Tag: Conferences

It’s an interesting question to consider and a key one if you want to justify the cost of attending a conference to your employer. I’ve written down some of the key benefits I’ve appreciated attending conferences in my role.

• Keeping up to date
• Learning about developments
• Learning from experience
• Not re-inventing the wheel
• Making connections

Keeping up to date

There are numerous ways to keep up to date on the developments in the profession: newsletters, emails and reading the publications relevant to your work. However, you can’t follow up and ask questions. Attending a conference is a unique way to get all the information in one place. It’s incredibly useful to have an opportunity to ask a follow-up question after a talk or listen to someone else’s questions and hear additional information. It’s an opportunity to talk to a subject expert. At conferences most people are keen to discuss what they’re doing, and even answer questions in the coffee queue!

Learning about developments

Conferences can be a great showcase for developments. Whether that’s from sponsors and exhibitors who are presenting new developments and products. Or, from talks and posters at the conferences. This is where you will be able to see key developments showcased for everyone. Things that are from another sector, might strike a chord with you and be something that you can investigate in your own institution. Keeping your eyes and ears open means you can come across interesting developments you can take forward.

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on UnsplashLearning from experience

It’s also a chance to learn from other people’s experience. In our busy jobs we don’t always have the time to try out every new idea and development. At a conference speakers will present what their experience has been like with a new piece of technology, software or teaching approach. Listening to their point of view, understanding their context and yours, means you might be able to introduce what they’ve done back at work. Or being able to ask them questions, you can get an idea of it is appropriate in your context. This can save time and energy!

Not re-inventing the wheel.

Although it’s nice to be the first one to do something and try something novel, we don’t always have time. We might be aware of a problem or issue we would like to explore, but don’t have the time to do it. Attending a conference and learning about how someone else has successfully implemented a new support idea for students is helpful. If it works there, and they have a similar experience / environment to you, it might be worth trying. Plus, you’ll know someone you can ask about it later, when you’re trying it out. Most presenters are happy to talk about their work and ideas and they’ll often share their contact details so you can get in touch after the conference.

Making connections

Many people shiver at the idea of networking and there are those people that actively avoid it. However, you can make some interesting and helpful connections at conferences. Even if it’s just smiling at someone in the queue for coffee, you might make their day. Conferences can be overwhelming at times, so friendly faces are always welcome. Asking people what talk they’ve just been to and what they found most interesting can be a great way to start and conversation and make connections. Sometimes even being quite bold and walking up to someone and asking if you can join them for coffee, or if they mind if you sit with them, can help you meet new people. These people could be in similar positions to you, or in a completely different role and you get the chance to find out how things work elsewhere.

In my view point I find there are two overriding benefits of going to a conference: learning from other people and meeting people from across the sector. If you’re open, interested, and listen well, you’ll take away some interesting ideas to bring forward. You may also learn about other people’s mistakes and learn what to avoid (for example, that software was a waste of money, you’re better off sticking with what you have). Those people you meet, can be helpful later when you have questions about something. Or even, just bumping into them at another conference – there’s a friendly face!

Lessons learnt:

• Smile and be approachable.
• Listen carefully to the good and the bad – this can save you time, money and energy!

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:

1. Read the brief.

   

2. Look at past conferences.
3. Tailor your work!
4. Review and adapt.
5. Get feedback.
6. Bonus: say thank you!

Let’s have a look at them.

1. 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!

2. Look at past conferences.

   

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.

3. 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!

4. Review and adapt

   

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”?

5. 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.

6. 

   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.

Useful links from the Skills Hub:

How to write a paragraph: the essentials

Proofreading tips