nicest location! Don’t forget that deadline either. The brief will give you very clear guidance on what to do, by when – use it!
- Look at past conferences.
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay
A good guide is their previous conferences. Look at the archive or past events on their website, what do the abstracts look like? Is there a common approach – introductory paragraph and then a targeted statement about the presentation? How many references / citations do they include? Do they include references? Is the language formal or informal? If there is a choice of presentation styles e.g., workshop, presentation, or poster? What is the difference between the way the abstracts are written? Be succinct. Remember your abstract is a sales pitch – you want the organisers to be interested and you want attendees to want to come and attend your presentation.
- Tailor your work
You may have a project that you want to present at multiple conferences as part of the dissemination of your work. You can’t use the same abstract for all of them. The essence may be the same (the work you’re doing) but the wrapping needs to be different and reflect the conferences you’re aiming for. It may be you emphasise one part of your project over another in different conferences. For example, if one is focused on information literacy – you want to make sure your language is linked to the relevant terminology. If another is focused on teaching styles, think about emphasising how your project is relevant to that. One size, does not fit all!
- Review and adapt
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Some people are brilliant writers, but the best writers will tell you – you need to review and adapt your work. Taking time to write your abstract in advance, put it away and look at it after a few days is really helpful. It helps you to distance yourself from what you’ve written and identify any typos or errors that have crept in. Think about reading your abstract out loud. Are the sentences too long (are you struggling for breath before the end of the sentence)? Look at your abstract as though you are judging it against the criteria of the conference. Have the conference guidelines to hand:
- Are you referring to their key objectives?
- Have you mirrored their use of language?
- Is it within the word count?
- Does it have a clear point – what do you want them to know?
- Is it clear why you need to present?
- What will the attendees get out of going to your presentation?
- What’s the key “take away”?
- Get feedback
Having feedback from trusted colleagues is invaluable. It can be nerve wracking to put your work in front of a peer, they will read it from a fresh perspective. It’s especially useful if they’ve presented at conferences before, or you respect their work and their writing. Feedback can help you improve and develop your work and make sure it fits the brief of the conference. Sometimes feedback can be hard to receive, especially if you thought you had everything sorted and someone points out a major error. However, it’s much better to get that feedback now, from a colleague, than to put your work in front of a stranger and after all that time and energy get rejected.
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Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash Bonus: say thank you!
Don’t forget to say thank you. Manners are free and they have a lasting impact. Say thank you to those that have helped you develop your abstract. Offer to return the favour if they need you to. Remember, you’ll learn from reading their work; seeing how they’ve constructed their abstract, what they focus on etc. When you find out the outcome from the conference – whether positive or negative, let them know. Building those professional networks is important.
Waiting can be one of the most difficult things. Waiting to find out if you’ve been successful and if you’re going to be presenting at the conference. When you do hear back from the conference, don’t forget to acknowledge it. Good or bad, say thank you, then you can move on. It’s even better if they provide feedback because you can save it and use it later when you next apply to present at a conference. If they’ve suggested amendments to your abstract, look at how that will affect your work and try and incorporate them if they’re appropriate. Sometimes you need to ‘live’ with the feedback and suggestions before you respond. If so, you could send a holding response – Thank you, I’ll have a look at your feedback and send you my response in a few days.
We don’t fail if we keep trying. See it as a learning opportunity. Next time, you’ll have that bit more experience and that bit more knowledge to bring to the equation.
Lessons learnt:
- One size does not fit all!
- Read the brief and keep it concise.
- Plan and prepare, don’t rush it!
- Read and review what you’ve written. Try and polish it before you submit.