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?
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