Master yourselves in Conference by basic skill sets...

1. By

2. Conference
• Generally understood as a meeting of several people to discuss a particular topic.
• It is often confused with a convention, colloquia or symposium.
• While a conference differs from the others in terms of size and purpose, the term
can be used to cover the general concept.
• A convention is larger than a conference; it is a gathering of delegates
representing several groups.

3. At a conference, innovative ideas
are thrown about
and
new information is exchanged
among experts.

4. Purposes of Conferences
• An academic conference
• A business conference
• A trade conference
• An unconference

5. Points to consider as a checklist when planning a
conference
• The purpose of the conference must be clearly understood.
• The budget needs to be defined.
• Meticulous planning must be carried out well in advance.
• Important aspects of the conference must be covered.
• A back-up plan to handle emergencies is always mandatory.
• Planning works better when individuals in the planning and administrative committee have
clear roles and responsibilities assigned.

6. Points to consider as a checklist when planning a
conference
• While some companies have sufficiently large conference rooms to accommodate the event,
an external venue is most commonly needed.
• Once the date, time and venue of the conference are fixed, the availability of all presenters,
vendors, attendees and special guests needs to be confirmed.

7. Common Conference Formats
• Concurrent Paper Presentation
–Presentation with time limit; grouped with others
• Symposium
–Thematic presentation as part of group/panel
• Roundtable
–Interactive discussion of paper in small group
• Poster Session
–Individualized discussion with graphic display

8. Writing a Conference Proposal
Proposal Preparation
• Follow all guidelines carefully
–Your proposal may be disqualified if you don’t
• Relate your topic to key issues/theme(s)
–Avoid a narrow topic; Make it relevant
• State your main points up front
–Don’t wait to get to the point
• Key your content to the audience
–Address research for research conferences

9. Writing a Conference Proposal (Contd…)
Proposal Preparation
• Create a good title
–A catchy or interesting title will grab attention
• Write a clear description/abstract
–Descriptions often go in the program
• Make sure your proposal is error-free
–Proofread for grammar and spelling
• Meet the deadline
–Avoid submitting at the last minute

10. Basic Presentation Considerations
Define Your Message
• Focus on your presentation goals
–What do you want the audience to know about your work?
–Plan to summarize your key points.
• Don’t get lost in the details
–Emphasize the important issues or “big picture” significance of your work.
–Downplay specifics, like details of the literature or the significance value of
a statistic.

11. Basic Presentation Considerations
Know Your Audience
• Not all audiences are the same
–Specialized conferences (e.g., NCTM for math ed, AECT for ed tech) attract
experts in the field.
–More general conferences (e.g., AERA) have people from various sub-
disciplines.
• Aim for a typical to somewhat advanced person in your audience
–Avoid basic content with experts, but provide background for a more
general audience.

12. Basic Presentation Considerations
Prepare
• Rehearse your talk to fit slightly under the allotted time.
• If there are multiple presenters, plan in advance who will discuss which components of the
talk and how transitions will be handled.
• If possible, do a complete “dress rehearsal” in front of a public audience.

13. Basic Presentation Considerations
Organize the Presentation
• Make an outline of the presentation
–Use your outline as an introductory slide
–Follow the outline to lay out the slides
• Mirror key parts of your paper
–Address key parts of the paper but don’t try to duplicate it
–Use the presentation to encourage the audience to read the paper

14. Basic Presentation Considerations
Use Visuals
• Images can add interest and support the content
• Graphs convey data better than tables

15. Oral Presentation Skills
Talk to the Audience
• Adopt a conversational tone
• Do not read slides
• Use notes sparingly
• Make eye contact with audience members
• Speak clearly and loud enough for all to hear

16. Oral Presentation Skills
Be Professional
• Dress appropriately
• Try to stay calm and relaxed
• Avoid distracting behaviors
• Maintain awareness of the time
–Use a watch or small clock if necessary
• Stay flexible and adjust as needed

17. Q&A Sessions
• Use questions as an opportunity for further engagement with the audience.
• Generally, keep answers brief and on topic.
• Admit it if you don’t know an answer.
• If you are challenged or attacked, acknowledge the point, answer the question as best
you can, and move on.

18. Q&A Follow-up
• Take time after the session to meet with those who have more extensive questions.
• Have your business card or handouts available to provide to interested individuals.
• After the conference, respond to e-mail inquiries you may receive. Posting your paper
and slides online can be helpful.

19. Basic Presentation Considerations
Plan for the Allotted Time
• Prepare about 1 slide per minute of time.
• If you have too many slides, you’ll be unable to get through them all. You will either run
long, or you will have to skip some.
• If you have too few slides, your audience will get bored having to look at the same slide for
an extended time.

20. Basic Presentation Considerations
Focus on Key Points
• Have one main idea per slide
• Bullet key points
• Generally, limit yourself to no more than about 4-5 major bullets per slide
–Some designers use the 6 x 6 rule: no more than about 6 lines of text with 6
words per line
• Avoid blocks of text

21. Basic Presentation Considerations
Make Text Legible and Accurate
• Use font sizes of at least 24 pt. (maybe 18 pt. in a pinch)
• Use sans-serif fonts
• Stick to high contrast colors
• Use design templates for consistency
• Use highlighting and color sparingly
• Limit use of animations / special effects
• Check spelling and grammar for accuracy

22. Five Conference Call Etiquette
1. Mute your phone when you are not speaking and keep background noise to a
minimum.
2. State your name before speaking so that others on the call to know who is speaking
and can better understand the context of your comments.
3. Avoid becoming distracted by emails in your inbox, social media updates and
coworkers asking questions.
4. Follow the agenda and if items need to be discussed in greater detail than the time
allotted, then call the individuals concerned later.
5. Appoint a call leader to email out the agenda, direct the conversation, make sure
everyone sticks to the agenda, pays attention to time, and follows up on any action
items.

23. Conference
Calls
Progress
Meeting
Project Update
Training
Gaining
Approval for
Decisions
Strategy Reviews
Internal
Communications

24. Different types of conferences
• CONFERENCE The most general term to indicate a meeting for discussion - most
commonly adopted by associations and organizations for their regular meetings. It is
usually associated with the most traditional type of presentation, that is, papers
followed by questions.
• Examples
1. Annual Conference of the Society for French Studies
2. Biennial Conference of the Society for Italian Studies

25. Different types of conferences
• SYMPOSIUM Nowadays, this describes a meeting to discuss a particular subject, but its
original meaning defines it as a drinking party devoted to conversation and following a
banquet. A symposium thus has a slightly more informal character than a conference.
• Examples
1. Spanish and Portuguese Studies Postgraduate Symposium

26. Different types of conferences
• SEMINAR The first meaning of this term refers to a group of students studying under a
professor with each doing research and all exchanging results through reports and
discussions. Its second definition: 'debating special issues' preserves the conversational
character of the term 'seminar'.
• Examples
1. IGRS: From Textual to Visual
2. Departmental Research Seminar (Italian, UCL)

27. Different types of conferences
• COLLOQUIUM This term indicates both a traditional conference and a conversational
seminar. Colloquia tend to privilege the aspect of debate.
• Examples
1. Colloquium for Police History (SSEES)

28. Different types of conferences
• WORKSHOP Taken from the language of manufacturing, the term workshop indicates a
brief intensive educational program for a small group of people that focuses on
techniques and skills in a particular field. In academia, it is adopted to describe meetings
reserved for small groups of specialists who come together for concerted activities or
discussion.
• Examples
1. Mutual Perceptions in Travel Literature (SOAS)

29. Different types of conferences
• ROUNDTABLE The most general term to indicate a meeting for discussion - most
commonly adopted by associations and organizations for their regular meetings. It is
usually associated with the most traditional type of presentation, that is, papers
followed by questions.
• Examples
1. Berkeley Germanic Linguistics Roundtable
2. Urban Environmental History

30. Conclusion
• Discussions via conference calls enable collective decisions to be made in real
time regardless of the country that each individual decision maker is in.
• You should encourage proper use of conference calls so that they improve
productivity and do not become just another type of unstructured and
unproductive meeting.
• As a manager you should aim to set a good example by giving each conference
call by setting the example that all conference calls must have a purpose, a time
limit and will be run along similar lines to a meeting you will reduce the number
of unnecessary calls.
• If other participants sense you are distracted then they will feel justified in not
giving the call their full attention.

31. To get the most out of these often frustrating calls you should ensure that everyone
involved follows some basic conference call etiquette like: keeping background
noise to a minimum, stating their name before speaking, and giving the call their
undivided attention.