How to present at an international conference (IATEFL Online 2021)

These are the slides from my IATEFL 2021 How to session this morning, giving you guidance on how to present at an international conference, whether that’s face-to-face or online. It’s an updated version of my IATEFL 2019 How to session.

Slide 8 has icons. These are the associated notes:

• Eye contact – friends around room / Online = odd presenting to yourself sometimes. Ask somebody to stay on video so you can talk to them if possible (the moderator?) / switch off self view if you can?
• Microphone – where to hold it. Use it? / Online = headphones stop echo
• Pace: Deep breaths – ask somebody to indicate if you’re rushing
• What you say – not a script/reading from slides! Index cards? Slides + notes, presenters notes…as natural as possible
• Reactions aren’t just based on what you say – also the time of day – 8:15? After lunch? End of the day? / Nobody writing in chat online = don’t worry / invite them

Here are potential solutions to the problems on slide 11:

• Slides – USB x 2, Google Drive, email, Slideshare – check compatability. Alternatively, don’t use slides!
• Audio – have transcript, play it as a file outside presentation rather than embedded into it
• Video – summarise content
• Attention – like in class? hands up, countdown
• Empty room – ask people to come closer
• Too long – decide before what you can cut, underplan!
• Too short – more time for questions, what will you take away?
• Overall = stay calm 🙂 Ask them a question e.g. what have I told you so far? What do you still want to know?

Here’s an explanation of the images on slide 11:

• Reward yourself
• Relax
• Reflect on how it went
• If it’s IATEFL, consider writing up your talk for the Conference Selections – there’s a How To talk about that too 🙂

Here’s a recording of the talk:

Zhenya Polosatova has a list of tips for coping with presentation preparation anxiety.

Tim Thompson has written a pep talk which you should read immediately before your presentation starts, and probably a few times before that too!

What other tips do you have?