This section covers writing abstracts, presentation types, asking questions, taking part in a panel, and being a panel chair.
Researcher Development
Researcher Development
This section covers writing abstracts, presentation types, asking questions, taking part in a panel, and being a panel chair.
Think of an experience that you have of giving a talk – perhaps a seminar presentation during your undergraduate or Master’s programme, for example.
– What went well?
– What did you find challenging?
– What advice you would give yourself if you could go back in time?
Giving presentations is covered in more depth in the Researcher Development module on Presentation Skills for Researchers, developed by Annie Constable.
Conference organisers release a call for papers, or CFP, with a deadline for abstract submissions. An abstract is a concise pitch of the work that you would like to present, typically 200-300 words. It is your selling point, and needs to capture the interest of the organisers.
Helen Kara gives some top tips in this blog post for the LSE, drawing on her experience of reviewing submitted conference abstracts:
Helen Kara gives some top tips in this blog post for the LSE, drawing on her experience of reviewing submitted conference abstracts:
Watch presentations by speakers whom you admire for inspiration. Pay attention to things like body language, pace of speech, and the narrative arc of their talk. Make a note of any techniques that you could emulate in your own presentations.
Some examples…
Professor Michelle Ryan gives a TED Talk on her research on work-life balance.
This engaging presentation by Sir Ken Robinson is one of the most watched TED Talks of all time.
After each panel, the chair will take questions from the audience, which may be directed at a specific speaker or be more general in scope. Being asked questions about your research might feel scary, especially when you are new to conferences, but it can be an incredibly fruitful experience and might even shape the direction of your project. Having these kinds of dialogues helps to strengthen your skills as a researcher, and is an essential part of engaging with the academic community.
This infographic summarises types of questions that are often asked at conferences.
Source: Joanne Begiato, Lorna Campbell, Steven Gray and Isaac Land, “Don’t be a conference troll: a guide to asking good questions,” The Guardian.
If you are feeling anxious about answering questions, remember that you are not alone – the other researchers in the audience will be, or have been, in the same position. As Pat Thomson points out:
“the vast majority of people who ask questions do so out of genuine interest. They want more information, they want to alert you to something relevant you may not know about….You don’t have to have an immediate answer to everything. It’s ok to say that you hadn’t considered that and that you will think about it further. If you know the answer then say it as succintly as you can – and its fine to take a moment or two to compose what you will say.”
Source: Pat Thomson, “Answering Audience Questions at Conferences”, Patter
Answering questions: As a preparation strategy, present your paper to a couple of friends and invite them to ask questions. Alternatively, try to take a step back and come up with possible questions yourself, using the infographic above to prompt you. Draft responses to these questions.
Asking questions: If you have the opportunity, attend a speaker event before you go to the conference. Your department may have scheduled research seminars or talks from visiting speakers. Try to ask at least one question, using the infographic above as an aid.
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