Oral presentations

Giving an oral presentation at a conference can be one of the most nervewracking moments in your life as a researcher. The experience of giving a presentation to a room full of your peers and experts in your field is challenging, but it is also an important way to make an impact, get your research known and can even be enjoyable.

Planning your presentation

Before you start preparing a conference paper it is helpful to think carefully about what you have been asked to do. You might find that you have been sent information and guidance on the following issues:

• length of the presentation
• technical issues, e.g. will you have PowerPoint, internet access, etc.
• expected size and composition of the audience
• academic context: the focus of the conference and the session that you are presenting within.

With these requirements in mind you are now in a position to start crafting your presentation. Think about what your key message is and make sure that you focus on it. Conference papers are typically 15-30 minutes long and this does not give you very long to develop a complex academic argument. Try and keep background information to a minimum and focus on your main message. People can always ask for more detail if they need it.

Try to ensure that you are well prepared and rehearsed before you set off to present. You may find the Preparing for a presentation checklist helpful.

Delivering your presentation

You should be able to find lots of advice on giving presentations; many institutions offer courses. Academic presentations have a number of unique features, but as with any presentation it is important to analyse your audience. Think about:

• who your audience is and what it is really looking for
• what other people do, e.g. whether they stand up, read, involve the audience, etc.
• who are seen as the best presenters in your field. What do they usually do?

It is important to be aware of the rules and usual practices that are used in your area so that you can tailor your style. However, you should not feel that you have to copy what has gone before. Typically, your presentation will have more of an impact if you:

• stand up
• move around
• vary the pitch of your voice
• improvise around notes rather than reading a paper out
• make eye contact
• use visual aids/pictures
• engage with the audience and are enthusiastic.

Warning: While PowerPoint is useful it is over-used. Don't let the slides dominate your presentation. Use them to convey mainly visual information.

It is always worth practising your presentation in front of colleagues at least once. Your performance will improve, your nerves lessen and it is a chance to practise fielding questions...

Dealing with questions

One of the most challenging aspects of giving a conference paper is facing questions from the audience. Again, preparation will help you but be ready for the unknown. To help you prepare:

• brainstorm a list of possible questions
• think about the interests of the people in the audience. Is there anything that they are likely to want covered in more depth?
• consider likely criticisms of your paper and prepare an answer for them
• be prepared to admit that you don't know the answer to a particular question. You may find it useful to prepare a way of doing this, e.g. ‘That is a very interesting question, I haven't examined that issue yet, but I will feed it into my future research...' or ask to speak to the questioner after the presentation.

After your presentation

Once you have given your presentation you can breathe a sigh of relief, but the conference is not over. Ask friends and colleagues for some feedback on your presentation. Be prepared, indeed actively seek, to continue to discuss it. Often people are more willing to discuss your paper after the end of the formal session than they are to ask a question in public. This can be extremely useful