Conference tips. Defining and limiting the topic. Step by step you are approaching the final stage of your preparation work

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CONFERENCE TIPS

INTRODUCTION

Developing your ability to speak to an audience is one of the greatest benefits you'll ever get from your time in further or higher education. We've said 'developing', because it's likely that you've already had some experience of giving a talk, perhaps at school, for a club you belong to or in your place of work if you're a mature student. You will now have the chance to practise speaking effectively in front of the audience of differing backgrounds and levels of knowledge. If you make the most of these opportunities, and use the chance to speak at the conference, you will be gaining expertise which will be vital for your future, and which may change you in ways you didn't expect when you began.

Let's look first at the practical outcome of your speaking abilities. They belong to the so-called ‘transferable skills’ - those that you can carry into your future, whether you're going to stay in academic life, teach or follow any of the multitudes of job opportunities that will present themselves. In years to come, you may well change not only jobs but also your career itself: it's possible to see an opportunity that you never dreamed of, and so to follow a new and exciting career path that you didn't know about when you first left education. Transferable skills are those that you can take with you: they're valuable for the rest of your life. The ability to speak well enough to interest, influence or persuade other people is a major asset, whatever you choose to do in the future.

You may also find that you gain a lot in a personal way. Many people are worried about talking to an audience and this is understandable - you may feel both nervous and vulnerable when you look for the first time at a roomful of people waiting to listen to you. It's a natural reaction and, as we'll discuss later, in itself absolutely nothing to worry about. Most truly excellent speakers are nervous at the prospect of speaking. But - and this is the great advantage of having a go - once you've made a successful presentation, you will gain enormously in confidence. This in itself means that you are likely to make an even better presentation next time. Your newfound confidence may well affect other areas of your work, too: lecturers sometimes comment that after students have made their first presentation, they are more ready to ask questions, respond to a challenge and organize themselves and their work more effectively.

These tips are divided into two basic parts: the process of preparation and the delivery of the presentation. This division reflects the process of getting ready for a conference and we hope it will help you succeed.

Good luck!

Defining and limiting the topic

The first stage of your preparation is to choose the topic of your future presentation. It may be either the one you have been studying at the university or the one you are personally interested in. Anyway, your success at the conference depends directly on your ability to interest the audience which, in its turn, is determined by your own interest in and your knowledge of the chosen topic. You are likely to be a success if:

·  your topic is not too broad ( like Taxation or Banking System) and your presentation doesn’t sound as if it were an answer at an examination

·  the audience have enough background knowledge of the subject

·  there is a problem in the topic which evokes the interest of the audience

As the area you have chosen is likely to be too big for a short presentation, one of the most important stages in the preparation is choosing the aspect you are going to work on. It’s generally true that the smaller the subject covered, the better the presentation. It’s the specific instances that produce original comments or interesting examples. Always look critically at your subject to see how it can be limited.

Researching the topic

Whatever the topic you have chosen you need to research it to make your presentation mature and to have a good basis for your own findings and conclusions.

The strategic aims when researching a topic are:

·  Determine how thoroughly the phenomenon or problem has been studied,

    study the conclusions drawn and different opinions on the subject.

·  Study the history of the problem.

·  Determine the urgency and the practical value (usefulness