10 Simple Tips On How To Present At A Conference That Will Make You Look Like A Professional
Presenting at a conference in front of people has its perks. You are talking in front of a group of experts, researchers, peers, and newcomers, but all of you share the same interest in the field; hence, presenting in front of them gives you the exposure and recognition you need! But, presenting in front of so many people does sound daunting, and many get lost on how to start designing a presentation. To help tackle that issue, we will discuss the top tips on how to present at a conference with hacks that go back even to when you start creating your slideshow!
10 Tips On Presenting At A Conference
These hacks will help you create your presentation, prepare it, and do what you need to do during your conference! So, without further ado, let’s dive into the top hacks for presenting at a conference.
1. Don’t start with creating slides yet
Wait, hold up! Don’t start creating your presentation directly. You might be confused about why we are telling you not to make the slideshow, but there is a specific reason. The reason is that before you even start creating your presentation, create a flow and note down all the important things you need to add so it doesn’t become 40 slides long.
2. Remember to stay within duration
One major tip when creating your presentation for a conference is to keep it within the time duration given to you. If you are given 20 minutes, then don’t extend it more than that; this is because, if you don’t use your time wisely, you may not be able to talk about the important points in detail! Conference organizers are pretty strict regarding timings, so keep your presentation that long.
Pro Tip: If you are running short on time, skip a couple of slides and only mention the important points in each slide without delving too deeply into detail.
3. Keep it simple and consistent
Keeping your slide’s design and text simple and consistent is always a big win in general. Try not to overload your slides with text, as you want your audience to hear what you want to present instead of just reading it; bullet points are a good option where you can’t use visuals to communicate your point. Also, using different colors for your presentation does sound like a good idea, but it can easily distract your audience due to inconsistency. Using templates to maintain consistency is a good idea, and you can easily find visually appealing professional templates at SlideUpLift, where you can browse hundreds of customizable templates!
4. Know your audience
Imagine participating in a conference you have been very excited to attend. You have taken your seat in the audience, and the curtains roll up; out comes the presenter, and that is when you realize that the presenter is just talking about things you already know! You are bound to get annoyed as you had hoped to learn something new, not something you already knew. That is exactly why you need to research your audience; since many conferences now use mobile apps, it is easier to study than before. You will easily find out who attends the meeting and what they specialize in.
5. Use visuals to your advantage
Using visuals in your presentation is as important as adding key points. When you use a visual element in your presentation, it helps the audience understand what you are trying to explain while grabbing their attention. They help reinforce what you are talking about while presenting. It doesn’t matter if you are at a conference; using visuals is important.
Imagine you are in a conference, and the presenter pulls out slides just filled with text. (It is bound to get pretty boring). So, we suggest using clean and simple elements in your presentation because if you use complex images, you will lose your audience’s interest.
If you find designing a consistent PowerPoint presentation daunting, you can check out SlideUpLift’s PowerPoint templates. These 100% customizable templates ensure you follow your presentation theme without any design expertise!
6. Keep on practicing
We all have heard the quote, “Practice Makes Perfect!” which is absolutely true. If you do not practice your presentation, you will get nervous when the spotlight is on you. This will soon become stage fright, stopping you from performing at your best. Rehearsing for your conference presentation is among the most important things you must do. Speak out loud when rehearsing because you need to be familiar with how you say your words. The more familiar you get, the more confidence you will gain for your presentation! You can even record yourself and hear it to understand where you made a mistake or hand it over to a friend and ask them to be critical about it; this, in turn, will help reduce your nerves as well.
7. Always have a backup
Murphy’s Law states that if anything can go wrong, then it will go wrong. So, it is always better to have a backup plan with you. If you are carrying your presentation on a hard drive, then upload your presentation on the cloud cause a hard drive can face technical difficulties. Even the cloud system can face issues, so email yourself a copy of your presentation and keep a copy with your organizer/colleague as per guidelines.
If your presentation has a video that requires audio systems, it is best to inform the organizers beforehand since not all venues come with the necessary technology to display your presentation as you want.
8. Dress accordingly
Dressing accordingly is a very simple tip when presenting at a conference, but it is also a really important one. One thing that you need to understand before choosing your outfit, you need to know what type of conference it is. Can you wear an informal outfit, or is it necessary to wear a formal outfit? The reason is that appearances matter a lot; they create an impact and make the audience feel that you are serious about your presentation!
If you need help on how to dress for a presentation, then our medium article on what to wear for a presentation will surely guide you in understanding what to wear!
9. Keep your body language in mind
Your body language plays a massive role when presenting in front of a crowd! When you’re speaking, your tone, gestures, confidence, and positivity are all dictated by your body language. In conferences, presentations are usually information-heavy, and you must use your body and gestures to communicate your point. You also need to maintain eye contact with your audience, as it will make them feel connected with you, but only stare at one person briefly.
10. Interact with your audience
One good tip on how to present at a conference is to interact with your audience! Everyone in the audience is there to hear and absorb all the information you have to share, and a great way to help them understand everything you have said is by interacting with them. A small Q&A session can do wonders for everyone in the room. It is okay if you don’t have an answer for a question; you can say that you’ll get back to them instead of improvising on an answer on the spot.
These were all the tips that we had to help you with how to present at a conference. Try to avoid the various common presentation mistakes that people make, and you will absolutely hit the ball out of the park with your presentation. We wish you all the very best, and if you are looking for professional templates, you can check out our vast collection of professional PowerPoint `templates!
