conference and presentation skills

• Online Degree Explore Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees
• MasterTrack™ Earn credit towards a Master’s degree
• University Certificates Advance your career with graduate-level learning
• Top Courses
• Join for Free

What Are Effective Presentation Skills (and How to Improve Them)

Presentation skills are essential for your personal and professional life. Learn about effective presentations and how to boost your presenting techniques.

At least seven out of 10 Americans agree that presentation skills are essential for a successful career [ 1 ]. Although it might be tempting to think that these are skills reserved for people interested in public speaking roles, they're critical in a diverse range of jobs. For example, you might need to brief your supervisor on research results.

Presentation skills are also essential in other scenarios, including working with a team and explaining your thought process, walking clients through project ideas and timelines, and highlighting your strengths and achievements to your manager during performance reviews.

Whatever the scenario, you have very little time to capture your audience’s attention and get your point across when presenting information—about three seconds, according to research [ 2 ]. Effective presentation skills help you get your point across and connect with the people you’re communicating with, which is why nearly every employer requires them.

Understanding what presentation skills are is only half the battle. Honing your presenting techniques is essential for mastering presentations of all kinds and in all settings.

What are presentation skills?

Presentation skills are the abilities and qualities necessary for creating and delivering a compelling presentation that effectively communicates information and ideas. They encompass what you say, how you structure it, and the materials you include to support what you say, such as slides, videos, or images.

You'll make presentations at various times in your life. Examples include:

Making speeches at a wedding, conference, or another event

Making a toast at a dinner or event

Explaining projects to a team 

Delivering results and findings to management teams

Teaching people specific methods or information

Proposing a vote at community group meetings

Pitching a new idea or business to potential partners or investors

Why are presentation skills important? 

Delivering effective presentations is critical in your professional and personal life. You’ll need to hone your presentation skills in various areas, such as when giving a speech, convincing your partner to make a substantial purchase, and talking to friends and family about an important situation.

No matter if you’re using them in a personal or professional setting, these are the skills that make it easier and more effective to convey your ideas, convince or persuade others, and experience success. A few of the benefits that often accompany improving your presentation skills include:

Enriched written and verbal communication skills

Enhanced confidence and self-image

Boosted critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities

Better motivational techniques

Increased leadership skills

Expanded time management, negotiation, and creativity

The better your presenting techniques, the more engaging your presentations will be. You could also have greater opportunities to make positive impacts in business and other areas of your life.

Effective presentation skills

Imagine yourself in the audience at a TED Talk or sitting with your coworkers at a big meeting held by your employer. What would you be looking for in how they deliver their message? What would make you feel engaged?

These are a few questions to ask yourself as you review this list of some of the most effective presentation skills.

Verbal communication

How you use language and deliver messages play essential roles in how your audience will receive your presentation. Speak clearly and confidently, projecting your voice enough to ensure everyone can hear. Think before you speak, pausing when necessary and tailoring the way you talk to resonate with your particular audience.

Body language

Body language combines various critical elements, including posture, gestures, eye contact, expressions, and position in front of the audience. Body language is one of the elements that can instantly transform a presentation that would otherwise be dull into one that's dynamic and interesting.

Voice projection

The ability to project your voice improves your presentation by allowing your audience to hear what you're saying. It also increases your confidence to help settle any lingering nerves while also making your message more engaging. To project your voice, stand comfortably with your shoulders back. Take deep breaths to power your speaking voice and ensure you enunciate every syllable you speak.

How you present yourself plays a role in your body language and ability to project your voice. It also sets the tone for the presentation. Avoid slouching or looking overly tense. Instead, remain open, upright, and adaptable while taking the formality of the occasion into account.

Storytelling

Incorporating storytelling into a presentation is an effective strategy used by many powerful public speakers. It has the power to bring your subject to life and pique the audience’s curiosity. Don’t be afraid to tell a personal story, slowly building up suspense or adding a dramatic moment. And, of course, be sure to end with a positive takeaway to drive your point home.

Active listening

Active listening is a valuable skill all on its own. When you understand and thoughtfully respond to what you hear—whether it's in a conversation or during a presentation—you’ll likely deepen your personal relationships and actively engage audiences during a presentation. As part of your presentation skill set, it helps catch and maintain the audience’s attention, helping them remain focused while minimizing passive response, ensuring the message is delivered correctly, and encouraging a call to action.

Stage presence

During a presentation, projecting confidence can help keep your audience engaged. Stage presence can help you connect with your audience and encourage them to want to watch you. To improve your presence, try amping up your normal demeanor by infusing it with a bit of enthusiasm. Project confidence and keep your information interesting.

Watch your audience as you’re presenting. If you’re holding their attention, it likely means you’re connecting well with them.

Self-awareness

Monitoring your own emotions and reactions will allow you to react well in various situations. It helps you remain personable throughout your presentation and handle feedback well. Self-awareness can help soothe nervousness during presentations, allowing you to perform more effectively.

Writing skills

Writing is a form of presentation. Sharp writing skills can help you master your presentation’s outline to ensure you stay on message and remain clear about your objectives from the beginning until the end. It’s also helpful to have strong writing abilities for creating compelling slides and other visual aids.

Understanding an audience

When you understand your audience's needs and interests, you can design your presentation around them. In turn, you'll deliver maximum value to them and enhance your ability to make your message easy to understand.

Learn more about presentation skills from industry experts at SAP:

How to improve presentation skills

There’s an art to public speaking. Just like any other type of art, this is one that requires practice. Improving your presentation skills will help reduce miscommunications, enhance your time management capabilities, and boost your leadership skills. Here are some ways you can improve these skills:

Work on self-confidence.

When you’re confident, you naturally speak more clearly and with more authority. Taking the time to prepare your presentation with a strong opening and compelling visual aids can help you feel more confident. Other ways to improve your self-confidence include practicing positive self-talk, surrounding yourself with positive people, and avoiding comparing yourself (or your presentation) to others.

Develop strategies for overcoming fear.

Many people are nervous or fearful before giving a presentation. A bad memory of a past performance or insufficient self-confidence can contribute to fear and anxiety. Having a few go-to strategies like deep breathing, practicing your presentation, and grounding can help you transform that fear into extra energy to put into your stage presence.

Learn grounding techniques.

Grounding is any type of technique that helps you steer your focus away from distressing thoughts and keeps you connected with your present self. To ground yourself, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and imagine you’re a large, mature tree with roots extending deep into the earth—like the tree, you can become unshakable.

Learn how to use presentation tools.

Visual aids and other technical support can transform an otherwise good presentation into a wow-worthy one. A few popular presentation tools include:

Canva: Provides easy-to-design templates you can customize

Powtoon: Animation software that makes video creation fast and easy

PowerPoint: Microsoft's iconic program popular for dynamic marketing and sales presentations

Practice breathing techniques.

Breathing techniques can help quell anxiety, making it easier to shake off pre-presentation jitters and nerves. It also helps relax your muscles and get more oxygen to your brain.  For some pre-presentation calmness, you can take deep breaths, slowly inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

While presenting, breathe in through your mouth with the back of your tongue relaxed so your audience doesn't hear a gasping sound. Speak on your exhalation, maintaining a smooth voice.

Gain experience.

The more you practice, the better you’ll become. The more you doanything, the more comfortable you’ll feel engaging in that activity. Presentations are no different. Repeatedly practicing your own presentation also offers the opportunity to get feedback from other people and tweak your style and content as needed.

Tips to help you ace your presentation

Your presentation isn’t about you; it’s about the material you’re presenting. Sometimes, reminding yourself of this ahead of taking center stage can help take you out of your head, allowing you to connect effectively with your audience. The following are some of the many actions you can take on the day of your presentation.

Arrive early.

Since you may have a bit of presentation-related anxiety, it’s important to avoid adding travel stress. Give yourself an abundance of time to arrive at your destination, and take into account heavy traffic and other unforeseen events. By arriving early, you also give yourself time to meet with any on-site technicians, test your equipment, and connect with people ahead of the presentation.

Become familiar with the layout of the room.

Arriving early also gives you time to assess the room and figure out where you want to stand. Experiment with the acoustics to determine how loudly you need to project your voice, and test your equipment to make sure everything connects and appears properly with the available setup. This is an excellent opportunity to work out any last-minute concerns and move around to familiarize yourself with the setting for improved stage presence.

Listen to presenters ahead of you.

When you watch others present, you'll get a feel for the room's acoustics and lighting. You can also listen for any data that’s relevant to your presentation and revisit it during your presentation—this can make the presentation more interactive and engaging.

Use note cards.

Writing yourself a script could provide you with more comfort. To prevent sounding too robotic or disengaged, only include talking points in your note cards in case you get off track. Using note cards can help keep your presentation organized while sounding more authentic to your audience.

Learn to deliver clear and confident presentations with Dynamic Public Speaking from the University of Washington. Build confidence, develop new delivery techniques, and practice strategies for crafting compelling presentations for different purposes, occasions, and audiences.

Article sources

Forbes. “ New Survey: 70% Say Presentation Skills are Critical for Career Success , https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/09/25/new-survey-70-percent-say-presentation-skills-critical-for-career-success/?sh=619f3ff78890.” Accessed December 7, 2022.

Beautiful.ai. “ 15 Presentation and Public Speaking Stats You Need to Know , https://www.beautiful.ai/blog/15-presentation-and-public-speaking-stats-you-need-to-know. Accessed December 7, 2022.

Keep reading

Coursera staff.

Editorial Team

Coursera’s editorial team is comprised of highly experienced professional editors, writers, and fact...

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

Home Blog Education Presentation Skills 101: A Guide to Presentation Success

Presentation Skills 101: A Guide to Presentation Success

Getting the perfect presentation design is just a step toward a successful presentation. For the experienced user, building presentation skills is the answer to elevating the power of your message and showing expertise on any subject. Still, one can ask: is it the same set of skills, or are they dependable on the type of presentation?

In this article, we will introduce the different types of presentations accompanied by the skillset required to master them. The purpose, as always, is to retain the audience’s interest for a long-lasting and convincing message.

Table of Contents

The Importance of Presentation Skills

Persuasive presentations, instructional presentations, informative presentations, inspirational presentations, basic presentation skills, what are the main difficulties when giving a presentation, recommendations to improve your presentation skills, closing statement.

Effective communication is the answer to reaching business and academic goals. The scenarios in which we can be required to deliver a presentation are as diverse as one can imagine. Still, some core concepts apply to all presentations.

 We define presentation skills as a compendium of soft skills that directly affect your presentation performance and contribute to creating a great presentation. These are not qualities acquired by birth but skills you ought to train and master to delve into professional environments.

You may ask: is it really that evident when a presenter is not prepared? Here are some common signs people can experience during presentations:

• Evasive body language: Not making eye contact with the audience, arms closed tightly to the body, hands in pockets all the time.
• Lack of interest in the presenter’s voice: dull tone, not putting an effort to articulate the topics.
• Doubting when asked to answer a question
• Irksome mood

The list can go on about common presenter mistakes , and most certainly, it will affect the performance of any presented data if the lack of interest by the presenter is blatantly obvious.  Another element to consider is anxiety, and according to research by the National Institute of Mental Health, 73% of the population in the USA is affected by glossophobia , which is the fear of public speaking, judgment, or negative evaluation by other people.

Therefore, presentation skills training is essential for any business professional who wants to achieve effective communication . It will remove the anxiety from presentation performance and help users effectively deliver their message and connect with the audience.

Archetypes of presentations

Persuasive presentations aim to convince the audience – often in short periods – to acquire a product or service, adhere to a cause, or invest in a company. For business entrepreneurs or politicians, persuasive presentations are their tool for the trade.

Unless you aim to be perceived as an imposter, a proper persuasive presentation has the elements of facts, empathy, and logic, balanced under a well-crafted narrative. The central pillar of these presentations is to identify the single factor that gathered your audience: it could be a market need, a social cause, or a revolutionary concept for today’s society. It has to be something with enough power to gather critiques – both good and bad.

That single factor has to be backed up by facts. Research that builds your hypothesis on how to solve that problem. A deep understanding of the target audience’s needs , concerns, and social position regarding the solution your means can offer. When those elements are in place, building a pitch becomes an easy task. 

Graphics can help you introduce information in a compelling format, lowering the need for lengthy presentations. Good presentation skills for persuasive presentations go by the hand of filtering relevant data and creating the visual cues that resonate with what your audience demands.

One powerful example of a persuasive presentation is the technique known as the elevator pitch . You must introduce your idea or product convincingly to the audience in a timeframe between 30 seconds and less than 2 minutes. You have to expose:

• What do you do 
• What’s the problem to solve
• Why is your solution different from others 
• Why should the audience care about your expertise

For that very purpose, using engaging graphics with contrasting colors elevates the potential power of your message. It speaks professionalism, care for details, and out-of-the-box thinking. Knowing how to end a presentation is also critical, as your CTAs should be placed with care.

Therefore, let’s resume the requirements of persuasive presentations in terms of good presentation skills:

• Identifying problems and needs
• Elaborating “the hook” (the element that grabs the audience’s attention)
• Knowing how to “tie” your audience (introducing a piece of information related to the hook that causes an emotional impact)
• Broad knowledge of body language and hand gestures to quickly convey your message
• Being prepared to argue a defense of your point of view
• Handling rejection
• Having a proactive attitude to convert opportunities into new projects
• Using humor, surprise, or personal anecdotes as elements to sympathize with the audience
• Having confidence
• Be able to summarize facts and information in visually appealing ways

You can learn more about persuasive presentation techniques by clicking here .

In the case of instructional presentations, we ought to differentiate two distinctive types:

• Lecture Presentations : Presentations being held at universities or any other educative institution. Those presentations cover, topic by topic, and the contents of a syllabus and are created by the team of teachers in charge of the course.
• Training Presentations : These presentations take place during in-company training sessions and usually comprise a good amount of content that is resumed into easy-to-take solutions. They are aimed to coach employees over certain topics relevant to their work performance. The 70-20-10 Model is frequently used to address these training situations.

Lecture presentations appeal to the gradual introduction of complex concepts, following a structure set in the course’s syllabus. These presentations often have a similar aesthetic as a group of professors or researchers created to share their knowledge about a topic. Personal experience does tell that course presentations often rely on factual data, adequately documented, and on the theoretical side.

An example of a presentation that lies under this concept is a Syllabus Presentation, used by the teaching team to introduce the subject to new students, evaluation methods, concepts to be learned, and expectations to pass the course.

On the other hand, training presentations are slide decks designed to meet an organization’s specific needs in the formal education of their personnel. Commonly known as “continuous education,” plenty of companies invest resources in coaching their employees to achieve higher performance results. These presentations have the trademark of being concise since their idea is to introduce the concepts that shall be applied in practice sessions. 

Ideally, the training presentations are introduced with little text and easy-to-recognize visual cues. Since the idea is to summarize as much as possible, these are visually appealing for the audience. They must be dynamic enough to allow the presenter to convey the message.

Those key takeaways remind employees when they revisit their learning resources and allow them to ruminate on questions that fellow workers raise. 

To sum up this point, building presentation skills for instructional presentations requires:

• Ability to put complex concepts into simpler words
• Patience and a constant learning mindset
• Voice training to deliver lengthy speeches without being too dense
• Ability to summarize points and note the key takeaways
• Empathizing with the audience to understand their challenges in the learning process

The informative presentations take place in business situations, such as when to present project reports from different departments to the management. Another potential usage of these presentations is in SCRUM or other Agile methodologies, when a sprint is completed, to discuss the advance of the project with the Product Owner.

As they are presentations heavily dependent on data insights, it’s common to see the usage of infographics and charts to express usually dense data in simpler terms and easy to remember. 

Informative presentations don’t just fall into the business category. Ph.D. Dissertation and Thesis presentations are topics that belong to the informative presentations category as they condense countless research hours into manageable reports for the academic jury. 

Since these informational presentations can be perceived as lengthy and data-filled, it is important to learn the following professional presentation skills:

• Attention to detail
• Be able to explain complex information in simpler terms
• Creative thinking
• Powerful diction
• Working on pauses and transitions
• Pacing the presentation, so not too much information is divulged per slide

The leading inspirational platform, TEDx, comes to mind when talking about inspirational presentations. This presentation format has the peculiarity of maximizing the engagement with the audience to divulge a message, and due to that, it has specific requirements any presenter must meet.

This presentation format usually involves a speaker on a stage, either sitting or better standing, in which the presenter engages with the audience with a storytelling format about a life experience, a job done that provided a remarkable improvement for society, etc.

Empathizing with the audience is the key ingredient for these inspirational presentations. Still, creativity is what shapes the outcome of your performance as people are constantly looking for different experiences – not the same recipe rephrased with personal touches. The human factor is what matters here, way above data and research. What has your experience to offer to others? How can it motivate another human being to pursue a similar path or discover their true calling?

To achieve success in terms of communication skills presentation, these inspirational presentations have the following requirements:

• Focus on the audience (engage, consider their interests, and make them a part of your story)
• Putting ego aside
• Creative communication skills
• Storytelling skills
• Body language knowledge to apply the correct gestures to accompany your story
• Voice training
• Using powerful words

After discussing the different kinds of presentations we can come across at any stage of our lives, a group of presentation skills is standard in any type of presentation. See below what makes a good presentation and which skills you must count on to succeed as a presenter.

Punctuality

Punctuality is a crucial aspect of giving an effective presentation. Nothing says more about respect for your audience and the organization you represent than delivering the presentation on time . Arriving last minute puts pressure on the tech team behind audiovisuals, as they don’t have enough preparation to test microphones, stage lights, and projector settings, which can lead to a less powerful presentation Even when discussing presentations hosted in small rooms for a reduced audience, testing the equipment becomes essential for an effective presentation.

A solution for this is to arrive at least 30 minutes early. Ideally, one hour is a sweet spot since the AV crew has time to check the gear and requirements for your presentation. Another benefit of this, for example, in inspirational presentations, is measuring the previous presenter’s impact on the audience. This gives insights about how to resonate with the public, and their interest, and how to accommodate your presentation for maximum impact.

Body Language

Our bodies can make emotions transparent for others, even when we are unaware of such a fact. Proper training for body language skills reduces performance anxiety, giving the audience a sense of expertise about the presented topic. 

Give your presentation and the audience the respect they deserve by watching over these potential mistakes:

• Turning your back to the audience for extended periods : It’s okay to do so when introducing an important piece of information or explaining a graph, but it is considered rude to give your back to the audience constantly.
• Fidgeting : We are all nervous in the presence of strangers, even more, if we are the center of attention for that moment. Instead of playing with your hair or making weird hand gestures, take a deep breath to center yourself before the presentation and remember that everything you could do to prepare is already done. Trust your instincts and give your best.
• Intense eye contact : Have you watched a video where the presenter stared at the camera the entire time? That’s the feeling you transmit to spectators through intense eye contact. It’s a practice often used by politicians to persuade.
• Swearing : This is a no-brainer. Even when you see influencers swearing on camera or in podcasts or live presentations, it is considered an informal and lousy practice for business and academic situations. If you have a habit to break when it comes to this point, find the humor in these situations and replace your swear words with funny alternatives (if the presentation allows for it). 

Voice Tone plays a crucial role in delivering effective presentations and knowing how to give a good presentation. Your voice is a powerful tool for exposing your ideas and feelings . Your voice can articulate the message you are telling, briefing the audience if you feel excited about what you are sharing or, in contrast, if you feel the presentation is a burden you ought to complete.

Remember, passion is a primary ingredient in convincing people. Therefore, transmitting such passion with a vibrant voice may help gather potential business partners’ interest.  

But what if you feel sick prior to the presentation? If, by chance, your throat is sore minutes before setting foot on the stage, try this: when introducing yourself, mention that you are feeling a bit under the weather. This resonates with the audience to pay more attention to your efforts. In case you don’t feel comfortable about that, ask the organizers for a cup of tea, as it will settle your throat and relax your nerves.

Tech Skills

Believe it or not, people still feel challenged by technology these days. Maybe that’s the reason why presentation giants like Tony Robbins opt not to use PowerPoint presentations . The reality is that there are plenty of elements involved in a presentation that can go wrong from the tech side:

• A PDF not opening
• Saving your presentation in a too-recent PowerPoint version
• A computer not booting up
• Mac laptops and their never-ending compatibility nightmare
• Not knowing how to change between slides
• Not knowing how to use a laser pointer
• Internet not working
• Audio not working

We can come up with a pretty long list of potential tech pitfalls, and yet more than half of them fall in presenters not being knowledgeable about technology.

If computers aren’t your thing, let the organization know about this beforehand. There is always a crew member available to help presenters switch between slides or configure the presentation for streaming. This takes the pressure off your shoulders, allowing you to concentrate on the content to present. Remember, even Bill Gates can get a BSOD during a presentation .

Presentations, while valuable for conveying information and ideas, can be daunting for many individuals. Here are some common difficulties people encounter when giving presentations:

Public Speaking Anxiety

Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, affects a significant portion of the population. This anxiety can lead to nervousness, trembling, and forgetfulness during a presentation.

Lack of Confidence

Many presenters struggle with self-doubt, fearing that they may not be knowledgeable or skilled enough to engage their audience effectively.

Content Organization

Organizing information in a coherent and engaging manner can be challenging. Presenters often grapple with how to structure their content to make it easily digestible for the audience. Artificial Intelligence can help us significantly reduce the content arrangement time when you work with tools like our AI Presentation Maker (made for presenters by experts in presentation design). 

Audience Engagement

Keeping the audience’s attention and interest throughout the presentation can be difficult. Distractions, disengaged attendees, or lack of interaction can pose challenges.

Technical Issues

Technology glitches, such as malfunctioning equipment, incompatible file formats, or poor internet connectivity, can disrupt presentations and increase stress.

Time Management

Striking the right balance between providing enough information and staying within time limits is a common challenge. Going over or under the allotted time can affect the effectiveness of the presentation.

Handling Questions and Challenges

Responding to unexpected questions, criticism, or challenges from the audience can be difficult, especially when presenters are unprepared or lack confidence in their subject matter.

Visual Aids and Technology

Creating and effectively using visual aids like slides or multimedia can be a struggle for some presenters. Technical competence is essential in this aspect.

Language and Articulation

Poor language skills or unclear articulation can hinder effective communication. Presenters may worry about stumbling over words or failing to convey their message clearly.

Maintaining appropriate and confident body language can be challenging. Avoiding nervous habits, maintaining eye contact, and using gestures effectively requires practice.

Overcoming Impersonal Delivery

In virtual presentations, maintaining a personal connection with the audience can be difficult. The absence of face-to-face interaction can make it challenging to engage and read the audience.

Cultural and Diversity Awareness

Presenting to diverse audiences requires sensitivity to cultural differences and varying levels of familiarity with the topic.

In this section, we gathered some tips on how to improve presentation skills that can certainly make an impact if applied to your presentation skills. We believe these skills can be cultivated to transform into habits for your work routine.

Tip #1: Build a narrative

One memorable way to guarantee presentation success is by writing a story of all the points you desire to cover. This statement is based on the logic behind storytelling and its power to connect with people .

Don’t waste time memorizing slides or reading your presentation to the audience. It feels unnatural, and any question that diverts from the topic in discussion certainly puts you in jeopardy or, worse, exposes you as a fraud in the eyes of the audience. And before you ask, it is really evident when a presenter has a memorized speech. 

Build and rehearse the presentation as if telling a story to a group of interested people. Lower the language barrier by avoiding complex terms that maybe even you aren’t fully aware of their meaning. Consider the ramifications of that story, what it could lead to, and which are the opportunities to explore. Then, visualize yourself giving the presentation in a natural way.

Applying this technique makes the presentation feel like second nature to you. It broadens the spectrum in which you can show expertise over a topic or even build the basis for new interesting points of view about the project.

Tip #2: Don’t talk for more than 3 minutes per slide

It is a common practice of presenters to bombard the audience with facts and information whilst retaining the same slide on the screen. Why can this happen? It could be because the presenter condensed the talk into very few slides and preferred to talk. The reality is that your spectators won’t retain the information you are giving unless you give visual cues to help that process. 

Opt to prepare more slides and pace your speech to match the topics shown on each slide. Don’t spend more than 3 minutes per slide unless you have to introduce a complex piece of data. Use visual cues to direct the spectators about what you talk about, and summarize the principal concepts discussed at the end of each section.

Tip #3: Practice meditation daily

Anxiety is the number one enemy of professional presenters. It slowly builds without you being aware of your doubts and can hinder your performance in multiple ways: making you feel paralyzed, fidgeting, making you forget language skills or concepts, affecting your health, etc.

Meditation is an ancient practice taken from Buddhist teachings that train your mind to be here in the present. We often see the concepts of meditation and mindfulness as synonyms, whereas you should be aware that meditation is a practice that sets the blocks to reach a state of mindfulness. For presenters, being in the here and now is essential to retain focus, but meditation techniques also teach us to control our breathing and be in touch with our body signals when stress builds up. 

The customary practice of meditation has an impact on imagination and creativity but also helps to build patience – a skill much needed for connecting with your audience in instructional presentations.

Having the proper set of presentation skills can be quite subjective. It goes beyond presentation tips and deepens into how flexible we can be in our ability to communicate ideas.

Different presentations and different audiences shape the outcome of our efforts. Therefore, having a basic understanding of how to connect, raise awareness, and empathize with people can be key ingredients for your career as a presenter. A word of advice: success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes dedication and patience to build communication skills . Don’t condition your work to believe you will be ready “someday”; it’s best to practice and experience failure as part of the learning process.

Like this article? Please share

Business Presentations, Presentation Approaches, Presentation Skills Filed under Education

Related Articles

Filed under Design • March 27th, 2024

How to Make a Presentation Graph

Detailed step-by-step instructions to master the art of how to make a presentation graph in PowerPoint and Google Slides. Check it out!

Filed under Presentation Ideas • February 29th, 2024

How to Make a Fundraising Presentation (with Thermometer Templates & Slides)

Meet a new framework to design fundraising presentations by harnessing the power of fundraising thermometer templates. Detailed guide with examples.

Filed under Presentation Ideas • February 15th, 2024

How to Create a 5 Minutes Presentation

Master the art of short-format speeches like the 5 minutes presentation with this article. Insights on content structure, audience engagement and more.

Leave a Reply

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

How to Give a Killer Presentation

• Chris Anderson

For more than 30 years, the TED conference series has presented enlightening talks that people enjoy watching. In this article, Anderson, TED’s curator, shares five keys to great presentations:

• Frame your story (figure out where to start and where to end).
• Plan your delivery (decide whether to memorize your speech word for word or develop bullet points and then rehearse it—over and over).
• Work on stage presence (but remember that your story matters more than how you stand or whether you’re visibly nervous).
• Plan the multimedia (whatever you do, don’t read from PowerPoint slides).
• Put it together (play to your strengths and be authentic).

According to Anderson, presentations rise or fall on the quality of the idea, the narrative, and the passion of the speaker. It’s about substance—not style. In fact, it’s fairly easy to “coach out” the problems in a talk, but there’s no way to “coach in” the basic story—the presenter has to have the raw material. So if your thinking is not there yet, he advises, decline that invitation to speak. Instead, keep working until you have an idea that’s worth sharing.

Lessons from TED

A little more than a year ago, on a trip to Nairobi, Kenya, some colleagues and I met a 12-year-old Masai boy named Richard Turere, who told us a fascinating story. His family raises livestock on the edge of a vast national park, and one of the biggest challenges is protecting the animals from lions—especially at night. Richard had noticed that placing lamps in a field didn’t deter lion attacks, but when he walked the field with a torch, the lions stayed away. From a young age, he’d been interested in electronics, teaching himself by, for example, taking apart his parents’ radio. He used that experience to devise a system of lights that would turn on and off in sequence—using solar panels, a car battery, and a motorcycle indicator box—and thereby create a sense of movement that he hoped would scare off the lions. He installed the lights, and the lions stopped attacking. Soon villages elsewhere in Kenya began installing Richard’s “lion lights.”

• CA Chris Anderson is the curator of TED.

Partner Center

Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

Let’s talk

Change isn’t easy, but we can help. Together we’ll create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.

© 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.

• Privacy Policy
• Copyright Information
• Terms of Use
• About Harvard Business Publishing
• Higher Education
• Harvard Business Review
• Harvard Business School

We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies and revised Privacy Policy .

Cookie and Privacy Settings

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

THE PRESENTATION SKILLS EVENT FOR TECH TEAMS

Upcoming events, sofia,bulgaria, hybrid event, 4th edition.

See what's coming

For the last three years we delivered a conference very few believed we will. This year, we are making the next step. But this time only for you – the tech teams. Get ready to join and experience event like no other.

Teaching you exactly what you need to know

The topics are carefully selected from our experience as tech people and company that delivers courses to many of the top tech brands in the world. We have one track only and yes, the order of the sessions will be intentional.

Mastering Cross-Cultural Presentations

Bug Fixes for Presentations: The Checklist

What Can We Learn From Google When Creating Data Visualizations

AI Innovations Within Presentations: Mid-2024 Snapshot

PowerPoint Copilot: Current and the Future

Learn How to Use Effective Body Language Like Actors Do

Speaking at Conferences and the Secret to Becoming a Top-Rated Speaker

Setting up for and Delivering Successful Technical Demos

IN-PERSON ATTENDEES

ONLINE ATTENDEES

Most trending topics

PAULA JANUSZKIEWICZ

Security Expert, Top-Rated Speaker at RSA 2022, Microsoft Ignite and Black Hat Asia

Founder of StageHeroes, trainer and presentation coach

The people you want to learn from

See all speakers.

Database expert, Microsoft Certified Master (MCM),  Top-Rated Speaker at PASS Summit

Founder & Creative Director at Slides presentation agency

IDA HOLTEN WORSØE

Actor & Trainer at Ergo;ego 

Choose your ticket type

In-person tickets 485 /850.

Prices with VAT incl. Company invoices possible. Full refund 30 days after purchase. The whole event and the recordings will be in English only.

Access to all sessions & panels

Network, chat and meet all speakers and sponsors

Create connections and meet 850+ attendees from different business areas

Win great prizes from our sponsors

🥗 Coffee breaks and lunch break during the day

🥳 Cocktail party with Pernod Ricard after the event's end

😮 Lifetime access to the lessons learned document full of insights from each session

🎉 Lifetime access to all session recordings ​

🔥 Lifetime access to all 30+ sessions from Present to Succeed 2023

(Granted after the event, worth €120)

🎉 Lifetime access to all session recordings

🔥 Lifetime access to the full archive of recordings from Present to Succeed

(50+ hours of presentation content worth €300 granted after the event)

🤩 VIP consulting with 356labs after the event (30 mins worth €250)

GROUP DISCOUNTS

Save up to 60%.

Only Premium and VIP tickets available  

Use them to join live, online or as an e-Learning opportunity 

People claim their access themselves through a custom promo code we provide to you

😮 Tickets in the package - from 3 to 25+

🔥 Recordings from previous events included and granted immediately after the event

⭐ VIP group tickets include private consulting

SPECIAL PRICES FOR GROUPS AND TEAMS

🕒 30-day access to all session recordings

Really impressed with the Present to Succeed Conference 2022! Great content, amazing speakers, and a really rich and well-delivered attendee experience. Kudos to the organizers!

RADINA RASHEVA

Social Engagement Manager

Wow! You rocked not only the conference but with this interactive survey approach, you nailed the customer satisfaction research process as well! Impressive and remarkable!

DESSISLAVA DILOVSKA

Continuous Improvement Lead

Today was a great day! Thank you 356labs for this amazing work and organizing Present to Succeed Conference.

KRASIMIR KOVACHKI

Infrastructure Architect

Present to Succeed was a world event! Bravo, bravo, bravo 356labs! Excellence is never an accident!

STEFANI MANCHEVA

Web Content Writer

Many people already experienced it

Online tickets.

Prices with VAT incl. Company invoices possible. Full refund 30 days after purchase.   The whole event and the recordings will be in English only.

Access to all sessions & panels​

Network with hundreds of online attendees

Connect with in-person attendees between sessions

Participate in all sessions’ QA

​Access from any device

Browse the expo booths and chat with the sponsors

👋 Meet the speakers during the breaks (exclusive online-only opportunity)

🔥 Lifetime access to 30+ sessions from Present to Succeed 2023

​Network with hundreds of online attendees

👋 Meet the speakers during the breaks  (exclusive online-only opportunity)

(50+ hours of presentation content worth €300 granted after the event)

SAVE UP TO 70%

😮 Tickets in the package - from 5 to 250+

SPECIAL PRICES

For groups and teams.

Access from any device

IN-PERSON TICKETS 751/850

Prices with VAT incl. Company invoices possible. Full refund 30 days after purchase.  The whole event and the recordings will be in English only.

🍸 Cocktail party with Pernod Ricard after the event's end

😮 Lifetime access to the lessons learned file from each session

🎉 Lifetime access to all session recordings after their upload ​

(Granted immediately, worth €120)

🎉 Lifetime access to all session recordings after their upload

(50+ hours of world-class presentation content worth €300 granted immediately)

🔥 Recordings from previous events included and granted immediately after registration

🕒 30-day access to all session recordings after their upload

At an awsome venue or from home

At 356labs we don’t do anything if it’s not world class. That’s why, we will again host the event in the most premium location in the country. And the streaming – as flawless as the last 3 years with the help of Hopin.

Who's this event for?

Participate in all sessions’ QA

(Granted immediately, worth €120)

Access to all 20+ world-class sessions

Customizable agenda

(50+ hours of presentation content worth €300 granted immediately)

PREVIOUS EVENT

How to make a great presentation

Stressed about an upcoming presentation? These talks are full of helpful tips on how to get up in front of an audience and make a lasting impression.

The secret structure of great talks

The beauty of data visualization

TED's secret to great public speaking

How to speak so that people want to listen

How great leaders inspire action

A Conference Speaker Toolbox: Essential Skills for Presentations

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation

Embarking on the exploration of A Conference Speaker Toolbox: Essential Skills for Presentations , we delve into the intricate world of conference speaking skills. From unravelling the essence of a conference speaker to navigating the journey of becoming one and dissecting the vital skills necessary for impactful presentations, this toolbox aims to empower both seasoned speakers and those aspiring to take the stage. Let’s embark on a journey through expertise, networking strategies, and dynamic skills crucial for creating engaging and informative conference presentations.

Who Is A Conference Speaker?

10 essential conference speaker skills for presentations , how to become a conference speaker, benefits of speaking at a conference, conclusion..

A conference speaker serves as the knowledgeable and engaging voice at conferences or similar events. These individuals are often experts or seasoned professionals within a specific field, invited to share their insights, experiences, and perspectives with the audience. The topics covered by conference speakers can be diverse, spanning academic, technical, business, leadership, motivational, and personal development subjects.

The role of a conference speaker is pivotal in enriching the overall conference experience. They contribute by delivering valuable information, dynamic presentations, and opportunities for attendees to connect and learn. Selection criteria for speakers may include their expertise, reputation, and alignment with the conference’s theme or focus. Keynote speakers, in particular, are prominent figures in their fields, invited to deliver impactful addresses that set the tone for the entire event.

Beyond traditional in-person conferences, speakers may also participate in virtual or online events, such as webinars, adapting to the evolving landscape of digital communication.

Effective conference speakers possess a combination of skills that contribute to engaging and impactful presentations. Here are some essential conference speaker skills:

1. Communication Skills:

Clarity: Clearly articulate ideas and concepts, avoiding jargon that might be confusing to the audience. 

Example: When explaining the benefits of sustainable energy practices at a green technology conference, avoid technical jargon and use clear, simple language to ensure everyone in the audience understands the concepts.

Confidence: Project confidence in your voice and body language to establish credibility.

Example: Stand tall, make eye contact, and speak with a steady voice while presenting research findings on artificial intelligence at a technology summit, projecting confidence to establish authority.

Active Listening: Pay attention to audience reactions and adjust your presentation based on their engagement.

Example: During a marketing strategies presentation, pay attention to audience reactions. If you notice confusion, pause and ask for questions to clarify any misunderstood points.

2. Subject Matter Expertise:

In-depth Knowledge: Demonstrate a deep understanding of your topic, providing valuable insights and practical information.

Example: Present on advancements in cancer research with a focus on personalized medicine, showcasing a deep understanding of the topic and its potential impact on healthcare at a medical conference.

Relevance: Ensure that your content is relevant to the conference theme and the interests of the audience.

Example: Deliver a keynote speech on cybersecurity trends at a technology conference, ensuring that the content aligns with the current challenges and interests of the audience.

3. Engagement Techniques:

Interactive Elements: Incorporate interactive elements like Q&A sessions, polls, or discussions to keep the audience engaged.

Example: Conduct a live poll during a social media marketing presentation, encouraging audience participation and providing real-time insights into current industry practices.

Visuals: Use compelling visuals, such as slides, videos, or infographics, to enhance your message and maintain audience interest.

Example: Use visually appealing infographics and case study videos to illustrate the success stories of sustainable development projects during an environmental conservation conference.

4. Adaptability:

Flexibility: Be adaptable to changes, such as adjusting your presentation based on the audience’s level of understanding or unexpected technical issues.

Example: Adjust the level of technical detail in a blockchain technology presentation based on the audience’s familiarity with the subject matter at a financial technology seminar.

Customization: Tailor your presentation to the specific needs and interests of the audience.

Example: Tailor a leadership development presentation to address the specific challenges faced by the audience in the healthcare industry, showcasing adaptability to diverse professional contexts.

5. Storytelling Skills:

Narrative Structure: Craft a compelling narrative structure that helps convey your message effectively.

Example: Craft a narrative structure for a presentation on the evolution of artificial intelligence, guiding the audience through historical milestones and future possibilities.

Emotional Connection: Use storytelling to create an emotional connection with the audience, making your message memorable.

Example: Share personal anecdotes about overcoming challenges in the field of entrepreneurship during a business leadership conference, creating an emotional connection with the audience.

6. Time Management:

Pacing: Manage your time effectively to cover all key points without rushing or exceeding the allotted time.

Example: Deliver a concise overview of data analytics applications within the allotted time at a big data conference, allowing for a balanced exploration of key points.

Prioritization: Focus on the most important and impactful aspects of your presentation to avoid information overload.

Example: Focus on the most impactful aspects of a project management methodology presentation, avoiding information overload and ensuring a clear understanding of core principles.

7. Audience Awareness:

Understanding the Audience: Know your audience’s background, interests, and expectations to tailor your presentation accordingly.

Example: Tailor a presentation on innovative teaching methods to the background and expectations of an education-focused audience at an academic conference.

Adapting Tone: Adjust your tone and language to resonate with the audience, whether they are experts or newcomers in the field.

Example: Adjust the tone and language of a cybersecurity presentation to resonate with both experts and non-experts attending a mixed-proficiency audience event.

8. Visual and Verbal Delivery:

Body Language: Utilize positive body language , such as gestures and facial expressions, to convey enthusiasm and engagement.

Example: Use positive body language, such as open gestures and a friendly smile, to convey enthusiasm while presenting a new product launch strategy at a marketing conference.

Vocal Variety: Modulate your voice to maintain interest, emphasize key points, and avoid a monotonous delivery.

Example: Modulate your voice to emphasize key points and maintain interest during a climate change awareness presentation, ensuring a dynamic and engaging delivery.

9. Networking Skills:

Approachability: Be approachable and open to networking opportunities before and after your presentation.

Example: Be approachable at a business networking event, initiating conversations with attendees and expressing genuine interest in their professional experiences.

Availability: Allocate time for discussions and questions, allowing attendees to connect with you personally.

Example: Allocate time after a workshop for one-on-one discussions, allowing participants to connect with you personally and seek additional insights.

10. Technological Proficiency:

Tech Savvy: Familiarize yourself with any audiovisual equipment or presentation tools you’ll be using.

Example: Familiarize yourself with the latest data visualization tools before presenting research findings at a data science conference, showcasing your tech-savvy skills.

Troubleshooting: Be prepared to troubleshoot technical issues swiftly to minimize disruptions.

Example: Quickly address and resolve any issues with presentation slides or audiovisual equipment during a technology summit, demonstrating efficient troubleshooting skills.

These skills, when honed and combined, contribute to a successful conference presentation that informs, engages, and leaves a lasting impact on the audience.

Becoming a conference speaker involves a combination of expertise, networking, and effective communication skills. Here are the steps you can take to become a conference speaker:

Develop Expertise:

Focus on a specific area of expertise that aligns with the themes of conferences you’re interested in. Gain in-depth knowledge and practical experience in your chosen field.

Build a Strong Profile:

Establish a strong online presence through a professional website, blog, and active participation in relevant social media platforms. Share your insights, experiences, and achievements to showcase your expertise.

Attend Conferences:

Attend industry conferences regularly to understand the dynamics of conference presentations. Network with organizers, speakers, and attendees to build connections within your industry.

Submit Proposals:

Many conferences invite speakers to submit proposals for presentations. Keep an eye on calls for speakers and submit compelling proposals that highlight the value and relevance of your topic.

Join Speaker Directories:

Register with speaker directories and platforms where event organizers look for potential speakers. Platforms like SpeakerHub, SpeakerMatch, or even LinkedIn can help you get noticed by conference organizers.

Create a Speaker Bio and Introduction Video:

Craft a professional speaker bio that highlights your expertise and experience. Additionally, consider creating a short introduction video that showcases your speaking style and the value you bring to an audience.

Offer Workshops or Webinars:

Start by offering workshops, webinars, or seminars within your local community or online. This allows you to gain speaking experience and build a portfolio that you can showcase to conference organizers.

Seek Recommendations and Testimonials:

Request recommendations or testimonials from colleagues, clients, or participants in your workshops. Positive feedback adds credibility to your speaking abilities.

Engage with Event Organizers:

Network with conference organizers and express your interest in speaking at their events. Building relationships with organizers increases your chances of being considered for future conferences.

Be Persistent and Patient:

Becoming a conference speaker may take time, so be persistent and patient . Continue refining your speaking skills, expanding your network, and actively seeking speaking opportunities.

Diversify Your Topics:

Offer a range of topics related to your expertise. Being flexible and adaptable to different conference themes increases your chances of being selected.

Remember that becoming a conference speaker is often a gradual process. By consistently showcasing your expertise, networking within your industry, and actively seeking opportunities, you can increase your chances of being invited to speak at conferences.

Speaking at a conference can offer a range of benefits, both personally and professionally. Here are some key advantages:

Increased Visibility and Credibility:

By presenting at a conference, you position yourself as an expert in your field, enhancing your professional credibility.

Your visibility increases as you showcase your knowledge and insights to a wider audience, including peers, industry professionals, and potential collaborators.

Networking Opportunities:

Conferences provide a platform to connect with other speakers, attendees, and industry leaders, fostering valuable relationships.

Networking can lead to collaboration, partnerships, job opportunities , and the exchange of ideas and experiences.

Professional Development:

Preparing and delivering a conference presentation helps you refine your communication and public speaking skills.

The process of staying updated on your topic and addressing questions from the audience contributes to continuous learning and professional development.

Showcasing Innovations:

If your presentation involves showcasing innovative ideas, projects, or research, a conference provides a platform to gain recognition and feedback.

Presenting innovations can attract the attention of potential investors, employers, or collaborators.

Career Advancement:

Speaking at conferences can enhance your resume and contribute to your professional advancement.

The exposure gained from presenting at reputable conferences may lead to new career opportunities, promotions, or invitations to speak at other events.

Knowledge Exchange:

Conferences are forums for the exchange of knowledge and ideas . Presenting allows you to contribute to this knowledge-sharing process.

Engaging in discussions with attendees during and after your presentation can lead to valuable insights and perspectives.

Market Yourself or Your Organization:

If you represent an organization, presenting at conferences is an effective way to market its products, services, or achievements .

Individuals can also use presentations to showcase their skills and expertise , attracting attention from potential clients or employers.

Personal Branding:

Speaking at conferences helps build your personal brand. It establishes you as a thought leader and influencer in your field.

A strong personal brand can lead to increased opportunities for media coverage, interviews, and guest appearances.

Contributing to the Community:

Presenting at conferences is a way to give back to your professional community by sharing your knowledge and experiences.

Your contributions can inspire and educate others , contributing to the overall growth and development of your industry.

In summary, speaking at a conference offers a multifaceted set of benefits, ranging from professional recognition and networking opportunities to personal growth and the chance to contribute meaningfully to your field.

In the ever-evolving realm of professional growth and knowledge sharing, the role of a conference speaker stands as a powerful force. This toolbox has peeled back the layers, from understanding the core of a conference speaker to honing the skills that breathe life into presentations. Recognizing the value of enhanced visibility, networking opportunities, and personal development, it becomes clear that speaking at conferences is not merely a personal endeavor but a contribution to the collective progress of the professional community. Armed with a diverse skill set, conference speakers become catalysts for innovation, fostering continuous learning and evolution in their respective fields. As we conclude this exploration, we extend an invitation to embrace the art of conference speaking, recognizing it as more than a mere skill set—it’s a transformative influence in the dynamic landscape of professional discourse.

Dive into a wealth of information and discoveries by checking out the source provided. Click this link and let the exploration begin!

Enroll in our transformative 1:1 Coaching Program

Schedule a call with our expert communication coach to know if this program would be the right fit for you

How to Negotiate: The Art of Getting What You Want

10 Hand Gestures That Will Make You More Confident and Efficient

Interrupted while Speaking: 8 Ways to Prevent and Manage Interruptions

• [email protected]
• +91 98203 57888

Get our latest tips and tricks in your inbox always

Copyright © 2023 Frantically Speaking All rights reserved

Kindly drop your contact details so that we can arrange call back

Select Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria AmericanSamoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Rwanda Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Tajikistan Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Wallis and Futuna Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe land Islands Antarctica Bolivia, Plurinational State of Brunei Darussalam Cocos (Keeling) Islands Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Cote d'Ivoire Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Guernsey Holy See (Vatican City State) Hong Kong Iran, Islamic Republic of Isle of Man Jersey Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Lao People's Democratic Republic Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Mozambique Palestinian Territory, Occupied Pitcairn Réunion Russia Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sao Tome and Principe Somalia Svalbard and Jan Mayen Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tanzania, United Republic of Timor-Leste Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S.

Home / 6 Essential Tips For Creating An Effective Conference Presentation Your Audience Will Love

6 Essential Tips For Creating An Effective Conference Presentation Your Audience Will Love

What core principles do the best conference presentations share?

In a survey by Kelton Global :

• 90% of people questioned for a felt a solid narrative is key
• 55% of respondents agreed a good story holds their concentration throughout presentations better than anything else
• And 33% say visual stimulation is absolutely necessary to keep them engaged.

Narrative drive and concrete themes are clearly fundamental for the majority of people attending your presentation. But there’s another core component of effective conference presentations: design.

The visual texture of your slides has a real power to affect your audience’s experience. 

Because they’re not just looking at you — they’re looking at your screen , too. And bland design will cause their minds to wander, especially when combined with an undefined narrative and/or muddled theme. 

But don’t worry: we’ve compiled six essential tips to help you get your conference presentation design right.

Let’s go…

• Know your audience
• Stick to one point per slide
• Show, don’t tell
• Create text that leaps off the page
• Embrace the power of images
• Be consistent, be complete  

Best Conference Templates

#1: know your audience .

Ever found yourself losing track of a conference presentation after just a few minutes? 

With research showing the average attention span is now almost four seconds shorter than it was just two decades ago, you’re probably not alone in your lack of focus. And one surefire way to lose an audience’s concentration is by failing to speak to their specific goals, experiences, and needs. 

And it’s not just about covering the right material and speaking in a language your listeners understand. It’s about putting a presentation on the screen that holds their interest . It’s about creating a design that engages them fully . 

But it’s essential to remember that different visuals work for different audiences. A conference dedicated to neurosurgery (for example) will have a far different atmosphere to one covering video games. 

Attendees of the former are likely to expect a serious, professional presentation . Those at the latter will still look for professionalism, yet presentations have the flexibility to be more dynamic and vibrant . 

Think about your audience and the conference’s overall style, then ask yourself:

• Is it formal and addressing serious themes? 
• Is there room to be lighthearted and punchy? 
• Is the conference’s logo and design scheme packed with color, or is it more subdued? 

Once you’ve considered these questions, tailor your presentation’s design to reflect your answers and make maximum impact on your audience. 

#2. Stick to one point per slide

Balancing information is key when creating an effective conference presentation. Packing too much of it into one slide can leave your audience overwhelmed by details and struggling to digest what you’re trying to say.

The best conference presentations allow the audience to instantly and intuitively grasp the concept of each slide — so save your audience the task of deciphering and decoding your presentation by sticking to one point per slide.

This ensures:

• You can narrow each slide’s focus, and really make it count
• Your slide will visually express the point, while you expand on it verbally
• Your audience is less likely to feel overloaded with information
• You can keep plenty of white space on each slide

If a point feels too big or important to restrict to one slide, try to find a fresh way to approach it. Work on breaking it down into two elements, if possible. 

#3. Show, don’t tell

To follow on from our previous point, your audience can only take so much information onboard at once. Condensing information into a streamlined, easily-digestible form helps keep your presentation engaging — and so do visuals. 

90% of all information transmitted to the human brain is visual, and that goes for 93 percent of our communication, too. That’s why one slide of cluttered text after another will bore your audience. And, potentially, inspire frustration, resentment, and even walk-outs. 

90% of all information transmitted to the human brain is visual

Make sure to incorporate striking visuals into every slide of your conference presentation, to illustrate points and deliver information in an eye-catching way . One of the simplest solutions is to search through design templates, which are available in a huge variety of styles. Pay attention to the different colors, images, fonts, and other aesthetic elements available.

You can also look to infographics for inspiration. Try accompanying stats and facts with a relevant illustration, to reinforce the meaning. Keep your text minimal. 

If you get your presentation’s visual design right, your audience will recognize the slide’s aim and message instantly.

#4. Create text that leaps off the page

We’ve already established that too much text on a slide can be dangerous. But it’s not just the number of words you should worry about — it’s the way they look , too.

One of the most effective visual elements in an engaging presentation is contrasting colors . And that means your text should stand out against its background in every single slide. In some cases, it’s as simple as placing black over white, or vice versa. 

But other times, you’ll need to be more creative. Experiment with your design to determine which fonts and colors are easiest on the eye — ensuring they always carry the right semiotic message . 

Don’t forget to investigate the conference venue, either. Take a look at the lecture hall or auditorium in which you’ll deliver your presentation (whether this means visiting in person or taking a virtual tour online).

When it comes to your conference setting, you should think about:

• Lighting — is the venue dark enough that bright text is required for effective visibility?
• Scale — is the space so big you need a much bigger font than you expected for attendees in the back rows? Or can you keep your text smaller to prevent overwhelming those at the front?

#5. Embrace the power of images

Remember when we discussed the human mind’s ability to process visuals faster than text earlier?

This is why images are a terrific visual aid for any conference presentation, regardless of tone, atmosphere, theme, etc. 

There’s a strong photograph or picture for every topic, from the most serious presentation to the most jovial and upbeat. Try to include images in every presentation you do — though not necessarily on every slide — even if it’s just a free stock photo you’ve pulled from a website. 

But don’t just use any free stock image. Take the time to find one that looks professional, striking, and complements the rest of the slide’s design . 

The crucial point to remember, though, is relevance: never add an image that looks or feels out of sync with the slide’s theme or message.

#6. Be consistent, be complete 

Finally, effective conference presentation design is consistent. Every element of the entire piece should complement the others harmoniously. 

Understanding your audience, goals, and overall theme makes achieving consistency easier. But be prepared to check the presentation closely once you’ve finished: you may spot weaker aspects with the potential to distract your audience (such as clashing colors or low-res images). 

Try to leave yourself enough preparation time for adjustments before you’re due to deliver your presentation — trying to make last-minute changes on the day of the conference can lead to mistakes. And these mistakes have the power to throw you off when you’re on stage, disrupting your entire presentation and weakening your message.

Now you’re conference ready!

Follow the six essential tips explored above and you’ll have created an effective conference presentation with a strong visual design. 

Remember: your choice of colors, images, text, and content have a real impact — your delivery may be precise and polished, but you could lose your audience if your presentation is visually lacking. 

At SlidesCarnival we have many templates with a perfect professional look to impress your audience at your next conference. Take a look!

Free Powerpoint template or Google Slides theme with big photo backgrounds

Free creative Powerpoint template and Google Slides theme with scribbles

Looking for more presentation inspiration.

At SlidesCarnival, we have a huge library of  free presentation templates  that you can download, edit, and customize. Browse the collection to discover great design ideas that are sure to make your presentation stand out.

Tell us what you think about this presentation template! Cancel reply

If you have any inquiries, please refer to our FAQ section . Your comment will be showcased on our website using the information you provide in this form. We prioritize the privacy of your email and handle your information with the utmost care. By submitting a comment, you acknowledge and consent to our Privacy Policy .

Professional designs for your presentations

SlidesCarnival templates have all the elements you need to effectively communicate your message and impress your audience.

Suitable for PowerPoint and Google Slides

Download your presentation as a PowerPoint template or use it online as a Google Slides theme. 100% free, no registration or download limits.

• Google Slides
• Editor’s Choice
• All Templates
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Google Slides Help
• PowerPoint help
• Who makes SlidesCarnival?

We use essential cookies to make Venngage work. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Manage Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how you’re using our website. Some of them are essential, and without them you wouldn’t be able to use Venngage. But others are optional, and you get to choose whether we use them or not.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are always on, as they’re essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided.

Show cookie providers

• Google Login

Functionality Cookies

These cookies help us provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, and remember your settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers.

Performance Cookies

These cookies help us analyze how many people are using Venngage, where they come from and how they're using it. If you opt out of these cookies, we can’t get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users.

• Google Analytics

Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet.

• Google Tag Manager
• Infographics
• Daily Infographics
• Graphic Design
• Graphs and Charts
• Data Visualization
• Human Resources
• Training and Development
• Beginner Guides

Blog Beginner Guides

9 Tips for Improving Your Presentation Skills For Your Next Meeting

By Hannah Tow , Feb 03, 2020

Presenting to an audience is one thing, but presenting ideas in a persuasive manner to the key stakeholders of your business is a whole other ball game.

The fact of the matter is that successfully presenting to a room full of people is a skill that’s mastered by very few. It takes practice, practice, and even more practice to start feeling comfortable with everyone’s eyes focused on you so you can effectively get your point across. 

The reality of presenting is that you can’t escape it. Especially as you start to move up in your career. If you’re yearning to improve, this article will walk you through the top nine tips to use to enhance your presentation skills for your next big meeting as well as throughout your life. Let’s get started.

9 top tips for improving your presentation skills:

• Practice speaking in front of others
• Use less text and more visuals in your presentation
• Leverage your personality
• Welcome questions and comments during
• Be passionate and engaging
• Maintain eye contact with your audience
• Obsess over your listeners
• Focus on confident body language
• Keep it as short as possible

Constantly practicing, refining and improving upon your presentation skills will not only make you a more confident individual, but you will find that you rise quicker to success in your career. However, having great presentation skills does not just affect your work-life. Great presentation skills are truly life skills that you should integrate into more areas than just the conference room.

1. Practice speaking in front of others 

Practice always makes perfect. 

It doesn’t matter how well you know what you’re talking about, the moment you have to persuade, engage, or teach in front of an audience, you will probably stumble a bit. This is a natural reaction that affects pretty much everyone when all eyes are pointed in one direction and the anxiety sets in. 

It’s important to remember that the overwhelming feeling of stress you probably feel is the result of your unfamiliarity with the situation, not from your lack of preparedness. The more comfortable you are with taking the stage and having everyone’s attention on you, the less nervous you’ll get. 

The greater confidence you have in your presentation skills will allow you to focus on what actually matters–which is the material that you’re presenting. 

The best way to implement this practice is by starting off small. Prepare a presentation to give to your friends, family, or closest co-workers. This sounds easy, but you will learn that it’s not necessarily who is listening to you that causes nerves, but it’s the fact that all of the attention is on you. 

You’ll become more comfortable with the attention when you begin practicing in front of others more often, which will allow you to effectively present your ideas next time it’s your turn to speak in the conference room.

RELATED: Learn the top ten public speaking tips to better prepare you for your practice sessions. 

2. Use less text and more visuals in your presentation

We’ve all been there before: sitting at the conference table trying our very best to stay interested and engaged with the presentation before us. The presentation lacks color, images, and all sense of creativity while containing an over-abundance of text and long-form paragraphs. 

These types of presentations are horrible for two reasons: 

The first reason being that the minute you have words on the screen, your audience will direct their attention away from you to begin reading and completely tune you out. 

The second reason is if your presentation skills are poor, not only will your presentation be dull to listen to, but it will be unbelievably boring to look at as well. You’ll quickly find out how easy it is to lose most of the room’s attention when you create a lackluster presentation. 

If you feel lost attempting to design your slides into an exciting work of art, try using creative presentation templates . PowerPoint templates make it simple to produce something beautiful, and they can also make you feel like an accomplished designer after seeing the outcome, such as this business presentation example . 

In addition to nicely designed slides, you should always try to use infographics and charts to help you better summarize the complex information you’re relaying to your audience. It will be much easier for your listeners to understand what you’re explaining when they have something to visualize it with. Plus, there are plenty of resources out there to help you craft these visuals.

Learn how to make an infographic in five easy steps or produce an impressive graph .

If you feel worried that your presentation doesn’t hold enough content, you must remember the main reason for visual aids: 

They are to enhance what you’re speaking about, not lead it! 

If you’ve done enough practicing, you should feel confident in your presentation skills to thoroughly explain your main ideas and you won’t need to rely on the screen anyhow.

TIP: If you’re looking for even more ways to engage your audience with your visuals, check out 120+ presentation ideas that are sure to wow and delight! 

3. Leverage your personality

As cliche as it sounds, you should always be true to who you are, especially if when you’re presenting. 

It’s incredibly easy to tell if someone is faking it for the sake of their audience, so you should never pretend to act in a way that you don’t typically do. Not only will you feel unnatural and uncomfortable doing it, but you can also risk embarrassment when you try to tell a forced joke and no one laughs or your new-found trait of sarcasm doesn’t sit well with your boss. 

It should bring you comfort knowing that most everyone in your meeting knows who you are. Use this to your advantage and start the presentation by playing up your best personality traits. Use your humor if you’re known to crack jokes or throw in your typical mannerisms.

These little additions will make your presentation feel much more relaxed for everyone involved. In addition to your own unique quirks, you should also bring a level of personability to your meeting.

Be empathetic, smile more, and look around the room.  Doing so will improve your presentation skills, make you more likable, and allow your audience to be more receptive to you. 

In many cases, you may be presenting virtually, rather than in person. You can still allow your personality to shine through and energize your virtual presentation. Lisa Schneider, Chief Growth Officer at Merriam-Webster, wrote for Venngage on how to adapt an in-person presentation into a virtual presentation . Check it out.

4. Welcome questions and comments during your presentation

Be flexible throughout your presentation. Answer questions and respond to any comments your audience may have either through hand raising or an audience response tool . Don’t worry if it veers you off your script. Chances are if one person has a question or comment, the others in the room are thinking it too. 

Use this as an opportunity to prove how well you understand the material you’re presenting–your audience will take notice.

Also, take some time out at the start or your presentation to ask your audience some icebreaker questions and slowly transition into the more important stuff. 

Taking this minute to talk through anything that your audience is thinking of is a good thing because it means they are engaged with you and really paying attention to the words coming out of your mouth. Doing so will also relax the format of your presentation, allowing you to feel more confident and relaxed as well.

5. Be passionate and engaging 

When creating your presentation, craft it in such a way that makes your audience curious and makes them have questions for you. A persuasive presentation is the best way to get the positive reactions you are looking for, so be as passionate as you can be about your subject matter to seal the deal. 

Remember that questions and comments during your presentation are a good thing, especially if you’re the one prompting them! 

The more excited you are to present your ideas and show off your expertise, the more excited and engaged your audience will be. Own your subject matter and know what you’re talking about, it’s one of the most important presentation skills to have.

6. Maintain eye contact with your audience

This is a very obvious tip that will go a long way with your audience. 

When the people you’re speaking to feel like you’re taking notice of them, they are much more likely to take notice of you and pay better attention to everything that you’re saying. 

It’s important to remember that losing eye contact and looking everywhere but at the people that you’re presenting to is a common nervous behavior. Pay extra close attention to whether or not you’re guilty of that, and work to ensure you have your eyes on at least one person.

7. Obsess over your listeners 

Be receptive to your listeners. You can’t forget that what you’re presenting is for the audience, and it has nothing to do about you! 

Focus on the value you can provide to the people in the room. The more serving you are to them, the greater chance you have at driving your point home and nailing your presentation. 

It’s also important not to forget about those listening to you remotely over video conferencing . Make sure they know you’re aware of them and engage them as well! 

8. Focus on confident body language 

Smiling, hand gestures, eye contact, and a powerful stance all exude confidence. 

If you don’t have strong body language and are showing physical signs of nervousness (ie. tapping, bouncing, shaking, darting eyes, and more) your audience will have a hard time focusing on the material you’re presenting and hone in on the fact that you’re nervous and probably don’t know what you’re talking about as much as you say you do.

No matter how nervous you are, take a deep breath and pretend otherwise. You might actually start to believe it!

9. Keep it as short as possible

Every single person’s time is valuable ( especially at work), so don’t waste precious meeting time. If you can say everything you need to in half of the time that is allotted, you should do so. 

Ensure that you’re only sharing the most important information. All of the extra fluff will bore your audience and you will lose their attention very quickly.

It’s a great idea to wrap up your presentation with key takeaways and action items. Doing so will ensure that no matter how quickly your meeting ended, your team understands their next steps. You can send out a quick, summarizing slide deck or an easy to read one-pager for their reference later. These visuals will make sure all of your bases are covered and that everyone is on the same page upon leaving the meeting.

A good presentation makes all the difference. Check out the top qualities of awesome presentations and learn all about how to make a good presentation to help you nail that captivating delivery.

Never stop refining your presentation skills 

Possessing great presentation skills doesn’t come naturally to most people–it’s something that’s learned and practiced over time. As with most things in life, you must continuously work on refining your skills to get better and better. 

Use these nine proven presentation tips that we covered in this article to improve your presentation skills and ace different presentation styles . By doing so, you will find that presenting at your key meetings becomes easier and easier and you’ll begin to nail it every single time.

More presentation guides:

How to Make a Persuasive Presentation

120+ Best Presentation Ideas, Design Tips & Examples

33 Presentation Templates and Design Tips to Hold Your Audience’s Attention

Presentation Design Guide: How to Summarize Information for Presentations

How it works

Transform your enterprise with the scalable mindsets, skills, & behavior change that drive performance.

Explore how BetterUp connects to your core business systems.

We pair AI with the latest in human-centered coaching to drive powerful, lasting learning and behavior change.

Build leaders that accelerate team performance and engagement.

Unlock performance potential at scale with AI-powered curated growth journeys.

Build resilience, well-being and agility to drive performance across your entire enterprise.

Transform your business, starting with your sales leaders.

Unlock business impact from the top with executive coaching.

Foster a culture of inclusion and belonging.

Accelerate the performance and potential of your agencies and employees.

See how innovative organizations use BetterUp to build a thriving workforce.

Discover how BetterUp measurably impacts key business outcomes for organizations like yours.

A demo is the first step to transforming your business. Meet with us to develop a plan for attaining your goals.

• What is coaching?

Learn how 1:1 coaching works, who its for, and if it's right for you.

Accelerate your personal and professional growth with the expert guidance of a BetterUp Coach.

Types of Coaching

Navigate career transitions, accelerate your professional growth, and achieve your career goals with expert coaching.

Enhance your communication skills for better personal and professional relationships, with tailored coaching that focuses on your needs.

Find balance, resilience, and well-being in all areas of your life with holistic coaching designed to empower you.

Discover your perfect match : Take our 5-minute assessment and let us pair you with one of our top Coaches tailored just for you.

Research, expert insights, and resources to develop courageous leaders within your organization.

Best practices, research, and tools to fuel individual and business growth.

View on-demand BetterUp events and learn about upcoming live discussions.

The latest insights and ideas for building a high-performing workplace.

• BetterUp Briefing

The online magazine that helps you understand tomorrow's workforce trends, today.

Innovative research featured in peer-reviewed journals, press, and more.

Founded in 2022 to deepen the understanding of the intersection of well-being, purpose, and performance

We're on a mission to help everyone live with clarity, purpose, and passion.

Join us and create impactful change.

Read the buzz about BetterUp.

Meet the leadership that's passionate about empowering your workforce.

For Business

For Individuals

6 presentation skills and how to improve them

Elevate your communication skills

Unlock the power of clear and persuasive communication. Our coaches can guide you to build strong relationships and succeed in both personal and professional life.

Jump to section

What are presentation skills?

The importance of presentation skills, 6 presentation skills examples, how to improve presentation skills.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety

Learn how to captivate an audience with ease

Capturing an audience’s attention takes practice. 

Over time, great presenters learn how to organize their speeches and captivate an audience from start to finish. They spark curiosity, know how to read a room , and understand what their audience needs to walk away feeling like they learned something valuable.

Regardless of your profession, you most likely use presentation skills on a monthly or even weekly basis. Maybe you lead brainstorming sessions or host client calls. 

Developing effective presentation skills makes it easier to contribute ideas with confidence and show others you’re someone to trust. Although speaking in front of a crowd sometimes brings nerves and anxiety , it also sparks new opportunities.

Presentation skills are the qualities and abilities you need to communicate ideas effectively and deliver a compelling speech. They influence how you structure a presentation and how an audience receives it. Understanding body language , creating impactful visual aids, and projecting your voice all fall under this umbrella.

A great presentation depends on more than what you say. It’s about how you say it. Storytelling , stage presence, and voice projection all shape how well you express your ideas and connect with the audience. These skills do take practice, but they’re worth developing — especially if public speaking makes you nervous. 

Engaging a crowd isn’t easy. You may feel anxious to step in front of an audience and have all eyes and ears on you.

But feeling that anxiety doesn’t mean your ideas aren’t worth sharing. Whether you’re giving an inspiring speech or delivering a monthly recap at work, your audience is there to listen to you. Harness that nervous energy and turn it into progress.

Strong presentation skills make it easier to convey your thoughts to audiences of all sizes. They can help you tell a compelling story, convince people of a pitch , or teach a group something entirely new to them. And when it comes to the workplace, the strength of your presentation skills could play a part in getting a promotion or contributing to a new initiative.

To fully understand the impact these skills have on creating a successful presentation, it’s helpful to look at each one individually. Here are six valuable skills you can develop:

1. Active listening

Active listening is an excellent communication skill for any professional to hone. When you have strong active listening skills, you can listen to others effectively and observe their nonverbal cues . This helps you assess whether or not your audience members are engaged in and understand what you’re sharing. 

Great public speakers use active listening to assess the audience’s reactions and adjust their speech if they find it lacks impact. Signs like slouching, negative facial expressions, and roaming eye contact are all signs to watch out for when giving a presentation.

2. Body language

If you’re researching presentation skills, chances are you’ve already watched a few notable speeches like TED Talks or industry seminars. And one thing you probably noticed is that speakers can capture attention with their body language. 

A mixture of eye contact, hand gestures , and purposeful pacing makes a presentation more interesting and engaging. If you stand in one spot and don’t move your body, the audience might zone out.

3. Stage presence

A great stage presence looks different for everyone. A comedian might aim for more movement and excitement, and a conference speaker might focus their energy on the content of their speech. Although neither is better than the other, both understand their strengths and their audience’s needs. 

Developing a stage presence involves finding your own unique communication style . Lean into your strengths, whether that’s adding an injection of humor or asking questions to make it interactive . To give a great presentation, you might even incorporate relevant props or presentation slides.

4. Storytelling

According to Forbes, audiences typically pay attention for about 10 minutes before tuning out . But you can lengthen their attention span by offering a presentation that interests them for longer. Include a narrative they’ll want to listen to, and tell a story as you go along. 

Shaping your content to follow a clear narrative can spark your audience’s curiosity and entice them to pay careful attention. You can use anecdotes from your personal or professional life that take your audience along through relevant moments. If you’re pitching a product, you can start with a problem and lead your audience through the stages of how your product provides a solution.

5. Voice projection

Although this skill may be obvious, you need your audience to hear what you’re saying. This can be challenging if you’re naturally soft-spoken and struggle to project your voice.

Remember to straighten your posture and take deep breaths before speaking, which will help you speak louder and fill the room. If you’re talking into a microphone or participating in a virtual meeting, you can use your regular conversational voice, but you still want to sound confident and self-assured with a strong tone.

If you’re unsure whether everyone can hear you, you can always ask the audience at the beginning of your speech and wait for confirmation. That way, they won’t have to potentially interrupt you later.

Ensuring everyone can hear you also includes your speed and annunciation. It’s easy to speak quickly when nervous, but try to slow down and pronounce every word. Mumbling can make your presentation difficult to understand and pay attention to.

6. Verbal communication 

Although verbal communication involves your projection and tone, it also covers the language and pacing you use to get your point across. This includes where you choose to place pauses in your speech or the tone you use to emphasize important ideas.

If you’re giving a presentation on collaboration in the workplace , you might start your speech by saying, “There’s something every workplace needs to succeed: teamwork.” By placing emphasis on the word “ teamwork ,” you give your audience a hint on what ideas will follow.

To further connect with your audience through diction, pay careful attention to who you’re speaking to. The way you talk to your colleagues might be different from how you speak to a group of superiors, even if you’re discussing the same subject. You might use more humor and a conversational tone for the former and more serious, formal diction for the latter.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to presenting. Maybe you’re confident in your use of body language, but your voice projection needs work. Maybe you’re a great storyteller in small group settings, but need to work on your stage presence in front of larger crowds. 

The first step to improving presentation skills is pinpointing your gaps and determining which qualities to build upon first. Here are four tips for enhancing your presentation skills:

1. Build self-confidence

Confident people know how to speak with authority and share their ideas. Although feeling good about your presentation skills is easier said than done, building confidence is key to helping your audience believe in what you’re saying. Try practicing positive self-talk and continuously researching your topic's ins and outs.

If you don’t feel confident on the inside, fake it until you make it. Stand up straight, project your voice, and try your best to appear engaged and excited. Chances are, the audience doesn’t know you’re unsure of your skills — and they don’t need to.

Another tip is to lean into your slideshow, if you’re using one. Create something colorful and interesting so the audience’s eyes fall there instead of on you. And when you feel proud of your slideshow, you’ll be more eager to share it with others, bringing more energy to your presentation.

2. Watch other presentations

Developing the soft skills necessary for a good presentation can be challenging without seeing them in action. Watch as many as possible to become more familiar with public speaking skills and what makes a great presentation. You could attend events with keynote speakers or view past speeches on similar topics online.

Take a close look at how those presenters use verbal communication and body language to engage their audiences. Grab a notebook and jot down what you enjoyed and your main takeaways. Try to recall the techniques they used to emphasize their main points, whether they used pauses effectively, had interesting visual aids, or told a fascinating story.

3. Get in front of a crowd

You don’t need a large auditorium to practice public speaking. There are dozens of other ways to feel confident and develop good presentation skills.

If you’re a natural comedian, consider joining a small stand-up comedy club. If you’re an avid writer, participate in a public poetry reading. Even music and acting can help you feel more comfortable in front of a crowd.

If you’d rather keep it professional, you can still work on your presentation skills in the office. Challenge yourself to participate at least once in every team meeting, or plan and present a project to become more comfortable vocalizing your ideas. You could also speak to your manager about opportunities that flex your public speaking abilities.

4. Overcome fear

Many people experience feelings of fear before presenting in front of an audience, whether those feelings appear as a few butterflies or more severe anxiety. Try grounding yourself to shift your focus to the present moment. If you’re stuck dwelling on previous experiences that didn’t go well, use those mistakes as learning experiences and focus on what you can improve to do better in the future.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety 

It’s normal to feel nervous when sharing your ideas. In fact, according to a report from the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, public speaking anxiety is prevalent in 15–30% of the general population .

Even though having a fear of public speaking is common, it doesn’t make it easier. You might feel overwhelmed, become stiff, and forget what you were going to say. But although the moment might scare you, there are ways to overcome the fear and put mind over matter.

Use these tactics to reduce your stress when you have to make a presentation:

1. Practice breathing techniques

If you experience anxiety often, you’re probably familiar with breathing techniques for stress relief . Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine can help you stop worrying and regulate anxious feelings. 

Before a big presentation, take a moment alone to practice breathing techniques, ground yourself, and reduce tension. It’s also a good idea to take breaths throughout the presentation to speak slower and calm yourself down .

2. Get organized

The more organized you are, the more prepared you’ll feel. Carefully outline all of the critical information you want to use in your presentation, including your main talking points and visual aids, so you don’t forget anything. Use bullet points and visuals on each slide to remind you of what you want to talk about, and create handheld notes to help you stay on track.

3. Embrace moments of silence

It’s okay to lose your train of thought. It happens to even the most experienced public speakers once in a while. If your mind goes blank, don’t panic. Take a moment to breathe, gather your thoughts, and refer to your notes to see where you left off. You can drink some water or make a quick joke to ease the silence or regain your footing. And it’s okay to say, “Give me a moment while I find my notes.” Chances are, people understand the position you’re in.

4. Practice makes progress

Before presenting, rehearse in front of friends and family members you trust. This gives you the chance to work out any weak spots in your speech and become comfortable communicating out loud. If you want to go the extra mile, ask your makeshift audience to ask a surprise question. This tests your on-the-spot thinking and will prove that you can keep cool when things come up.

Whether you’re new to public speaking or are a seasoned presenter, you’re bound to make a few slip-ups. It happens to everyone. The most important thing is that you try your best, brush things off, and work on improving your skills to do better in your next presentation.

Although your job may require a different level of public speaking than your favorite TED Talk , developing presentation skills is handy in any profession. You can use presentation skills in a wide range of tasks in the workplace, whether you’re sharing your ideas with colleagues, expressing concerns to higher-ups, or pitching strategies to potential clients.

Remember to use active listening to read the room and engage your audience with an interesting narrative. Don’t forget to step outside your comfort zone once in a while and put your skills to practice in front of a crowd. After facing your fears, you’ll feel confident enough to put presentation skills on your resume.

If you’re trying to build your skills and become a better employee overall, try a communications coach with BetterUp. 

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

The 11 tips that will improve your public speaking skills

The importance of good speech: 5 tips to be more articulate, show gratitude with “thank you for your leadership and vision” message examples, learn types of gestures and their meanings to improve your communication, make the connection: 10 effective ways to connect with people, why it's good to have a bff at work and how to find one, 6 career changes for teachers that truly pay off, member story: developing communication skills and owning the spotlight, your work performance will sky-rocket with these 13 tips, similar articles, how to write a speech that your audience remembers, 8 tip to improve your public speaking skills, 30 presentation feedback examples, your ultimate guide on how to be a good storyteller, how to give a good presentation that captivates any audience, 8 clever hooks for presentations (with tips), communication coach: what they are and how to find one, how to make a presentation interactive and exciting, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

3100 E 5th Street, Suite 350 Austin, TX 78702

• Platform Overview
• Integrations
• Powered by AI
• BetterUp Lead
• BetterUp Manage™
• BetterUp Care™
• Sales Performance
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Case Studies
• Why BetterUp?
• About Coaching
• Find your Coach
• Career Coaching
• Communication Coaching
• Life Coaching
• News and Press
• Leadership Team
• Become a BetterUp Coach
• BetterUp Labs
• Center for Purpose & Performance
• Leadership Training
• Business Coaching
• Contact Support
• Contact Sales
• Privacy Policy
• Acceptable Use Policy
• Trust & Security
• Cookie Preferences

11 Tips To Make Your Conference Presentation Outstanding

Table of contents.

The world of conferences are great opportunities for like-minded individuals to come together and share their common denominator interest with one another.

Conferences provide attendees with an opportunity to learn and share with others who share similar experiences or interests all under one roof. Conferences are usually large in nature bringing people from across the country, or even across the world, together.

If you find yourself presenting at an upcoming conference, the honest truth is the stakes are high. Oftentimes, conferences have a lot of people in attendance. When you have your moment to shine to share your presentation with a large crowd of audience members, you want it to go flawlessly.

Truthfully, so do we.

That’s why we’ve put together this in-depth blog post to help you navigate the world of conferences and how to master your conference presentation with 11 actionable tips.

Are You Presenting At An Upcoming Conference? We Should Talk

What are conference presentations.

First, let’s get an understanding of what a conference presentation is.

A conference presentation is an opportunity for people to communicate with a large audience of like-minded individuals typically congregating around a common interest or topic.

A conference can vary in length from a one, full day event, all the way up to a week-long program. Conferences are usually a great opportunity for these like-minded individuals to network and learn from one another on new topics, research or major events.

Now that we know what a conference is, there are several common types of conferences you might encounter during your professional career.

Let’s take a look at the common types of conferences below.

Common Types Of Conferences

Although these are some of the common types of conferences you’ll encounter, this isn’t a fully finalized list. There are more types of conferences than simply what’s mentioned below.

However, you’re more than likely to encounter one of the following whether you’re just entering the industry, a student who’s networking or even if you’re passionate on a certain topic and like to be involved in the community.

Academic Conferences

Academic conferences are opportunities for researchers to present their work with fellow peers and colleagues. They’re important because they provide an opportunity for academics from multiple institutions to connect at a single location and network.

Academic conferences can be divided further into professional conferences . Professional academic conferences are geared more towards professors and academics who have spent more time in their field of study such as social sciences or medicine.

On the other hand, undergraduate programs may still hold conferences for academia but these are more geared towards undergraduate students who might just be sharing their semester research presentation.

You might be thinking to yourself, “This just sounds like a research presentation .”

Although you’re not wrong, you’re only partly right.

Research presentations are only one part of the overall academic conference. An academic conference is a combination of multiple research presentations combined into one event. You might have multiple academics speaking at a conference sharing their research presentations, but one does not equal the other.

Annual General Meetings

Shifting gears to the more business side of things, another form of conferences are annual general meetings.

Annual general meetings, or AGM for short, are typically mandatory, yearly gatherings of a company’s interested shareholders which might consist of investors and employees.

At an AGM, directors of a company share with the shareholders the annual report which covers key topics of interest to the shareholders. These key points might include the company’s financial performance, quarterly reports, upcoming yearly vision, plans for expansion, the company’s performance and strategy.

Shareholders who have voting rights often vote on current issues facing the company and which direction the company should pursue. Some of these decisions might include who is to be appointed onto the board of directors, what executive compensation will be, dividend payments and the selection of auditors.

Conventions

Like most conferences, conventions are large meetings consisting of people with a share ideology or profession. You often hear of conventions in terms of entertainment or politics.

On the entertainment side of things, conventions are gatherings where people of the same interest come together to network and immerse themselves in the unifying experience of enjoying the same things as those around you. Some notable conventions you might’ve heard of are Comic Con, Fan Expo and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Here, you’ll find people sharing a mutual enjoyment of entertainment indulgences.

Political conventions or Party Conferences are the other form of conventions you’ll often hear about.

These are often held by the respective political party where members of said political party come together to network and most importantly, vote on a party leader or delegate.

Press Conferences

The smallest form of a conference you’ll encounter is a press conference.

A press conference is an organized event to officially distribute information from a specified spokesperson. Unlike other public relation tactics such as a press release which is still a tool to disseminate information to the public, a press conference is an alternate public relation tactic where media is selectively invited to attend the event to get the information.

Press conferences are often smaller in size due to the shrinking landscape of media outlets. Additionally, press conferences are usually high-stake events usually having highly notable individuals in attendance or presenting. To limit the risk and maximize the safety of these VIPs, press conferences are usually more exclusive.

This is why press conferences are often reserved for bigger news stories and why journalists who are new to the industry try very hard to get on the good side of these conference organizers. Due to the sheer exclusivity of the event, the opportunity to get a unique news story is greater.

Product Launches

The last conference we’ll go over is a product launch.

A product launch, much like a press conference, is another great public relations tactic used to build anticipation and gain the buy-in of the public. They are a coordinated effort to demonstrate new products soon to be released to the general public.

Famous product launches can be seen executed by the world’s top companies such as Apple, Tesla and Disney.

These companies often use product launches to garner attention for an upcoming line of products that will soon be available to the public. The main goal of product launches in recent years is to drive pre-order sales which help raise capital to bring the product development over the finish line without needing to expend any further owned-capital of the company.

Conference Presentation Tips

No matter the conference you find yourself attending and more than likely presenting at, conference presentation tips remain the same. You can apply the following 11 important points to any conference.

With some slight adjustments to each, you’ll soon be a master of conference talk, being able to command any large room of people and retain the audience’s attention with ease.

1 - Do Your Homework

Before you begin putting together your conference presentation slide deck, you need to first do your homework. With any good finalized product, it got that way thanks to the preparation which went into it ahead of time and your presentation is no exception.

What you might want to consider doing before you begin putting together your slide deck is answering the following questions and drafting an outline.

What key message do you want the audience to take away after the presentation?

What do you want them to feel?

How do you want them to act?

Can I achieve these results with the information I already have?

By asking yourself these questions and acting appropriately based on the answer, you’ll be setting yourself up for a good presentation.

2 - Understand Your Audience

Knowing your audience isn’t just about who they are, it’s about understanding what they’re interested in, how they retain information and what motivates them.

Understanding your audience is the first step of mastering presentation psychology and without it, you won’t have a strong foundation for your presentation. You could have the most visually appealing presentation but if it doesn’t resonate with the audience, it won’t matter.

So before you go ahead and start building a presentation based on what you think your audience is interested in, you should really come to a solidified conclusion and know what your audience is interested in.

3 - Know Your Timing

Presentations range in different lengths. You’ll encounter presentations as short as one minute to others that last over an hour. Start preparing your presentation by knowing what your time limit is.

You can typically find this information out by contacting an organizer of the conference.

4 - Use Visual Aids

Visual aids are tools to help you communicate visually.

Some presentation visual aids you might want to consider using are graphs, tables, pictures and videos. If you really want to be seen as an expert presenter, you should even be focusing on the colors you use for your slides.

Now, it might seem like you need a creative degree to master all this, but the reality is you don’t. Luckily, you can outsource your presentation design to a presentation design agency like Presentation Geeks who not only create top-tier presentation slide decks used by Fortune 500 companies, they also can provide presentation consulting services .

Don’t forget, you yourself are a visual communication tool as well. Be sure to dress appropriately for your upcoming conference presentations because you want to make a good impression. Let’s take a political convention as an example. If you’re running as a candidate to be the leader of a major political party, you want to make sure you peak the audience’s interest and gain their trust by dressing appropriately as superficial as that sounds.

5 - Keep It Simple

Don’t overcomplicate your presentation, especially the slide deck.

It’s crucial to keep your presentation, especially the visual aids portion as simple as possible because too much information will confuse the audience and they will likely forget what you’ve said.

Focus on the key details in your slides and use them as supplementary tools. Many presenters will think they need to have a grand conference presentation with fancy technology, transitional devices and other outlandish tactics. The reality is, you want your information to be easily understood by keeping it simple.

6 - Practice, Practice, Practice

The way to become a better presenter is through practice.

You want to ensure you command the room with your confidence. You won’t be doing that if you’re reading from a paper aloud.

You need to ensure you’re confident. Practice your conference presentation multiple times and consider recording yourself as you do. You’ll pick up on your body language and analyze how well you’re using your body language to communicate what you’re saying. Scan the audience and share your eye contact with everyone. Don’t forget to speak clearly and slowly

7 - Prepare For The Worst

Murphy’s Law states that what can go wrong, will go wrong. You should keep this theory in the back of your mind and expect the worst to happen.

Just because the worst can and probably will happen, doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution. That is why you need to prepare for the worst.

You should be able to present all your conference presentations if the venue changes at the last minute, if you don’t have the technology you were expecting to use, if you forgot your handouts like a conference paper. You should be prepared for the worst but have a solution.

8 - Know Your Space

Let’s say your fortunate, which you probably will be, and the venue doesn’t change last minute. That’s great! Use this to your advantage and get familiar with your space.

Ahead of your conference presentations, you should go and scope out the area you will be presenting to get an idea of how you can walk around, what technology will be present, what the lighting will be light, etc.

There are so many areas of concerns and unknowns that can be addressed by doing a little bit of field assignment homework ahead of time.

9 - Go Beyond The Slides - Engage Your Audience

An audience will more likely remember what you have to say and feel connected by being engaged.

You can engage your audience by targeting more senses of the human body. If you only target their auditory and visual senses, you’ll eventually lose them. Walk through the crowd if you can. Have the audience move their necks, stretch and move!

10 - Get The Audience To Participate By Encouraging Questions

Good presenting is one-way communication.

Excellent presenting is two-way communication.

Another way to go beyond the slides and your one-way presentation speech by giving an opportunity for the audience to ask further questions.

This is not only beneficial to the audience to help them get a better understanding of your topic, but it will also help you to answer questions.

It gets you to reflect on your presentation from an angle you might not have thought of before. Out of all the questions audience members will ask, there is usually one or two awe-inspiring questions that get even the presenter to take a moment to reflect.

Use these moments to better your presentation for the future.

11 - Evaluate & Refine

Speaking of making your presentation better for the future, remember to evaluate and refine your presentation and presentation skills.

A true master of any profession or skill knows they truly aren’t a master because learning never stops. You should take the same ideology and apply it to your own presentation skills.

Whether it’s self-reflection or a survey of the audience after your conference presentation, try and evaluate how well you presented and refine your future presentation based on the presentation feedback you received.

The summary of everything mentioned above if applied correctly will result in your being a master of conference presentations. The great thing about these techniques is they can be applied to any type of conference presentation.

Not only that, but if you understand the basic fundamentals of presenting, you can begin exploring other realms of presentations. To really take your presentation skills to the next level, enlisting the help of a presentation design agency such as Presentation Geeks will help you surpass the competition.

Author:  Content Team

Related posts.

FREE PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.

Subscribe for free tips, resources, templates, ideas and more from our professional team of presentation designers.

• Event Website Publish a modern and mobile friendly event website.
• Registration & Payments Collect registrations & online payments for your event.
• Abstract Management Collect and manage all your abstract submissions.
• Peer Reviews Easily distribute and manage your peer reviews.
• Conference Program Effortlessly build & publish your event program.
• Virtual Poster Sessions Host engaging virtual poster sessions.
• Customer Success Stories
• Wall of Love ❤️

15 Best Tips for Presenting at a Conference

Published on 18 Nov 2021

Presenting at a conference is an important part of a researcher’s life: it allows you to share all the work you’ve been doing for months or years.

At the same time, it also exposes some intimate aspects of yourself to the outside world, like your thought process, your level of knowledge on a topic, or your ability to structure ideas.

I personally found myself frightened about presenting on multiple occasions. I remember my first seminar at the beginning of my master's degree in biochemistry. Coming from a bachelor in ecology, I felt like an imposter in the new department and was scared others would judge my level of knowledge or the quality of my presentation. Of course, these were only negative projections I was making in my mind, but they reflect the stressful vibe one can feel when preparing to give a talk.

On the positive side, a successful presentation leads to a better understanding of your work by the audience. This generates insightful discussions that can provide ideas about what the next steps of your research should be or clues to solve roadblocks.

It also leaves a good impression on the work done at your lab which can attract new collaborators. Also, getting your work noticed, especially at large conferences, can lead to your publications being more cited. If you’re a student, you can be rewarded with a presentation prize that will boost your curriculum when applying for scholarships.

Above all, learning to communicate, especially to the general public, is a valued skill.

So how can you nail your next presentation? There are no magic pills, but in this article, we’ll share some important tips to help you deliver the best presentation at your next event.

1- Do not start by working on your slides

It is very easy to get lost in your slides if you do not plan first. That is why you need to outline your key ideas and the order in which you want to present them BEFORE jumping into building slides in PowerPoint (or another platform).

You can start with bullet points, a flowchart, or something similar. The crucial part here is to make sure you are laying out the information and not just throwing it on the slides as they come to your mind. It is easy to get lost if you just keep adding slide after slide without any concern for length and/or connections between the information.

You can use sticky notes, paper planners, online flowchart generators, or other tools to help you in the layout phase.

Then, equally important to the key ideas is how you tie all of that content together. You should plan a logical transition and a progression between each idea. This will help you define a common thread and establish the flow of your presentation. Ultimately, it will help the audience capture the message you’re sharing.

In summary, knowing what you want to talk about is key. So before working on your slide deck and your handouts, develop this layout that highlights and connects the information you want to share.

2- Have a duration in mind

You’ll have a limited amount of time to get your message across, so you have to plan your presentation around that time frame. If you have 15 minutes to present your work, plan a presentation that lasts slightly less than that time limit.

Another tip for presentations is to use a timer while presenting to ensure you don’t go overtime.

A lot of people do not plan their time wisely and end up skipping slides in their presentation or going overtime. And guess what? Your audience knows when you skip content because you ran out of time. It comes off as unprofessional and may affect the way people see your work. So take your time preparing your presentation around your time constraints.

If your initial mockup is longer than what it should be, start by analyzing what information could be deleted or ways to get the information across using fewer words. 

It’s often just a matter of focusing on the details that matter the most. Don’t explain all the details of the methodology or the results if it doesn’t add to the story. Keep that for smaller group discussions or during the Q&A period. 

3- Use visuals to your advantage

Visuals are a must in any presentation. Whether it is an image, a chart, a graphic, or a video, visuals help with interpretation and can be an effective way to get your message across or grab the audience's attention.

Just because you’re presenting at an academic conference, it doesn’t mean you can’t use images, videos, or even gifs to help get the message across.

Most people deal better with visuals than words , especially when the information is heavy with data and numbers. But even with visuals, remember to keep it simple. The whole purpose of using visual aids is to help your audience understand the message and not to confuse them with too much information. 

If you’re presenting figures or graphs, remember to use the pointer to highlight the key points while you explain your slide. This is something that is easy to forget when the stress level is high, but it can be a good way to stay grounded and focused on the presentation.

4- Know your audience

In any academic conference, knowing your audience puts you one step closer to delivering an effective presentation. Do your research when starting to prepare your presentation.

Skimming the proceedings of past editions of a conference can reveal past participant lists and their profile. Different conferences have different proportions of undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, or principal investigators. Knowing the proportions of each category can indicate the level of knowledge on certain topics and if you need to spend time explaining certain areas so they understand the rest of the presentation or not.

If you find the abstracts, the Powerpoints, or the recordings of talks from previous editions, it can also help you adjust the depth in which you can go when explaining certain concepts.

Do not fall under the trap of assuming your audience knows nothing about your research subject. If they are at your research conference, it is most likely that they possess knowledge of (and interest in) what you are talking about. So, skip the basics that everyone knows if you feel you can.

Use jargon that is easily understood by the community at large and make sure you define less common abbreviations.

Knowing your audience is not always an easy task. If you’re not sure if your audience is familiar with a specific topic, don't be afraid to ask them! It will make everyone feel more involved and you will get their attention for the rest of the presentation. The bottom line, adapt your message to the audience.

5- Practice, practice, and practice again

No one should know your presentation better than you. When preparing for a particular conference, rehearse your talking points out loud and make sure you feel 100% comfortable with the information laid out on your slides. 

In addition, make sure the key ideas and the logical transition between them are crystal clear. One of the worst things that can happen to presenters is getting lost in their own presentation. 

You should practice your speech out loud to become familiar with the words as this will help your tone and confidence. When you sound confident, people are keener to listen to what you are saying.

One additional common but useful tip is to record yourself while practicing. It will help you know where you're lacking and what needs to be improved. 

 For example, some people tend to talk really fast or jump on sentences while others tend to ignore full stops. No matter what the issues are, recording yourself is a great tactic to find and address them.

6- Present it to a friend or colleague

Outside of practicing it out loud on your own, practice it in front of your colleagues. It will give you an experience that will resemble the real presentation the most.

While you present, notice their facial expressions. They can reveal parts of your presentation that are unclear. Tell them not to interrupt you during the presentation, but tell them to note down their suggestions or questions for the end. Make sure to use a timer to measure how you’re doing on time.

Some people like to present to someone completely detached from the topic. The idea is that if people who are not completely familiar with the subject can follow your presentation, people in the field should be able to easily follow it as well. 

No matter which option you choose, this exercise will help if you have difficulties speaking in public. Do not be afraid of doing these multiple times before your presentation and always ask for honest feedback. The more you practice, the more confident and more fluent you will be.

During my Ph.D., we often presented to our lab members and went through a Q&A section. Not only was it a good opportunity to practice the presenting skills, but it was also a moment to discuss specific aspects and prepare for potential questions. I remember in some instances, the feedback led to reshuffling the ideas completely in a way that made more sense.

7- Appearances matter

Even though people are coming to your presentation because they are interested in your research, appearances matter. The way you speak, how you interact with your audience, and even what you wear, make an impact. Make sure you wear comfortable clothes. 

 If you’re presenting at an online event, make sure the lighting comes from in front of you and not from behind or it will make your face appear darker. Not seeing a presenter clearly can distract the audience and decrease attention.

Also make sure there isn’t anything distracting in the background, like television or someone walking. The best background is usually solid-colored walls.

8- Sleep and eat well before the event

Get a good night of sleep the night before the event. You will feel well-rested and ready to tackle the presentation. It can be tempting to practice your slides and go over your presentation late at night, but it is sometimes better to get a good night's sleep.

In addition, make sure to eat well. You don’t want to feel dizzy or be occupied thinking about food when you should be thinking about the presentation.

Lastly, have a bottle of water close to you while you’re presenting. That will allow you to take pauses when needed and give your audience time to absorb the information after you jump into the next slide or argument.

9- Have a backup

If you have your presentation stored on a hard drive, make sure to have an extra copy on the cloud and vice-versa. Hard drives can break and technical difficulties can occur with cloud storage, so always have a backup just in case. 

Depending on the guidelines of the event, you can also send a copy of your presentation to the organizer and/or colleague. Send yourself a copy of the presentation by email as well.

A lot of people also have a paper copy of their presentation. That’s the last case alternative but also nice to have. If you are in a poster presentation, this may be harder to achieve.

If you have videos in your presentation, check out if the platform and/or venue can display that, especially the audio (if it’s important). Not all software or places have the necessary (or compatible) technology to display your presentation as they should.

10- Use body language

Body language has an essential role in presentations, especially online ones. Make sure you use body language the right way, otherwise it can be distracting for your audience. That includes fidgeting, repeatedly fixing your hair or clothes, among other things.

In academic conferences, the presentations are usually heavy on the information and data side, so it is important that presenters take advantage of tone of voice, gestures, and other body language resources to get their point across.

It is best to keep eye contact with people in the audience. This way, they will feel you are talking TO them and not AT them. But make sure to alternate and not stare at one single person throughout the whole presentation. 

Be aware of your posture and if you have any notes, make sure to either hold them or have them at eyesight. It is common to have notecards during a conference talk, but it is important to know your presentation and not depend on the notes.

11- Encourage your audience to interact with you

A big part of your presentation is for you to talk about your research. People are there to listen to you and absorb information, but they are also there to make the most out of the experience, and that includes engaging and asking questions.

Prepare yourself to answer questions from the audience. It is impossible to cover everything in a short presentation, so try to cover as much as possible and if there are questions you think will arise from the audience, prepare to answer them.

Depending on the type of presentation and what’s expected, you can keep questions for the end or allow questions during the presentation.

If there is a question that you do not have the answer to, it’s ok to say it. It’s better to offer to look more into it and get back to them rather than trying to improvise an answer. Provide your contact information in the final slide or at the end of your presentation. Some participants can reach out to you if they have any questions, suggestions, or opportunities that could be beneficial to you.

If you are giving an online presentation, invite participants to ask a question through the conference platform or website. For example, Fourwaves has a built-in Q&A section on each presentation page where presenters and participants can interact.

12- Structure your presentation and let your audience know

Let your audience know what you will be covering in your presentation. Have a clear outline of the topics and make sure to have this journey clear so the audience understands where you are taking them.

You can start the presentation by highlighting the key messages, but don’t forget to have a summary at the end (your conclusion), where you reiterate the main points of your presentation.

13- Pay attention to design

Adhere to the following basic design principles when building your slides. Avoid distracting colors and mixing more than 2 colors in each slide. If you use a light background, you should use a dark font and vice-versa. Make sure the font size is also big enough and that you are not stuffing too much information into a slide.

A good rule of thumb for your slides is to have about 5 bullet points on each one and give enough time for people to read through them if they need to. Most of the information should be coming out of your mouth and not described in the slides. The slides are just a summary (the bullet points) of what you will cover.

If you are adding visuals, make sure they are big enough so people can see them and they are not covering any information.

14- Take other presentations as an example

You have probably been part of dozens and dozens of presentations in a lifetime. Is there something you liked a lot in those or something you hated? If yes, write it down. If it is positive, strive to replicate that in your presentation. If it is negative, discard it.

If you are taking part in an annual event, you may be able to access presentations from the years before and draw conclusions from there. You can also look for similar poster presentations or templates and get inspiration from those.

Keep in mind that every person has a presentation style. Learn the basic guidelines and find what works best for you.

15- Rely on storytelling

Storytelling is relying on stories (narrative) to talk about something (e.g. personal anecdotes, metaphors, comparisons, etc.). People rely on stories for mnemonic purposes and most of the time, it is easier to remember a story or an analogy than it is to remember a specific situation.

No matter what the topic is, analogies make it easier for people to understand facts. Whenever possible, try to use a metaphor or a comparison

Bonus tip - Remember to stop and breathe during your presentation

It’s normal to feel stressed even if you’re super well prepared and that you know your topic inside out.

Make sure to take the time to pause in between slides and to take a good slow deep breath. It will help you stay focused throughout the presentation.

Practice this during your rehearsals. Not talking for 3-4 seconds can seem long for you, but your audience will appreciate it and it will help you feel calmer.

At the core, preparing for a conference presentation is no different than preparing for any type of public speaking assignment. You need to understand the topic very well, research and practice what you are going to say, and know your audience, among other things.  

Most of all, remember: no one is born with great presentation skills, so give yourself room to improve.

5 Best Event Registration Platforms for Your Next Conference

By having one software to organize registrations and submissions, a pediatric health center runs aro...

5 Essential Conference Apps for Your Event

In today’s digital age, the success of any conference hinges not just on the content and speakers bu...

You control your data

We and our partners use cookies to provide you with our services and, depending on your settings, gather analytics and marketing data. Find more information on our Cookie Policy . Tap "Settings” to set preferences. To accept all cookies, click “Accept”.

Cookie settings

Click on the types of cookies below to learn more about them and customize your experience on our Site. You may freely give, refuse or withdraw your consent. Keep in mind that disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Site. For more information, please visit our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy .

Choose type of cookies to accept

These cookies allow us to analyze our performance to offer you a better experience of creating resumes and cover letters. Analytics related cookies used on our Site are not used by Us for the purpose of identifying who you are or to send you targeted advertising. For example, we may use cookies/tracking technologies for analytics related purposes to determine the number of visitors to our Site, identify how visitors move around the Site and, in particular, which pages they visit. This allows us to improve our Site and our services.

These cookies give you access to a customized experience of our products. Personalization cookies are also used to deliver content, including ads, relevant to your interests on our Site and third-party sites based on how you interact with our advertisements or content as well as track the content you access (including video viewing). We may also collect password information from you when you log in, as well as computer and/or connection information. During some visits, we may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, download errors, time spent on certain pages and page interaction information.

These cookies are placed by third-party companies to deliver targeted content based on relevant topics that are of interest to you. And allow you to better interact with social media platforms such as Facebook.

These cookies are essential for the Site's performance and for you to be able to use its features. For example, essential cookies include: cookies dropped to provide the service, maintain your account, provide builder access, payment pages, create IDs for your documents and store your consents.

To see a detailed list of cookies, click here .

This site uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. To learn more visit our Privacy Policy

• Career Advice

Presentation Skills: Examples + 25 Ways to Improve Yours

Our customers have been hired by:

Presentation skills are crucial. Michelin-starred chefs and Broadway actors alike know this. And—you need effective presentation skills whether you're preparing for a job interview, company meeting, or promotion to the position of public relations manager.

Wondering how to improve presentation skills? You're in the right place because…

This article will show you:

• 25 ways to improve your presentation skills, public speaking, and speech delivery.
• Presentation skills examples for a resume, cover letter, and job interview.
• Effective presentation skills you need for jobs and creative presentation ideas.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here .

Sample resume made with our builder— See more resume samples here .

Here are some other skills guides to help you along:

• Analytical Skills
• Communication Skills
• Conceptual Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Decision Making Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Language Skills
• Leadership Skills
• The Best Resume Examples for All Jobs

Presentation Skills — Definition & List of Main Presentation Types

First of all, what are presentation skills?

Presentation skills are the abilities one needs in order to deliver compelling, engaging, informative, transformative, educational, enlightening, and/or instructive presentations. Central to effective presentation skills are public speaking, tone of voice, body language, creativity, and delivery.

That said, there are several types of presentations:

Main Types of Presentations

• Persuasive Presentations

Persuasive presentations are those given to arouse the audience to make the decision which the presenter hopes for. An example might be a startup founder delivering a presentation to an angel in the hopes of getting investment or a salesperson pitching a product to customers.

• Instructional Presentations

Instructional presentations are those given to guide the audience on a new policy, law, etc. For example, an HR manager might hold an onboarding presentation to instruct new employees on the rules of the company.

• Informative Presentations

Informative presentations give information about a new procedure, benefit, etc. One example might be a company HR presentation where the manager gives information about the new bonus requirements.

• Inspirational Presentations

Inspirational presentations are similar to persuasive presentations, but here the speaker aims to boost morale or increase brand pride, for example. Another example would be the rousing conclusion of a TED Talk speaker as they wrap up their speech.

Here’s a beautiful example of an inspirational presentation about, well, presentations:

And, there are several presentation delivery methods:

Presentation Delivery Methods

• Extemporaneous presentations are those you deliver without any preparation, though you plan it beforehand.
• Memorized presentations are those you learn by heart. Hard to get right, but compelling if it is!
• Manuscript presentations are those you deliver from a pre-written script or notes.
• Impromptu presentations are similar to extemporaneous presentations, but you decide on and deliver them on the spot.

Pro Tip : What’s the difference between a speech and a presentation ? A speech is just plain ol’ spoken word read or delivered based on a written draft while a presentation gets creative with interaction, videos, slides, etc.

Skills in general are broken down into soft skills  (those you develop throughout life, like communication skills) and hard skills  (those you study, such as computer skills ). For more on this, check out: Soft Skills vs Hard Skills for a Job: What Employers Look For

2. How to Improve Presentation Skills [25 Steps]

Some people are born entertainers or have an innate eidetic memory (the ability to recall things from memory with great clarity from just a moment of exposure).

The rest of us always have room for growth.

No matter what the situation—

Here are the best ways to improve presentation skills:

1. Prepare Your Presentation in Advance

There are various methods of preparing for a presentation, and they’re all very similar to preparing for a job interview.

Run lines with a mock audience or friend, like actors and actresses auditioning for movie and stage roles. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for an upcoming presentation or speech, especially when you are less experienced.

And, the last part of preparation—always be prepared with answers to follow-up questions once your presentation is over.

2. Practice Your Presentation As Much As Possible

As with anything, practice makes perfect.

Hopefully it doesn’t come down to Gladwell’s “10,000 hour rule,” but practice of some length is always required to hone your presentation skills.

Practice alone. Then, practice with a friend or family member. Then, always use each live presentation opportunity as a practice round for the next presentation.

3. Learn How to Skip Around

Poor presentation skills for most people involve a monotonous, robotic delivery.

And, sure, that isn’t so compelling.

However, what’s equally lackluster is a presenter who is unable to be dynamic and find real-time solutions to questions asked during the presentation. If an interruption or news update mid-presentation throws you off, then you need to practice and learn how to handle them.

Likewise, imagine giving a breaking news update to the public. If an advisor comes up to your podium to whisper in your ear, you have to take this new news into consideration, altering your presentation to fit.

Like improv sketches, knowing how to handle changes is an important part of a performance.

4. Speak Passionately About Your Topic

When you are passionate about the topic of your presentation, the audience senses it. It leaks through your pores and reflects from your eyes.

Show passion. Show enthusiasm. Be slightly crazy—

Or learn how to fake it.

Audience members who feel it on a visceral level, rather than only intellectually, are much more inclined to pay attention and find agreement with you.

And, bonus: they tend to fall asleep less!

5. Tell Stories in Your Presentations

Storytelling is one of the most effective presentation skills.

Crowds love stories. They give great examples of what the presenter is talking about, and they earn that rapt attention which any presenter aims for much more easily.

6. Understand What You Should And Shouldn’t Do

On your first presentation, you’d be forgiven for having a coffee to clear the fog from your mind. If and when it increases any pre-PowerPoint jitters, you know never to drink coffee prior again.

Same goes for the way you breathe, and the food you consume beforehand. You don’t need the added discomfort of a gassy stomach, so know what foods, if any, cause that for you.

On the opposite side, exercise, for most people, is a great way to relieve any built up tension the night prior.

As you practice, practice, practice, you’ll get signals from your environment, audience, and body as to what does and doesn’t work for you.

7. Know Your Audience

This one requires research in advance (remember: prepare!).

Let’s say you were hired to deliver several motivational speeches to various members of a large company. You nail your first presentation delivered to an audience of interns.

Do you give exactly the same performance to the senior-level executives, your next stop?

You wouldn’t, hopefully.

Executives will need to be spoken to in a different language, almost, with different vocabulary. Research your audience to deliver a presentation that speaks directly to them, not some other crowd, even if it was successful before.

8. Film Yourself

Try filming yourself delivering the presentation and playing it back. You can learn a lot just by seeing your own mistakes and working to improve them.

Later, give that same video to a friend and ask for further feedback and criticism. They are likely to spot something you might have missed, because, you know, two heads are better than one and all that.

9. Connect With the Audience’s Emotions & Inspire Action

Connect with the crowd on a gut level. The audience has to feel that what you’re saying is important, actionable, and true.

Here’s what the awesome social motivator, Simon Sinek , has to say:

When we communicate from the outside in, yes, people can understand vast amounts of complicated information like features and benefits and facts and figures. It just doesn't drive behavior. When we can communicate from the inside out, we're talking directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and then we allow people to rationalize it with the tangible things we say and do. This is where gut decisions come from. Simon Sinek social motivator

Be engaging. Be entertaining. This is how you truly speak to the audience. He sums it up like this:

Sometimes you can give somebody all the facts and figures, and they say, ‘I know what all the facts and details say, but it just doesn't feel right.’ Why would we use that verb, it doesn't ‘feel’ right? Because the part of the brain that controls decision-making doesn't control language. Simon Sinek social motivator

10. Tell Them You’re Nervous

This is one of my favorite presentation tricks, as I get super anxious before any kind of public speech or demonstration.

If you feel nervous, consider starting off by telling the audience such (“Forgive me, please, if my voice is wobbly, I’m a bit nervous…”). The audience is sure to empathize with your situation, and you don’t have to go through the entire presentation with some higher bar of confidence.

11. Use Humor

Add some jokes and humorous comments throughout your presentation. Like storytelling, it connects with the audience on a deeper level, and getting them to laugh helps to earn their attention back if you were losing it.

On top of that, you help cut any tension in the room, which is helpful if you’re nervous or have a fear of public speaking, but also helps to make any proposal or instructional presentation more palatable to the audience.

12. Remove Filler Sounds & Crutch Words

For example, do you, um , give, like , uh , sounds like this?

There’s nothing wrong with these in everyday speech. In linguistics, these are called filler sounds (or crutch words), and it is a common way to allow your brain to catch up with your words.

However, in presentations, these only make you look incompetent. Likewise, find other ways to improve your presentation delivery. Maybe your hand gestures look robotic, your jokes fall flat, or your voice cracks.

A compelling presentation depends on a compelling delivery. Check out this guide from Harvard Business Review for a great write-up on how to stop using so many crutch words.

13. Use the Right Visual Aids & Presentation Media

With some presentations, the medium of delivery is set (aside from the speech element). On a school project, for example, you may be required to use Microsoft PowerPoint.

However, when you have a choice, choose the right visual aid method. Even with PowerPoint, you have to choose between text slides, image slides, and infographic slides.

Not only is there not a single perfect visual aid medium for all presentations, but different sections of one presentation could benefit from a different media format. Maybe a 5-minute video would work great as an intro. Perhaps a set of image slides to wrap things up.

14. Improve Your Confidence

When trying to learn how to improve speaking skills or how to improve public speaking, work on improving your confidence. It’s one of the single most effective ways to boost your delivery, and thus your presentation.

Think positive thoughts . Make a SWOT analysis to boost your self-confidence. Work on your body language and stance.

A confident speaker is way more effective at how to give a presentation than one who isn’t, and this is true at job interviews, meetings, and negotiations.

15. Get Psyched

Sometimes the best way to get over those nervous jitters is to get yourself psyched.

Consider workouts, for example. How to get over that lazy feeling and get yourself to the gym? Think of the beach, think about how you’d like to look, play some heavy metal or hip hop.

Likewise, figure out what gets you pumped and excited before entering onstage. Music almost always helps, as does a bit of private dancing in an empty room. Maybe make faces at yourself in a mirror to immediately. Think of the post-show party after your presentation is over.

Invigorating yourself with these common routines is sure to prepare you for any type of presentations—including job interviews!

16. Focus on the Core

A great presenter may have many illustrious stories to help the audience understand the gist of the show.

However—

If you don’t use storytelling correctly, you’re liable to go off on tangents which will lose the audience. More disastrously, it could make you lose your own train of thought.

So, when you’re more of a beginner, focus on your core topic, and don’t stray far from its message. As you get more confident, you’ll be able to step further and further with your storytelling.

An added bonus: your presentation will be short, sweet, and over that much faster.

17. Engage an Audience Member

We’ve talked about connecting with the audience before, but this presentation trick works wonders, too.

Is everyone staring too intently at you and you are starting to get freaked out?

Turn the attention onto someone else for a moment to help you recollect yourself.

Perhaps make a joke about how your partner (“sitting right over there”) just ran three red lights to get you there on time. Or, if you’re on a panel, maybe you could give praise to that academic award your colleague behind you just earned.

Whichever way you do it, all eyes look away, giving you an instance to get your head right.

But be careful and always get permission! You don’t want to embarrass someone or say something not meant to be revealed just so you can have a 15-second reprieve. Always ask in advance.

18. Breathe

Breathing is so involuntary and commonplace that you likely wouldn’t consider it to be a potential presentation booster.

However, with the right breathing techniques, you can definitely lower your stress and anxiety, whether it’s on stage or at an interview.

Danny Penman, Ph.D. tells Psychology Today:

Momentary stress causes the body to tense and you begin to breathe a little more shallowly. A shallow breath lowers oxygen levels in the blood, which the brain senses as stress. Breathing then becomes a little faster and shallower. Oxygen levels fall a little more. The heart begins to race. The brain feels a little more stressed. It's a vicious circle. Danny Penman

Snap yourself out of that loop of despair by practicing some breathing exercises.

19. Reappraise Anxiety as Excitement

I used to always be nervous going to work each morning. Around the same time, I would also want to use the restroom.

That needing-to-go feeling always felt associated with nervousness. However, when I told myself that this feeling was just a normal morning urge, rather than anything to do with work—boy did that help!

As a Harvard study theorizes, you can use reappraisal of anxiety to help with presentations, as well:

“Individuals can reappraise anxiety as excitement using minimal strategies such as self-talk (e.g., saying “I am excited” out loud) or simple messages (e.g., “get excited”), which lead them to feel more excited, adopt an opportunity mind-set (as opposed to a threat mind-set), and improve their subsequent performance.”

Now, when I go to work each morning, I’m excited.

20. Use the Toilet

As I stated in my story example above, that need-to-go feeling may become associated in your mind with nervousness.

So, go to the bathroom.

And go even when you don’t have to, just in case your portion of the presentation or the questions afterwards runs longer than expected.

21. Mingle Beforehand

You were probably going to shake hands and chit-chat with audience members after the show’s over, depending on the intimacy and nature of the venue.

Mingle with them beforehand, as well. For those of you who might be afraid of public speaking, chatting face-to-face with members of the crowd turn them from big, scary monsters to people just like yourself.

Even if you’re just generally nervous about public speaking, getting a few smiles and handshakes prior adds a “temporary friend” in the audience for you—sure to put you more at ease than if everyone were complete strangers.

22. Arrive Extra Early

You might have planned to arrive a few minutes early anyway, right?

It’s not enough.

There are likely dozens of things you can’t or won’t account for, from the projector malfunctioning to crazy feedback on the mic to curtains that just won’t recede.

While you don’t have to account for everything that could go wrong, it’s best to give yourself extra time just in case. And, hey, if everything is fine for you, then you just get a few extra minutes to relax yourself and rehearse once more.

23. Exercise

One of the best ways to have a relaxed demeanor and attitude right before a presentation is to exercise. Regular exercise is proven to reduce anxiety and stress, too.

Go for a brisk walk for 10–15 minutes, or do a few bicep curls. Like a shot of whisky, it’s sure to take the edge off. It’s just healthier and safer.

However, don’t go too hard—you don’t want your shirt to have visible pools of sweat.

24. Sit In on Other Presentations

Aside from your own public speaking and presentations, what better way to improve your presentations than by watching others?

Don’t just watch anybody, of course.

Find a person or two whose presentation skills you absolutely adore. Whether they’re online or at your local town hall, watch closely and take notes on what makes them such a compelling presenter.

This brings us to the next step—

25. Learn From These TED Talks (Videos)

Watch others and follow the best presentation practices to improve your skills. This means having active listening skills when your audience asks specific questions.

Here are some more presentations on how to give rousing presentations (how meta is that?):

• Giving Presentations Worth Listening To
• TED's secret to great public speaking
• The surprising secret to speaking with confidence
• How to sound smart in your TEDx Talk
• The secret structure of great talks
• The science of stage fright (and how to overcome it)

These TED Talks give some great ideas on improving presentation skills, boosting confidence, and reducing stage fright.

26. Don’t Give Up!

As you continue to present and practice presentation skills training, you’ll get more and more comfortable. Your confidence will increase as your shyness and hesitance withers away.

On top of that, you’ll begin to learn what works for you and what pre-presentation rituals you should avoid.

Finally, you won’t get the practice you need if you don’t continue presenting!

Pro Tip : Toastmasters International is a unique club for members who want to develop presentation skills, confidence in public speaking, and leadership skills. There are thousands of clubs all around the world, and they meet weekly to improve.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check . Start building a  professional resume template here for free .

When you’re done, our free resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

3. How to Show Presentation Skills on a Resume, in Your Cover Letter & During a Job Interview

Since this is Zety, the premier career platform, it’s now time to connect presentation skills with your career.

You have three opportunities to highlight your presentation skills while you’re hunting for jobs: on your resume, in your cover letter, and during a job interview.

We’ll now go through it step-by-step.

How to Show Presentation Skills on a Resume

First and foremost, relevance is key. Always tailor your resume to one specific job opportunity.

Remember that meta tip from before (watching presentations which talk about presentations)?

Resumes get a bit meta, too.

If the job ad mentions presentation skills, not only do you need to list them on your resume, but your resume as a whole is a form of presentation, itself.

This is how to get it right:

1. Presentation Skills on a Resume

These days, more and more companies are using the ATS to assist in the hiring process.

The ATS, or applicant tracking system, is software which aids human resources staff by parsing each resume for the right resume keywords .

Don’t have the right keywords?

Start by bringing out the job description for which you are applying.

Here are several examples from various job listings requiring presentation skills:

• Excellent communication and presentation skills with confidence to serve as the company’s spokesperson.
• Demonstrate excellent presentation skills, including the ability to create presentations and present to all levels of an organization.
• Candidate must possess strong presentation skills including thorough competency of AutoCAD, Photoshop, & SketchUp.

As you can see, different companies need presentation skills in different ways. Specific ones, such as Microsoft Office skills , should be listed when necessary.

You’ve got to list them in a specific way.

To make the ATS happy, stick as closely as possible to the wording the job ad uses when adding it to your skills section.

And, to make it even more effective, quantify your presentation skill by turning it into a numbered professional achievement :

• Developed excellent communication and presentation skills to confidently deliver over 50 public speeches to crowds greater than 150 people.
• Demonstrated excellent presentation skills and presented to all levels of an organization of 500+ employees.
• Built strong presentation skills and competency with AutoCAD, Photoshop, & SketchUp, creating 25+ presentations which were responsible for $500,000 in sales revenue.

Were you a public speaker in the past?

Then you have an even better way to list presentation skills on a resume.

Instead of in the skills section, you’ll create an extra resume section specifically called “Presentations” or “Public Speaking.”

Here’s an example of how to include presentations on a resume:

Presentations & Talks

• 2018-04-01  TED Talk,  How to Use the Higgs Boson to Locate an Italian Restaurant . City Hall, New York, NY.
• 2017-09-18  Astrophysics Conference,  Taking Advantage of Quantum Dilation to Boil Potatoes . Brandywine Theater, Brooklyn, NY.

Not so hard, right?

This kind of section works great if you’ve given TED talks or been interviewed on a public talk show, for example.

Nothing shows presentation skills better than an actual presentation you’ve given in the past! And it boosts your employability skills even more so.

2. Presentation Skills on a Cover Letter

Just because you talked up your presentation abilities in your resume doesn’t mean you can’t include it on the cover letter, as well.

We always advocate for adding numbered achievements to cover letters, too.

So, include a win or two in the body of your application letter just as you did on your resume.

Here’s an example of presentation skills on a cover letter:

… During my career thus far working as the chief evangelist for Orion Tech, I’ve worked tirelessly on honing my presentation skills to perfection. I am proud to submit to you a few examples of my presentation abilities, including:

• Earned the 2016 Research Presentation Award from the University of Rochester Office of Undergraduate Research.
• Presented at over 15 international conferences, all with more than 5,000 attendees.

As you can see, I have the confidence and experience needed to conduct presentations at all levels …

Here, we used the body of the cover letter to talk up your presentation talents. You gave them a quick intro into your abilities, then fired off a few shots to prove it, and finally summed it all up for them.

Not so hard at all, right?

3. Presentation Skills at an Interview

Lastly, the interview.

The job interview is a make-or-break performance for you, and presentation skills will be needed in spades.

While most of our presentation preparation tips from before are relevant, here is a quick way to ace your interview:

• Prepare for your interview properly . Do mock interviews with family members, calm your nerves, and get plenty of sleep the night before.
• Dress well for your interview . A nice suit or dress definitely helps to boost your confidence before your big meeting.
• Get ready for their questions . What’s an interview without questions? Our guide can help you with answers to more than 65 common interview questions.
• Bring your own questions to ask . A good interviewer will always ask if you have questions for them at an interview. Don’t be unprepared.
• Learn the STAR technique . When answering behavioral interview questions, the STAR method is the best way to structure your reply.

Pro Tip : Presentation skills requested on a job description may not be obvious. Instead of asking for them outright, the job ad might seek someone able to use Powerpoint or Google Slides and is comfortable with public speaking. Make sure you spot this.

After the interview, there’s one more time to present yourself. Check this article out: How to Follow Up After an Interview

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here.  Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Here’s a quick recap of everything you need to remember about presentation skills:

• Good presentation skills are more than just speaking in public. They are a part of many aspects of life, especially in careers and job seeking.
• Preparation is one of the most important ways to have a successful presentation.
• Memorizing the speech element of a presentation is not as necessary as good speech delivery.
• Knowing your audience is crucial to obtaining your goals for the presentation.
• Always prepare for follow-up questions after your presentation is over.
• On a resume, list your presentation skills in the skills section as closely to the wording of the job ad as possible.

Do you have any questions on how to make a presentation? Need help with creative presentation ideas, ways to present a project, or presentation tools? Give us a shout in the comments below and we will answer your question. Thanks for reading!

Curious about other types of skills you can put on your resume? Check out these guides:

• Management Skills
• Marketing Skills
• Organizational Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Project Management Skills
• Skills on a Resume
• Teamwork Skills
• Technical Skills
• Time Management Skills
• Transferable Skills

About Zety’s Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines . We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

• https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X14526993
• https://hbr.org/2018/08/how-to-stop-saying-um-ah-and-you-know
• https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xge-a0035325.pdf
• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2004.04.017
• https://www.toastmasters.org/

Don't miss out on exclusive stories that will supercharge your career!

Get a weekly dose of inspiration delivered to your inbox

Similar articles

How to Write a Cover Letter for Any Job in 2024

Good cover letters are very much in demand. And that’s why learning how to write a cover letter is worth your time. Especially if the knowledge is right in front of your eyes!

Best Resume Templates in 2024 (10+ Picks to Use Now)

The best resume templates aren't just about fancy looks. They have to be sleek and professional. Their layout needs to show off your value. Here's what'll help.

Professional Skills for a Resume: Examples for 2024

Professional skills are the foundation of any successful career. Showing them to your recruiters is a must. Learn how to describe your professionals skills on a resume like a pro.

• Career Blog

Presentation Skills for Career Success: Examples and Tips

As an expert in both writing and subject matter, I understand the importance of effective presentation skills. From delivering a sales pitch to making a dynamic presentation at a conference, presentation skills are an essential aspect of career success.

Definition of Presentation Skills

Presentation skills refer to the ability to effectively and persuasively communicate information to an audience. This involves several different components, including speaking clearly and confidently, engaging with the audience, and using visual aids to illustrate key points.

Importance of Presentation Skills for Career Success

Strong presentation skills can make all the difference in achieving success in your career. Whether you’re pitching an important idea to investors or delivering a report to your team, being able to communicate your message clearly and effectively is critical. Poor presentation skills can undermine a person’s credibility and ultimately hinder their ability to succeed.

Understanding Your Target Audience

When preparing a presentation, it is crucial to understand your target audience. Without knowing who will be sitting in the audience, it can be challenging to effectively communicate your message. To ensure a successful presentation, you need to:

A. Identifying Your Audience

The first step is to identify your audience. Who are you presenting to? Are they co-workers, executives or customers? What is their demographic? What is their level of knowledge about your topic? Understanding your audience’s characteristics will allow you to personalize the presentation and make it more relatable.

B. Knowing Your Audience’s Expectations

After identifying your audience, the next step is to understand their expectations. What are they hoping to learn from your presentation? Are they looking for specific information, or are they coming in with no prior knowledge? By understanding what your audience expects, you can tailor your message accordingly.

C. Tailoring Your Presentation to Your Audience

Now that you understand who your audience is and what they expect to gain from your presentation, the final step is to tailor your presentation to meet their needs. This means adjusting the way you present information, including visuals and language, to ensure that the message resonates with them.

For example, if you’re presenting to a group of executives, you’ll want to use language that speaks to their level of knowledge and experience. On the other hand, if you’re presenting to a group of new employees, you’ll want to simplify your language and provide more background information.

By customizing your presentation to your audience, you will increase their engagement and enhance their understanding of the topic. This will result in a more successful presentation overall.

Understanding your target audience is crucial to delivering a successful presentation. By identifying your audience, knowing their expectations, and tailoring your message to their needs, you can create a presentation that resonates with your audience and delivers the message effectively.

Creating an Effective Presentation

Creating an effective presentation can be a daunting task, but it is necessary for career success. An effective presentation can be the key to closing a business deal, securing new clients, or impressing your bosses.

To make sure your presentation is effective, there are five key steps you must take: defining your objectives, developing a strong message, structuring your presentation, using visual aids and emotional appeals, and rehearsing your presentation.

A. Defining Your Objectives

Before you start creating your presentation, it is important to define your objectives. Ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve with this presentation? Who is my audience? What message do I want to convey? Once you have answered these questions, you can start creating your presentation with a clear goal in mind.

B. Developing a Strong Message

To create a strong message, you need to think about what your audience needs to hear from you. Your message should be clear, concise, and relevant to your audience. Use language and visuals that are easy to understand and memorable.

C. Structuring Your Presentation

A well-structured presentation is key to keeping your audience engaged. Start with a strong opening that grabs their attention, then move into the main body of your presentation where you can delve deeper into your message using clear examples and evidence. Finally, end with a strong closing that leaves a lasting impression.

D. Using Visual Aids and Emotional Appeals

Using visual aids and emotional appeals can make your presentation more engaging and memorable. Visual aids can help illustrate your message and make it easier to understand. Emotional appeals can help you connect with your audience on a more personal level and make your presentation more memorable.

E. Rehearsing Your Presentation

The final step in creating an effective presentation is rehearsing. Practice your presentation multiple times. This will help you feel more confident and prepared when it is time to present. It will also help you identify areas that need improvement.

Creating an effective presentation is an important skill for career success. By defining your objectives, developing a strong message, structuring your presentation, using visual aids and emotional appeals, and rehearsing your presentation, you can deliver a presentation that is engaging, memorable, and effective.

Presentation Delivery Skills

Effective presentation delivery is a crucial aspect for professional success. The way you present yourself, the ideas, and the subject matter can significantly impact the audience’s perception of you and the content you provide. This section discusses some important presentation delivery skills that can help you in your career.

A. Opening and Closing Strategies

The opening and closing of your presentation should be attention-grabbing and leave a lasting impression. Use a powerful opening statement, a thought-provoking question, or an engaging story that relates to the topic. Similarly, end the presentation with a summarized version of the crucial points, a call to action, or an inspiring quote. These strategies can help the audience remember your presentation long after it’s over.

B. Voice and Body Language

Your voice and body language play an essential role in conveying your message effectively. Speak clearly and confidently, and avoid filler words such as “umm” and “ahh.” Use gestures and body movements that complement your words and help emphasize your message.

C. Eye Contact and Interpersonal Communication

Maintaining eye contact with your audience is a powerful way to build rapport and influence. It shows that you are confident and interested in engaging with them. Along with eye contact, focus on interpersonal communication skills, such as active listening, empathy, and adapting your communication style to resonate with the audience.

D. Managing Nervousness

It’s natural to feel nervous before a presentation, but it can negatively affect your performance. Be prepared by rehearsing beforehand, arriving early, and taking deep breaths. Use positive self-talk, affirmations, and visualization techniques to calm your nerves and build confidence.

E. Tips for Virtual and Remote Presentations

Virtual and remote presentations require additional considerations to ensure a successful delivery. Ensure that your technology works correctly, keep your slides simple and easy to read, and avoid multitasking during the presentation. Practice your presentation in front of a camera to get used to the virtual interface.

Mastering presentation delivery skills is an ongoing process of refinement and practice. Paying attention to your opening and closing strategies, voice and body language, eye contact and interpersonal communication, managing nervousness, and tips for virtual and remote presentations can make a significant difference in the impact of your presentation on the audience. By honing these skills, you can enhance your professional brand and take your career to greater heights.

Engaging Your Audience

Engaging your audience is crucial to delivering an effective presentation. The goal is to keep their attention and leave a lasting impression. In this section, we’ll cover four key techniques to engage your audience: storytelling, audience participation, Q&A sessions, and handling difficult audience members.

A. Using Storytelling Techniques

Stories have the power to captivate an audience and make your presentation memorable. Consider opening with a personal anecdote or sharing a relevant story that connects with your topic. Use descriptive language and vivid details to make your story come alive.

Throughout your presentation, sprinkle in relevant stories and examples to help illustrate your points. If you have data or statistics to share, try presenting them in the form of a story. This will make them more interesting and easier to remember.

B. Encouraging Audience Participation

Encouraging audience participation can help to create an interactive and engaging presentation. There are many ways to do this, such as posing thought-provoking questions or inviting volunteers for a demonstration.

Another way to encourage participation is to use interactive tools, such as live polling or Q&A features. These tools allow the audience to engage with you in real-time and can provide valuable insights into their thoughts and opinions.

C. Asking Questions and Managing Q&A Sessions

Asking questions can be an effective way to keep your audience engaged and test their understanding of the material. Be sure to pause at key points in your presentation and ask relevant questions to keep the audience on their toes.

During the Q&A session, it’s important to manage the flow of questions and keep things organized. Encourage people to raise their hands and wait until they are called upon before speaking. If you’re receiving multiple questions at once, try repeating them back to ensure everyone can hear and understand.

D. Tips for Handling Difficult Audience Members

Dealing with difficult audience members can be a challenge, but it’s important to remain professional and respectful. Here are a few tips for handling different types of difficult audience members:

• The interrupter:  Politely ask them to wait until you’ve finished speaking before asking their question.
• The skeptic:  Acknowledge their concerns and be prepared with evidence or examples to support your position.
• The distractor:  Politely redirect their attention back to the topic at hand and keep the presentation moving forward.

Engaging your audience is crucial to delivering an effective presentation. By using storytelling techniques, encouraging audience participation, asking questions, and handling difficult audience members, you can create a memorable and impactful presentation that resonates with your audience.

Presentation Software and Tools

In today’s professional environment, creating and delivering powerful presentations is a requirement for success. Fortunately, there are many tools and technologies available to help presenters bring their ideas to life. This section explores some of the most popular software and techniques for creating and delivering engaging presentations.

A. Overview of Popular Presentation Software

There are many presentation software tools available, but some are more widely used than others. The most popular presentation software tools include:

• Microsoft PowerPoint  – A versatile software tool that allows users to create dynamic presentations with a range of text, graphics, and multimedia features.
• Apple Keynote  – An alternative to PowerPoint that includes many of the same features and is optimized for use on Apple devices.
• Google Slides  – A cloud-based alternative to PowerPoint that allows users to create and share presentations online.
• Prezi  – A non-linear presentation tool that uses a canvas rather than slides to tell a story.

B. Techniques for Using PowerPoint Effectively

PowerPoint is a widely used presentation software tool, but there are some key techniques that can be used to present more effectively. Some of these techniques include:

• Simplicity  – Avoid cluttering slides with too much content. Keep text to a minimum and use images and graphics to emphasize key points.
• Consistency  – Use a consistent font, color scheme, and style throughout the presentation to create a professional-looking deck.
• Storytelling  – Use a clear narrative to guide the audience through the presentation and keep them engaged.
• Animation  – Use animations and other visual effects sparingly to emphasize key points and keep the audience’s attention.

C. Tips for Creating Engaging Multimedia

Engaging multimedia elements can help bring a presentation to life and make it more memorable. Some tips for creating engaging multimedia include:

• Images  – Use high-quality images that are relevant to the topic and can help illustrate key points.
• Graphs and charts  – Use graphs and charts to display data in a clear and concise way.
• Video  – Include relevant video clips to emphasize key points and break up the presentation.
• Interactive elements  – Use interactive elements such as quizzes or polls to engage the audience and encourage participation.

D. Other Presentation Tools and Technologies

In addition to the software tools and techniques mentioned above, there are many other presentation tools and technologies that can be used to make a presentation more engaging. Some of these include:

• Virtual and augmented reality  – Virtual and augmented reality can be used to create immersive experiences for the audience and help them better understand complex concepts.
• Audience response systems  – Audience response systems allow the audience to participate in the presentation by responding to questions or providing feedback.
• Live streaming  – Live streaming allows the presentation to be broadcast online in real-time, allowing a wider audience to view the presentation.

Presentation Skills in Professional Settings

Delivering effective presentations is a crucial skill for career success. In professional settings, presentations are an opportunity to showcase expertise, make persuasive arguments, and establish credibility. Below are some common types of presentations and tips for delivering them successfully.

A. Interview Presentations

Job interviews often include a presentation component, where candidates are asked to deliver a pitch about themselves and their qualifications. To make a strong impression in an interview presentation, consider the following tips:

• Research the company and its values to tailor your message accordingly.
• Practice your presentation in advance and anticipate potential questions or points of discussion.
• Use storytelling techniques to make your presentation engaging and memorable.
• Be confident, enthusiastic, and energetic to convey your passion for the job and demonstrate your communication skills.

B. Business Proposals

In business settings, proposals are often used to pitch new ideas, products, or services to potential clients or stakeholders. To create a persuasive proposal presentation, consider the following tips:

• Understand the needs and interests of your audience to tailor your proposal accordingly.
• Use a clear and concise format that highlights the key benefits and value of your proposal.
• Anticipate potential objections or concerns and address them proactively in your presentation.
• Use visual aids or demonstrations to support your proposal and make it more engaging.

C. Sales Presentations

Sales presentations are a common way to promote products, services, or solutions to potential customers. To make an effective sales presentation, consider the following tips:

• Focus on the needs and pain points of your target audience, and position your product as a solution.
• Use storytelling techniques or case studies to illustrate the benefits and value of your product.
• Be confident and assertive, but also empathetic and responsive to your audience’s feedback and questions.
• Use visual aids or demos to showcase your product in action and make it more tangible.

D. Conference Presentations

Conference presentations are a chance to share research, insights, or expertise with a broader audience. To make a compelling conference presentation, consider the following tips:

• Identify the main message or takeaway of your presentation and structure your content accordingly.
• Use a clear and engaging narrative or story arc to make your presentation more cohesive and memorable.
• Use visual aids or multimedia to support your main points and make your presentation more engaging.
• Rehearse your delivery and timing to ensure that you stay within the allotted time and maintain a good pace.

E. Other Professional Settings

There are many other professional settings where presentation skills can be valuable, such as meetings, training sessions, or public speaking events. To deliver effective presentations in these settings, consider the following tips:

• Understand the purpose and scope of your presentation, and tailor your content and delivery accordingly.
• Use visual aids or other interactive elements to support your presentation and make it more engaging.
• Anticipate potential objections or questions and prepare to respond effectively.

Excellence in Public Speaking and Presentation Skills

Public speaking and presentation skills play a significant role in career success. To achieve excellence in these skills, one needs to develop strategies for growth, continuously work on improving them, and stay current with future trends.

A. Strategies for Growth

Developing strategies for growth involves setting goals and working towards achieving them. Here are some tips for building a strong foundation:

• Identify your audience – Know who you are presenting to and what their goals and interests are.
• Craft a compelling message – Create a clear message that resonates with your audience.
• Practice regularly – Practice speaking and presenting regularly, either in front of a mirror or in front of others.
• Seek feedback – Seek feedback from colleagues or mentors to identify areas for improvement.

B. Tips for Continuous Improvement

Once you have established good strategies, the next step to excellence is to continually work on improving your skills. Here are some tips for continuous improvement:

• Attend workshops or training sessions – Attend workshops or training sessions on public speaking and presentation skills to learn new techniques and best practices.
• Take advantage of technology – Utilize technology to enhance your presentations, such as incorporating multimedia or using presentation software.
• Analyze successful presentations – Analyze successful presentations from others and learn from their techniques.
• Embrace constructive criticism – Listen to feedback from audience members or colleagues and use it to make improvements.

C. Future Trends in Presentation Skills

As technology continues to advance, there are several future trends in presentation skills that professionals should stay current with, such as:

• Interactive presentations – Interactive presentations engage the audience through the use of technology, such as live polling or virtual reality.
• Storytelling – Storytelling is becoming increasingly popular in presentations, as it allows the presenter to connect with the audience on a more personal level.
• Personalization – Personalization involves tailoring the presentation to the individual needs of the audience, such as incorporating their names or organization’s branding.
• Artificial Intelligence – Artificial intelligence is being used to analyze and provide feedback on presentation skills, allowing presenters to make more data-driven improvements.

To achieve excellence in public speaking and presentation skills, individuals need to invest in building a strong foundation, continuously work on improving their skills, and stay current with future trends. By doing so, professionals can enhance their career success and influence their audience to take meaningful action.

Examples of Effective Presentations

A. sample presentation outlines.

Sample presentation outlines are included to give readers an idea of how presentations can be structured. These outlines may include the following sections:

• Introduction
• Main Points
• Supporting Details
• Call to Action

By following these outlines, presenters can organize their ideas and deliver a clear and concise message to their audience.

B. Video Examples of Effective Presentations

Video examples of effective presentations allow readers to see real-life examples of presenters who excel at delivering engaging and informative presentations. These videos may feature live presentations, TED talks, or business pitches. By watching these videos, readers can learn from the delivery techniques, body language, and visual aids used by the presenters.

C. Analysis of What Makes Effective Presentations

In this section, the article delves deeper into what makes a presentation effective. The analysis may cover topics such as:

• Audience Engagement: An effective presentation should keep the audience engaged and interested by using interactive tools, storytelling techniques, and humor.
• Relevance: The presentation should be relevant and deliver useful information that can benefit the audience.
• Structure: Presentations should follow a logical structure and should be easy to follow, with clear transitions between topics.
• Delivery: An effective presentation requires good vocal and nonverbal communication skills, such as eye contact, posture, and tone of voice.
• Visual Aids: The use of visual aids, such as slides, videos, and infographics, can enhance the message and increase engagement.

By understanding these key elements, individuals can improve their presentation skills and build their confidence when presenting in front of an audience.

Related Articles

• Preparing for New Job Orientation: Tips and Tricks
• Event Coordinator Resume: Examples and Tips for 2023
• 22 Best Reasons for Job Exit: A Pro’s Guide for 2023
• 50 Common Interview Mistakes to Avoid in 2023
• Energy Manager Job Description, Duties, & Opportunities

Rate this article

0 / 5. Reviews: 0

More from ResumeHead

Effective presentation skills: 7 tips to boost your confidence

Presentations are a great opportunity. They’re an opportunity to move your work forward and to build your reputation. But only if you have effective presentation skills.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

When you’re developing your presentation, take a look at our presentation structure . You might also like to build a presentation hook into your opening.

And if you’re nervous before a presentation, take a look at our practical tips to calm your nerves before a presentation .

Right, now we’re ready.

Effective presentation skills

There are 7 presentation delivery skills that you need to work on and continue to improve (more on that later).

1. Stand with a strong core

Effective presentation skills start with posture. And the good news is, this is simple.

Feet flat on the ground, space between them, your weight equally distributed. This will give you a strong core.

Hands by your sides or cupped lightly together in front of you.  Don’t intertwine your fingers, don’t wring your hands.

Practice these aspects of posture: feet flat and weight equally distributed, strong central core, hands by your sides or cupped lightly in front of you.

Great! You have your natural resting place. Your launch pad.

And if you’re sitting, same principles. Feet flat on floor, strong central core, hands in an easy resting place (for example on the arms of your chair).

2. Be willing to pause

Do you want to make an impact? Be willing to pause.

Make an important point and pause. Let the audience take in what you’ve said.

A few important points to note:

• Pauses always seem much longer to you (the presenter!) than the audience. You’re going to need to practice!
• Hold the audience in the pause (look around the room with confidence)
• Don’t restart with a ‘filler’ word (such as ‘so’ or ‘ok’). Start back with another bold statement.

Take a look at the video below to understand these points in more detail.

3. Make eye contact, one idea at a time

The eyes are the windows of the soul

Too much eye contact and you’ll appear creepy. Too little eye contact and it will look like you lack confidence.

What is ‘good’ eye contact? Again, it’s simple.

Share an idea with someone, then move on.

Because we connect with people not just by making eye contact, but also by sharing an idea with the person.

Each line below is eye contact with one person:

it’s great to be here,

today I’ll be covering 3 topics:

presentation structure,

effective presentation skills,

and how to answer questions effectively .

You’ve already connected with 6 people in the audience. You’ve made that connection because you’ve looked them in the eye and shared an idea, a point, with them.

4. Modulate your voice

This is a big one. Of all 7 effective presentation skills, this usually takes people the most work to master, because there are several elements. (We’ve already covered pause because it’s so important!)

The key principle around vocal variety is modulation .

Modulation of pace, volume and emphasis.

A monotonous voice, at the same volume, with the same pace, with no emphasis… zzzz zzzz zzzz… it puts everyone to sleep.

Practice modulating each aspect. And that doesn’t always mean talking more loudly. Sometimes the best way to engage people is to drop the volume a little, so that people lean in to hear what you’re saying.

5. Use clear, purposeful gestures

Gesture with purpose. Use gestures to:

Each gesture should be clean and clear, and then return to you natural resting place (see Posture, above).

Gestures that emphasize are quick and sharp. A fist into the palm of the hand, a chopping motion. Make sure you’re comfortable with it, something that’s natural to your style.

Gestures that visualize take the spoken words and bring them to life visually. Simply examples: holding up 3 fingers when you mention the number 3. Or raising your hand upwards as you talk about increased profits.

Gestures that engage are an embrace of the audience, for example, outstretched arms as you say welcome.

Gestures have many cultural nuances to them, Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands is a useful reference.

6. Use movement to engage

Movement around the room is very useful, if you’re in a face-to-face environment. Again, key principle, move with purpose. Take a few steps forward when you want to emphasize a point. Move towards a key decision-maker to engage them.

Don’t sway, and don’t move pointlessly from side to side. Again, a strong posture will help you overcome these problems naturally.

7. And smile!

The last in our list of effective presentation skills, remember to smile!

How often do you see people start a presentation with “I’m really excited to be here” and they have the most dull expression on their face and the most monotonous voice.

Put a little energy in your voice, put a smile on you face, and say it with meaning.

Or, if you can’t do that authentically, say something else. “This is a really important meeting and I’m looking forward to discussing the issues with you” .

Effective presentation skills, an example

This is a long video, you only need to watch the first few minutes.

The first minute is a young Barak Obama, giving a presentation. It’s not so good! Keep the 7 effective presentation skills in mind and evaluate his presentation.

After this first minute the video cuts to a much older Barack Obama, towards the end of his presidency. He’s speaking in Canada and does a far better presentation!

Did he use any different presentation skills, other than the 7 covered above? No, he did not. He simply made great use of the 7 skills that I’ve covered.

How to develop your presentation skills

Practice and ask for feedback .

If you can, record yourself giving the presentation. Then review yourself against the 7 effective presentation skills covered above.

If you’re delivering the presentation virtually, then join ‘meeting’ in advance. Record your presentation, look for opportunities to improve, practice, record, improve.

Presentation skills, in summary

Effective presentation skills are quite easy to master. When I run presentation skills training the participants always walk out the door better presenters, after just 1 day.

Focus on one skill at a time:

• Stand with a strong core
• Be willing to pause
• Make eye contact, one idea at a time
• Modulate your voice
• Use clear, purposeful gestures
• Use movement to engage

Apply the guidance above, practice and get feedback. That’s all it takes!

• Presentation Skills

5 Tips to Crush Your Next Video Conference with Outstanding Presentation Skills

Search SkillsYouNeed:

Presentation Skills:

• A - Z List of Presentation Skills
• Top Tips for Effective Presentations
• General Presentation Skills
• What is a Presentation?
• Preparing for a Presentation
• Organising the Material
• Writing Your Presentation
• Deciding the Presentation Method
• Managing your Presentation Notes
• Working with Visual Aids
• Presenting Data
• Managing the Event
• Coping with Presentation Nerves
• Dealing with Questions
• How to Build Presentations Like a Consultant
• Self-Presentation in Presentations
• Specific Presentation Events
• Remote Meetings and Presentations
• Giving a Speech
• Presentations in Interviews
• Presenting to Large Groups and Conferences
• Giving Lectures and Seminars
• Managing a Press Conference
• Attending Public Consultation Meetings
• Managing a Public Consultation Meeting
• Crisis Communications
• Elsewhere on Skills You Need:
• Communication Skills
• Facilitation Skills
• Teams, Groups and Meetings
• Effective Speaking
• Question Types

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and start improving your life in just 5 minutes a day.

You'll get our 5 free 'One Minute Life Skills' and our weekly newsletter.

We'll never share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

The Covid-19 pandemic has entirely changed the scenario of presentations, replacing face-to-face and in-person meetings, events, and conferences with online video interactions.

Nowadays, presenting to people over a webcam (without their physical presence) is a whole new ball game that, as yet, has only been mastered by a few. If you are someone whose heart pounds, whose mind goes blank and palms get sweaty merely at the thought of addressing a large audience over Zoom, Skype, or other virtual presentation platforms, you are doomed to virtual presentation panic.

According to experts, by 2025, the relationship between people and technology will deepen as we will rely more on digital connections for social interactions, commercial transactions, healthcare, education, and work.

In this era of ‘tele-everything,’ most activities from job interviews to team meetings to business collaborations are happening through video conferencing. Amidst this, if you fail to master the art of presenting effectively over video, you may lose many lucrative opportunities.

Here, we bring you a few tips to calm your nerves, overcome the debilitating nervousness, and enthrall an audience with your impeccable video presentation skills. Read on!

1. Practice, Refine, and Improve

Lack of preparedness is one of the reasons that contribute to the overwhelming feeling of stress. Stumbling a bit while delivering a presentation over video is quite normal, even for skilled presenters who have always presented on the stage in a room full of the audience. Well, getting rid of the fear of presenting over video conferencing is not a hard nut to crack! By practicing more often in front of your family members, friends, and closest colleagues, you can look calm and confident on camera. With continuous rehearsals, you can convert the nightmare of presenting virtually into a beautiful reality.

Below are a few more benefits of practicing extensively for your talk ahead of time:

You learn to manage your time efficiently.

You become more familiar with your presentation.

You get to know the areas where you need to work - gestures, voice pace, pronunciation, or any other.

You get plenty of time to work on feedback, re-organize your thoughts, and polish your speech with the right words.

2. Be Authentic

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

When you present over a webcam, all eyes are on you. Being in the limelight not at all means that you will have to act. Be true to who you are and let your personality shine through for communicating authentically and making a lasting on the audience’s mind.

Consider the fact that the audience doesn’t remember the facts and figures once the presentation is over; however, they remember how you presented the information and how those stats impacted them. Thus, while presenting, speak with your heart, head, and core.

Watch this video to learn how to make your communication authentic: Authenticity: Leading and Speaking with Your Head, Heart and Core | Erin Weed .

3. Channel Your Nervousness into Positive Energy

According to research by Boston University, in an attempt to conceal (or suppress) your feelings of anxiety from viewers, you actually end up increasing your nervousness and making things worse.

Instead of suppressing your anxiety, transform it into excitement. Leverage the power of the mind-body connection and innovative thoughts to positively influence the physical responses of your body. Instead of seeing video conferencing as a challenge, take it as an opportunity to make your own unique identity.

Pro Tip: Deep inhalations, a brisk walk, and light stretching before the presentation will increase the adrenaline in your body, filling you with enthusiasm and energy - the much-needed elements for a great performance.

4. Pay Heed to Your Gestures and Facial Expressions

One of the best strategies to build meaningful connections with your audience is to scan their expressions as they listen to your talk and respond to them with the appropriate gesture.

" Smiling actually relaxes the body. Physiologically, smiling emits endorphins in the brain that calms the nerves, creates a pleasant attitude, and promotes a sense of well being ," says Darlene Price, the author of Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results.

Further, make sure your facial expressions are in accord with other aspects, such as the story you are narrating and your tone of voice. With the right gestures and sincere emotions, you can convey your passion and make a huge difference, compelling your audience to believe in your ideas.

Increase Your Vocal Power

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with a deeper meaning.” - Maya Angelou

An audience may refuse to accept your idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been presented or expressed is not empathetic to them. No matter how well-researched information you have included in your slides, and how beautiful the words you have chosen, if you don’t utter them with the right emotions, your entire efforts will be in vain.

The quality of your vocal tone matters a lot, specifically when you present virtually. If you want to speak at your vocal peak, perform the following vocal warm-ups a few hours before the presentation:

• Tongue Twisters
• Breathing Exercises
• Body Stretches

The Final Takeaway

In comparison to audio-only presentations, video presentations provide better opportunities to create a stronger sense of engagement with your intended audience. But at the same time, keeping the viewers hooked till the end of the slideshow when delivering speech through video conferencing is the biggest challenge as they are not physically present. So, if you don’t want your audience to check their social media, type text messages on their mobiles, and read emails when you talk, then you should not delay in learning and honing the skills of presenting online.

I hope the above-mentioned presentation tips will help you in acing your next video conferencing session! If you find this article insightful, do share it on your social media handles.

About the Author

Ashish Arora is Co-Founder of SketchBubble, a leading provider of result-driven, professionally built PowerPoint templates .

Travelling the world to gather new creative ideas, he has been working in the digital marketing space since 2007 and has a passion for designing presentations.

Continue to: Top Tips for Effective Presentations Remote Meetings and Presentations

See also: Mindful Meetings How To Give More Engaging Presentations Self-Presentation in Presentations

We use cookies on this site to enhance your experience

By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies.

A link to reset your password has been sent to your email.

Back to login

We need additional information from you. Please complete your profile first before placing your order.

Thank you. payment completed., you will receive an email from us to confirm your registration, please click the link in the email to activate your account., there was error during payment, orcid profile found in public registry, download history, tips to give a great academic conference presentation.

• Charlesworth Author Services
• 17 March, 2020
• Research Communication

Tips to give a great academic C onference Presentation

One key part of academic development is developing the skills to give great conference presentations. These are skills that can be learned; although some people are naturally talented public speakers, you can develop and train yourself to be better at presenting your work and ideas. Your ability to present confidently and effectively will be a key transferrable skill in your professional development.

One of the most important skills you can learn as an early-career researcher is how to give an effective research talk, lecture, or presentation in front of an audience. At some point, every academic has to learn how to do this; the earlier, the better.

Most working university academics have to give student lectures on an almost daily basis.

Standing up in front of a room full of people is a very nerve-wracking experience. Remember: it’s completely normal to be nervous about putting yourself and your work on show in front of others.

Learning the skills required to give effective talks and presentations is key to academic success. Preparation is key:

·       Planning for your presentations will ensure you are able to control your nerves and do a good job.

·       How you manage yourself during your talks also makes the difference between success and failure.

·       People form impressions very fast and usually these stick.

·       Follow our guidelines, tips, and tricks to ensure that you do the best job possible when presenting your work in front of an audience.

If you don’t feel you have a natural gift for public speaking, you might use that as an excuse not to keep working at it. But what most successful speakers will tell you is that natural talent only takes you so far. The key here? Practice, practice and more practice . And keep it simple. Many of the best speakers have worked hard at mastering the skill. They approach public speaking as a craft that can be honed through dedicated persistence.

What techniques can I use to improve my public speaking?

Here are some suggestions we have, based on our experience running workshops and giving presentations, that you can use to improve your skills. These will work whether:

·       you’re giving a big presentation at an international conference

·       you’re giving a talk within your own university

·       you’re teaching students, or

·       you’re presenting your research as part of a job interview

These techniques can work and help you to improve: practice makes perfect, after all.

1. Think about the reasons for your presentation

Why are you speaking, and why is your audience there to listen? Are you trying to educate them, persuade them to take action or simply connect with them? If you know your goal, you can choose engagement tactics to help achieve it. Academic researchers will, most often, be writing to get across the results of a new study: so be clear about your goal. You’Il want to educate and inform your audience members while demonstrating your expertise and commitment to a specific industry.

2. Rehearse: Practice makes perfect, especially in a second language

Did you know that Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple Computers, used to practise all his speeches? He’d think over each movement and word: this kind of work can pay off! Cast a spell over your audience with a great, well-rehearsed talk.

Indeed, if you put the time in and rehearse your talks you’ll be a lot more comfortable and more likely to achieve your goals. What about time, though? Some academic speakers literally make a script, practise that script again and again until it feels natural and seems natural to the audience. Is this worthwhile? Here’s a good rule of thumb: If an opportunity is low-stakes, spend less time on it. If it’s high-stakes, carve out the time on your calendar to practise until you get it right. You don’t want to walk into that next major academic conference to give a keynote speech and just ‘see how it goes’.

A key tip for success when giving talks is Organisation: how to identify the key message of your presentation to ensure that your audience remembers you and walks away thinking ‘Wow! That was a really interesting talk’. What sorts of content do you need for a time-limited conference presentation? How many slides should you use for a 15-minute talk and what sorts of things need to be included? Content, presentation, and structure are some of the keys to delivering an effective talk.

3. Put on a show and don’t let your slides take centre stage

Truly great speeches live in the intersection of education and theatre. What theatrical elements can you inject into your presentation to make it memorable? For example, even if you practise until you can give the speech in your sleep, still leave room for improvisation on stage. Your presentation will sound more natural.

Don’t fall into the ‘ death by Powerpoint ’ trap. We’ve all attended talks where the slides are bad, hard to read, poorly constructed, distracting, or just plain terrible. We’ll teach you how to easily design and create effective slides that sell your message and are engaging and interesting for your audience. Why not consider infographics or a conference poster as eye-catching alternatives? Our services can help you develop, design, and produce alternatives.

Nerves are normal; we’ll teach you some tricks to overcome stagefright so that you appear confident and self-assured in front of your audience. We’ll also show you how practising some parts of your presentation is a must to ensure success while improvisation in other places can also be good to ensure engagement with your audience.

Nobody has ever been truly inspired by a slide deck. Instead, your presentation should rely on your words, i.e. the story you’re telling. But if your presentation must include slides, prepare them after writing your speech. You might find that visual elements won’t improve your presentation after all. Plus, using a slide deck as a crutch could be a colossal mistake as technology can fail! We’ve all attended talks where the speaker has to spend loads of time at the start fiddling with the projector and trying to transfer their slides across to the ‘home’ computer. Try to get to your venue earlier and make sure your slides work well when projected onto a screen! (not just the screen of your computer).

Some people have a natural talent for public speaking. But for the rest of us, it takes practice and smart tactics to become effective and memorable speakers.

Maximise your publication success with Charlesworth Author Services.

Charlesworth Author Services, a trusted brand supporting the world’s leading academic publishers, institutions and authors since 1928.

To know more about our services, visit: Our Services

Share with your colleagues

Related articles.

Preparing a Conference Abstract: Criteria and Tips

Charlesworth Author Services 05/01/2020 00:00:00

How to promote yourself as an academic researcher

Charlesworth Author Services 10/01/2020 00:00:00

Avoiding Predatory Academic Conferences

Charlesworth Author Services 14/06/2019 00:00:00

Related webinars

Bitesize Webinar: Presenting and promoting your research: How to present at an international conference

Charlesworth Author Services 01/03/2021 00:00:00

Bitesize Webinar: Presenting and promoting your research: How to target your message to different audiences

Bitesize Webinar: Presenting and promoting your research: Understanding the needs of different stakeholders when presenting

How to create an academic research Conference Poster

Charlesworth Author Services 04/11/2019 00:00:00

Presenting the Same Research Poster at Multiple Conferences

Charlesworth Author Services 14/09/2021 00:00:00

Submitting and Presenting the Same Paper for Multiple Conferences

Charlesworth Author Services 15/09/2021 00:00:00

Presentation skills you need for conferences

Did you know that most of the added value of your events comes from the quality of the presentations?

The success of your conference events is directly a result of the effort that you devote. The machinery of conference organisation is well oiled in Brussels. Your team are well versed in coordinating the venue, logistics and marketing to make your events memorable. These are the presentation skills you need for conferences.

At Communicating Europe+ we train teams and individuals to prepare and deliver clear, engaging presentations with confidence and clarity.

Our Presentation Skills training includes:

• Public speaking – use your voice effectively: warming up exercises and vocal techniques used by actors
• Body language – posture, facial gestures and what to do with your hands
• How to frame clear and meaningful messages
• Easy tips to design clear PowerPoint slides that help your performance
• Techniques to manage nerves – on the day

 Video analysis and feedback

You learn by doing. We film you and give you feedback to help you present with clarity and confidence. If these are the presentation skills you need for conferences then call us.

Communicating Europe+ builds the confidence of hundreds of people from a wide variety of Brussels based associations, institutions and companies.

If you would like to rehearse and refresh your presentations contact us at [email protected]

Let’s see what we can do to help you.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Behav Anal Pract
• v.13(2); 2020 Jun

Maximizing the Conference Experience: Tips to Effectively Navigate Academic Conferences Early in Professional Careers

Lorraine a. becerra.

1 Department of Special Education, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO USA

Tyra P. Sellers

2 Behavior Analysis Certification Board, Littleton, CO USA

Bethany P. Contreras

3 Department of Psychology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN USA

Most behavior analysts who are certified or licensed regularly attend professional conventions to obtain required continuing education credits and remain current with advances in clinical applications and research findings. As the number of behavior analysts in the profession grows, so, too, does the number of novice conference attendees at professional events. Attending conferences can be exhilarating to those who are new to the field and the context of professional events. The purpose of this article is to provide practical guidance on the topics of how to thoughtfully select a conference, how to set goals for attending (e.g., strengthening skills, developing new skills, networking), and how to proactively plan for an upcoming conference, as well as some consideration for after the conference has ended.

By the end of the first 10 years in which the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification was available, there were 5,731 BCBAs. In the following 9 years, from 2009 to November of 2018, that number climbed to 30,540 (Behavior Analyst Certification Board [BACB], n.d. a); that is an increase of over 400%. As our field grows, so, too, have the number and size of conferences, along with the offerings at those conferences. For example, the annual convention for the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) is the largest professional convention in the field, with 93 ABAI affiliated chapters. Many of the 51 affiliated chapters within the United States, as well as the 42 affiliated chapters outside the United States, hold annual conferences (ABAI, n.d. ). In 2018, there were 5,528 registrants for the 44th Annual ABAI Convention (M. E. Malott, personal communication, January 3, 2019). There are myriad annual and semiannual conferences offered throughout the nation and world each year (see Table ​ Table1 1 for a sample list).

International, National, and Regional Behavior-Analytic Conferences

Note. To conserve space, we did not list state or local conferences in this table. Readers are encouraged to research and attend conferences in their home and surrounding states.

There are many reasons why behavior analysts attend conferences. One primary reason is professional development (Houston, 2013 ), including earning continuing education units (CEUs) to maintain professional credentials (Robertson, 2017 ). Professional conferences also provide a means for you to present your work, learn from and about others, and interact informally with other professionals within the same field (McCarthy, McDonald, Soroczak, Nguyen, & Rashid, 2004 ). According to the BACB’s® Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (the Code; BACB, 2014 ), participation in behavior-analytic professional and scientific organizations is an obligation of every behavior analyst. In fact, the BACB requires certificants to obtain a number of CEUs each 2-year recertification cycle (BACB, n.d. b). In 2018, the BACB conducted a continuing education survey and reported that out of 5,875 BCBA respondents, 60.1% preferred to obtain continuing education in person. However, 74.4% reported that expense and 61.7% reported that travel were barriers to obtaining in-person continuing education (M. R. Nosik, personal communication, March 9, 2019). Conferences encourage access to the newest research and procedures in the field, and the events can provide professionals with new techniques, best practice procedures, new areas of research, and new networking contacts. When attending conferences, you have the opportunity to listen to talks or discussions from prominent researchers in the field. There is no substitute for listening to experts in the field. By attending conferences and hearing others present their research, professionals may be reenergized and more enthusiastic about their own work or a new area of the field (Hickson, 2006 ). The result may be that professionals are motivated to do better in their own areas of the profession.

Conference events also set the occasion for attendees to ask questions and debate over topics at conference panels and talks (Hickson, 2006 ). These events stimulate conversations among attendees and allow hundreds of people to formally discuss their positions at the symposia or after the talks at the conference social events. Conferences provide a forum for you to observe notable scholars debate with authority about topics important to them and the discipline (Hickson, 2006 ). Observing these live, and sometimes passionate, discussions provides the audience an occasion to hear both sides of the conversation immediately. More recently, these discussions and notable presentations have provided attendees with perspectives to reevaluate their own position on important topics including, but not limited to, functional assessment methods, cultural inclusion, and gender representation.

Capitalizing on all the experiences and resources a conference has to offer can be overwhelming—even well-established researchers have described this feeling (Hickson, 2006 ). Those of you who are new to the practice of “conferencing” might be unfamiliar with how to select and navigate a conference to best meet your needs and goals, how to deal with conference etiquette, and how to balance socialization and self-care during the conference. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide novice conference attendees with some guidance to increase the likelihood that a conference experience will be purposeful, meaningful, and successful. It is also our hope that employing some of these strategies will result in attendees having some fun!

We conducted an informal review of the available literature on the topic of conference success, which, not surprisingly, was fairly bereft. We also relied on our combined experiences from attending conferences over the course of our careers. Collectively, we have attended over an estimated 114 professional behavior-analytic conferences, beginning as early as 1998. We have attended conferences as practitioners, volunteers, students, presenters, supervisors, researchers, and academicians. Across these roles and throughout the years, we have all had varying levels of success. One author is not ashamed to share that her first ABAI convention produced a mild panic attack resulting in a swift midsymposium rush to the bathroom to deal with a few tears and myriad unpleasant private events with some self-talk in the mirror. It is our hope that readers who may be less familiar with the conference experience can use this article to avoid the need to have their behavior directly shaped by such experiences.

We will begin by briefly describing the different types of conference events and other general conference terms to help you navigate a review of the conference program. These events may vary slightly depending on the organization that is hosting the conference, so we encourage you to search for descriptions of these events on the conference websites. There are different types of conferences offered throughout the year, many of which offer topics to target the dissemination of diverse content areas across behavior analysis. Other conference conventions and special events may be designed for distinct populations (e.g., regional conferences, autism, organizational behavior management). Conferences range from small, 1-day, single-track events to extremely large conventions with hundreds of events spanning several days, sometimes across multiple physical locations. Undoubtedly, the larger the conference, the more confusing or daunting the experience might be. However, for a first-time attendee, a smaller local event can also produce some anxiety.

Regardless of the type of conference, invited speaker events are hosted by experts in the field who are selected by conference planners for the purpose of discussing new and innovative areas. Specifically, keynote speakers are scheduled at prominent times in the conference (e.g., at the beginning or end) during which there are no conflicting events because these talks establish an underlying theme or tone of the entire conference event. The audience at these events is typically larger, whereas workshops contain smaller audiences to allow for focused learning, often from individuals who are experts in a specific topic. Workshops may present novel applications of behavior analysis across longer duration events with more detail and resources. However, there may be an additional fee for attending these events. During symposia events, presentations from different speakers are arranged regarding a similar topic. The presentations are moderated with little interaction between speakers or from the audience. During symposia, a discussant may be present to highlight themes across the paper presenters. When reviewing the different symposium events within the program, note the affiliations of each paper within the symposium. Some symposia are composed of paper presenters from the same organization or institution, whereas others contain presenters from a variety of locations. Similarly, panel discussions are moderated by a panel chair. The panel of experts includes different speakers describing a similar topic among themselves and the audience. Audience members are encouraged to participate by submitting questions. Another setting in which attendees have the opportunity to ask the presenter many questions is a poster session. These sessions are slightly less formal events where individuals present poster displays depicting research, theories, or resources. Conference attendees are encouraged to search around the poster locations and speak with many poster presenters about their work. Poster sessions are typically located near the conference exposition (“expo”), in which employers, organizations, and university programs provide more information and resources to interested attendees. Finally, business meetings are held by conference committees, special interest groups (SIGs), and regional organizations to recruit members and provide their members with updates, while planning for future initiatives. Although some business meetings are open for anyone to attend, others may require an invitation. Therefore, it is important to review the program book to determine the availability of events. Now that we have reviewed common terminology located within the conference program, we will address common goals for attending conferences for professionals who are early in their careers as behavior analysts.

Goals of Attending a Conference

We approached this article with the goal of providing a practical framework for evaluating the purposes of attending a professional conference. We have sorted the various potential goals of conferencing into three categories: advancing current skills, discovering and exploring new areas of interest, and networking while socializing. Putting some forethought into evaluating what you want out of a conference experience allows for effective, goal-oriented behavior before, during, and after the event. We provide specific considerations for strategies to maximize the conference experience depending on your reasons for attending. We have also included some tips and ideas to assist the novice conference goer with planning logistics, applying self-care behaviors to promote a pleasant experience, and performing follow-up activities after the conference is over.

Strengthen or Advance Existing Skills

One of the primary functions of attending professional conferences is to strengthen or advance existing knowledge or repertoires. Whereas graduate school and clinical training provide foundational knowledge and skills for applying behavior-analytic services or research, it is critical that behavior analysts continue to ensure that their repertoires are strengthened and remain in line with developing best practices. For those who are Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts®, BCBAs, or doctoral-level BCBAs®, Code 1.03 (BACB, 2014 ) requires that individuals work to maintain content knowledge, as well as competence in the applied skills within their particular area of practice. Maintaining knowledge and skills might be interpreted as simply ensuring that what you learned in graduate school and clinical experience remains relevant—a sort of passive check-in and self-reflection. However, we suggest that the maintenance of behavior-analytic knowledge and skills requires a more dynamic and active approach. It may be helpful to consider the concept of honing one’s knowledge or skills. Honing is defined as refining or perfecting a skill over time (Hone, n.d. ). Applied to the repertoires needed in each of your areas of practice, honing knowledge and skills places a focus on small and precise advancements. When you define these goals, a skill set might move from competency to mastery or expertise. Likewise, content knowledge may evolve from a solid understanding to an advanced critical conceptual analysis.

Behavior analysis is an ever-developing field, wherein a strong bidirectional relationship between research and practice exists. Practitioners and researchers can—and do—read scholarly articles to stay abreast of the developments and needs in their areas to continue to build their content knowledge and skills. One difficulty with scholarly articles is the many months or years required to publish the pieces for the general public (Björk & Solomon, 2013 ). By regularly attending conferences, one can learn about recent advancements and begin to use that information long before it is in print (Naseman & Weber, 2013 ). Code 1.03 (BACB, 2014 ) specifically identifies conference attendance and workshop participation as methods for this undertaking. Attending professional conferences may provide more timely opportunities for practitioners and researchers to hone their skills, which may translate to the provision of more effective treatment to consumers or more thorough or effective instruction for trainees and students.

When you attend a conference with the primary goal of honing existing skills, a helpful strategy is to highlight events in the program presented by individuals who frequently publish in your area of practice or research or about whose work you have questions (Holstein, 2013 ). These events will allow you to evaluate whether your clinical or research practices are in line with those who are considered experts in the topic. Paying close attention to the way these presenters talk about the topic can also advance your conceptual understanding and may produce ideas for innovative applications or ways to solve clinical or research problems. Furthermore, observing the public speaking of others provides you with examples and nonexamples of presentation strategies. Public-speaking skills are required to present behavioral information across many of the roles that behavior analysts occupy within the field (e.g., parent education, supervision, trainings, conference presentations). Therefore, if the presentation content did not add to your advanced repertoire, you may still leave the event with more presentation strategies to implement in your practice.

Attending panels that are made up of experts on a topic can provide insight into how others approach solving problems. Panel events typically allow for audience interaction, affording the occasion to submit your own question. This provides an opportunity to see how the panelists respond to questions from the audience, which may produce a deeper understanding of concepts or widen your verbal repertoire for explaining concepts or procedures to others.

In addition to planning out what events to attend, it may be helpful to apply some other preconference preparation when the focus is to strengthen existing repertoires. Download recent or seminal articles by authors who are leading events that you plan to attend and read them in the days leading up to the event. Doing so can help clarify your areas of strength, as well as areas that may still need some development. This may also provide an opportunity for you to develop questions that you have regarding the researcher’s study or applications to practice. These may be questions that you intend to ask the speaker during or after the presentation, or they may just be questions that you want to try to answer using the information from the presentation. Having these questions prepared ahead of time can facilitate active listening and may streamline your note-taking during the presentation. If you are attending the conference with fellow students or colleagues who are at a similar experience level as you, consider meeting for a conference-planning session to review the offerings and share questions that you have. Preplanning by yourself, or with others, can increase your ability to gain useful information that you can actively implement to advance your knowledge and skills.

During the events, practice active listening and note-taking (Robertson, 2017 ). Avoid the temptation to get work done by multitasking. Give the speaker your full attention and engage in some covert verbal behavior. In other words, ask yourself questions about what the speaker just said, think about how you might apply what the speaker is talking about to your own work, or try to reframe what the speaker said in plain language. Pull out those questions you drafted ahead of time and use them to guide your note-taking. Include a “to-do” or “task list” section in your notes, where you can list things that you want to do following the talk. For example, the presenter might mention an article or book that you want to read or describe an application of a strategy or procedure that you want to implement. An added benefit of active engagement in the presentation is that you are behaving in a professional and respectful manner and communicating to the presenters and audience members that you value the information being presented.

Explore and Discover

Although the primary focus of attending conferences for many individuals is likely advancing existing skill sets, it is also important to dedicate some time to explore and discover areas outside of one’s expertise. There are several reasons to use conferences to expand your knowledge. As discussed by LeBlanc, Heinicke, and Baker ( 2012 ), there may be various circumstances that could lead a behavior analyst to pursue working with new populations or in new settings. For example, you may need to relocate to a geographic area that does not offer funding for the population with which you previously worked (LeBlanc et al., 2012 ). In such a scenario, a behavior analyst would likely need to “branch out” in order to continue practicing. This will be a much easier task if you have some knowledge of other subdisciplines and applications of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to different populations. As LeBlanc et al. ( 2012 ) stated, “A forward thinking behavior analyst could enhance his or her viability in future markets by diversifying their consumer base to enable responsiveness to dynamic marketplace contingencies” (p. 5). Conferences are a perfect place to expand your knowledge and gain training in new areas.

Of course, attending a talk or a workshop on a new topic does not mean that you are automatically qualified to begin practicing. According to Code 1.02, “All behavior analysts provide services, teach, and conduct research only within the boundaries of their competence, defined as being commensurate with their education, training, and supervised experience” (BACB, 2014 ). Behavior analysts must still behave ethically by seeking further training and supervision in order to become fully competent before beginning to practice their new skill independently (see LeBlanc et al., 2012 , for a full discussion of how to expand your professional competence). Some suggestions regarding obtaining further training or mentorship opportunities are described in the next section (i.e., Network and Socialize).

Another reason to use conferences to explore and discover new areas is to enable yourself to be an advocate for your clients, yourself, and behavior analysis as a field. Code 2.09 states that behavior analysts have the responsibility to “advocate for and educate the client about scientifically supported” treatments and also have the responsibility to “review and appraise the effects of any treatments about which they are aware” (BACB, 2014 ). Code 6.01 states that behavior analysts must “uphold and advance the values, ethics, and principles of the profession of behavior analysis,” and 6.02 states that behavior analysts are responsible for “promoting behavior analysis by making information about it available to the public” (BACB, 2014 ). You will be better equipped to advocate for your clients if you are more broadly familiar with applications of ABA. Further, you will have the information and tools to more successfully advocate for yourself as a professional and for the field of behavior analysis. This may be achieved if you continue to expand your own knowledge regarding the scope and efficacy of behavior-analytic principles and technologies.

A third reason to use conferences to expand your knowledge is simply to continue to learn and to enable yourself to be a knowledgeable citizen of the broader field of behavior analysis and to maintain contact with the history and underlying philosophy of behavior analysis. The term ABA has become closely associated with “treatment for autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities,” despite the fact that the field of behavior analysis has vast applications. If there are organisms that behave, then behavior analysis has—or at least has the potential for—an application for behavior change. Behavior analysts work with both nonhuman and human populations across a wide variety of applications. Translational behavior analysts studying behavioral economics have begun to explore methods for enacting large-scale behavior change. For example, Dr. Gregory Madden worked on an effective low-tech gaming system implemented in public schools to increase fruit and vegetable consumption (Madden, 2018 ), and Dr. Derek Reed worked with a start-up tech company to create a system to nudge users of a driving app to divert themselves off of busy highways to enable faster and more efficient commutes (Reed, 2017 ). Animal behavior analysts have developed preference assessments for large predatory cats (e.g., lions) in order to identify the most potent reinforcers possible. The reinforcers are used to increase positive control over big cats in captivity, which allows implementers to minimize aversive control techniques (Alligood & Miller, 2018 ).

There are likely many other reasons to use conferences to expand your knowledge and discover new applications of behavior analysis, but we will allow the readers to identify those for themselves. Once you have identified why you want to use conferences to expand your knowledge, you will also need to identify how many and what new areas of the field you will explore and how you will do this during the conference. Deciding how many areas to explore will depend largely on your overall goals for the conference you are attending. If your primary goal is to learn more about making modifications to a specific procedure that you are implementing with a client, then you may dedicate most of your conference to honing your knowledge and only save a small amount of time for discovering something new. If your primary goal, however, is to discover new topics, then you may decide to dedicate most of a conference to exploring. On the more extreme end, a behavior analyst could choose to attend an entire conference that is dedicated to a topic or area of application that is outside of his or her expertise. For example, a behavior analyst whose primary area is applications in special education might attend the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science conference to explore and discover contextual behavioral science.

Determining how and what you want to explore and discover will depend on the conference itself. Multitrack conferences that offer a variety of talks per session will give you more options to decide between honing and discovering, whereas single-track conferences will make this a bit easier by minimizing the alternatives. However, most conferences will usually provide the opportunity to explore and discover. Some conferences will offer pre- or postconference workshops, which can be an excellent way to expand your knowledge, as workshops often involve smaller groups of attendees and may include hands-on activities. Some conferences will also hold business or organizational meetings within the conference location for SIGs, which can provide additional opportunities to learn about and become involved in a new area.

Network and Socialize

Another significant benefit of attending conferences is socializing and networking with other professionals who have shared interests in the field. These individuals may become future mentors, new collaborators, or simply information-sharing acquaintances. Professional friends from conferences can help you when you encounter a research or teaching problem. They can help you when you need advice on projects and with data analyses and can act as a sounding board for ideas or ethical dilemmas (Hickson, 2006 ). Those connections can come in handy at any stage of a professional’s career—for getting help with clinical cases, looking for supervision or mentorship, or preparing for a job (Robertson, 2017 ; Severt, Fjelstul, & Breiter, 2009 ). Behavior analysis is a small, but growing field; therefore, acknowledging the occasion to have many influential individuals in one location is the key to developing future opportunities for professional growth.

One benefit of networking at conferences is obtaining materials and resources, potential employment prospects, and new roles in the related association. A simple method to begin networking is to view any exhibit materials that are available at the conference. Exhibits are events in which professional or academic organizations showcase their products or services, as well as career or educational opportunities. This format provides you an occasion to speak with representatives from different companies or academic institutions and review resources, all in one location. Also, the exhibits are often in places where people congregate, which provides excellent locations to interact with others in the field (Hickson, 2006 ). Employment prospects may become available by contacting the leaders of organizations. A simple conversation over coffee or dinner can be an excellent method to assess job opportunities. Discussing career options in informal contexts will likely give the job seeker additional insight into the positions and potentially an advantage over other candidates (Naseman & Weber, 2013 ).

You may choose to begin your networking experiences by determining goals related to both reconnecting with colleagues and meeting new professionals at the conference. When attending these events, it may be tempting to spend much of your conference time with colleagues from your own organization; however, doing so may limit your ability to connect with colleagues and friends outside of your current work or school context and to make new connections. Additionally, the professionals from your organization may have their own list of professionals to meet (Holstein, 2013 ). If you find that colleagues are attempting to monopolize your time at the conference, draw clear boundaries—this will benefit both parties. Tell your colleagues, “I need to meet new people tonight, but tomorrow I am going to a session that I think we will both find interesting”.

To cultivate stronger networks, it is helpful to strategize before the conference begins. Prepare a list of people you want to speak with (Belsky, 2011 ), as well as potential topics that may provide an opportunity to have a quality discussion (Knight, 2015 ; Stone & Rossiter, 2014 ). Conference events only last a few days, and everyone has a demanding schedule, so advanced planning is essential to coordinate the best use of limited time (Naseman & Weber, 2013 ; Robertson, 2017 ). If there is someone with whom you are especially interested in building a mentor relationship, a good approach may be to arrange for a mutual friend or colleague to introduce you, even via e-mail before the conference begins (Knight, 2015 ). Additionally, previous mentors and supervisors or individuals who are more advanced in the field may be better prepared to tactfully approach unfamiliar professionals in order to introduce themselves and you. This process minimizes any barriers you may be facing when approaching an expert you do not know. Asking individuals in your current network about possible topics to discuss can also prepare you to strike up a conversation on shared interests. If you do not have any mutual colleagues, but you are planning to attend a talk where the person is presenting, e-mail the person before the conference and tell him or her that you are going to make it a point to attend the session and that you look forward to meeting after the talk (Holstein, 2013 ). If the person is not presenting, ask if there are any talks he or she is interested in attending, and if you can join him or her (Knight, 2015 ). Attending the same talks at the conference provides an opportunity to discuss the content of the presentation. Simply asking how others liked the presentation is a great way to begin a conversation.

Although conferences provide a unique occasion to interact with individuals on a personal level, it may be intimidating to interact with famous scholars, and even the best of us might wonder, “What are we doing here?” (Hickson, 2006 ). Although many well-known behavior analysts are happy and flattered to talk to you about their work, you might continue to feel apprehensive about approaching them. Luckily, there are a number of situations that can be contrived to maximize the reinforcing value of successful interactions and minimize the occurrence of potentially punishing interactions. You may find that your private verbal behavior (e.g., “I’m too new to the field, I don’t know what to say, and this person doesn’t want to talk to a newbie like me.”) is inhibitory. A potential strategy to overcome the inhibitory effect of such thoughts is to acknowledge those statements (e.g., “I am having the thought that . . .”) and then commit to engaging in some interaction with an individual you would like to meet. This could be as simple as introducing yourself and paying a compliment to the individual about his or her work. Perhaps you are up for a brief conversation or grabbing coffee or a drink to discuss a research article with someone whose work you admire. Alternatively, you could commit to a more substantial gesture, such as arranging to attend a meal together. Another strategy to support networking is to bring books and research articles with prepared questions to start conversations. As a note of encouragement, we have been consistently impressed by how passionate, friendly, and open delegates at conferences are once you break the ice. It has been our collective experience that researchers and important figures in our field are happy to talk about their work.

When reviewing the program to plan staged meetings with other professionals, keep in mind that the presenting author is the only person guaranteed to attend the talk. The presenting author will usually be indicated in the conference program. Additional authors listed under the presentation will not necessarily be at the talk or the conference. If you see that a researcher you want to meet is listed as an author and want to use the symposium as a way to introduce yourself, check to see if the person is the presenting author. If not, you might still consider attending that symposium to meet collaborators who work with the author you were hoping to meet. These professionals likely have similar interests and may facilitate a future meeting with the author.

Another method to practice networking behaviors, for those of you who find the previously suggested behaviors particularly challenging, is to seek volunteer positions within the conference association. These positions provide an activity on which many individuals can collaborate. If creating meaningful conversations from small talk is unpleasant, then conversations created from discussions about project planning and task execution may come more easily. In some cases, volunteer positions are stationed within conference events, which allow you to attend presentations during your service. Becoming involved in the conference through a volunteer position not only allows you the chance to meet other volunteers and attendees (Sousa & Clark, 2017 ) but also engages you in service to the science of behavior analysis. To represent yourself as a volunteer is a professional commitment to the advancement of your field. Furthermore, involvement in the conference itself can provide you with more information to navigate the event better and make it a more reinforcing context. Finally, if registration fees are a concern, early enrollment for volunteer positions may offset costs.

Remember, all manner of opportunities can arise from making professional connections, so plan ahead and book time during the refreshment breaks to meet people you want to connect with (Croxall, 2009 ). According to Robertson ( 2017 ), professionals have shared some of their best learning opportunities, conversations, and networking outside of the talks they attended at conferences. Therefore, although it may be great to see the city, remember that you are ultimately in attendance at a conference to take advantage of all opportunities. If you would like to take a break from formal conference activities and are not sure what to do, going to the hotel bar for some educational socializing is always an option (Robertson, 2017 ).

As you develop these new connections, it is important to note the dynamics of the relationships you are cultivating. An essential component of networking is reciprocity and responsiveness (Khoo, 2011 ); politeness, reliability, and appreciation are further important factors in networking (Hubrath, 2014 ). For new professional relationships to flourish, both parties should benefit from the new relationship. People will start to avoid you if you contact them only when you want something, but if you can help others become more successful, they will value the relationship and help you too (Ferrazzi, 2005 ). Simply sending an appreciative e-mail about the content of the talk or quality of the discussion at the end of the conference can plant a networking seed that may bloom by the next conference (Robertson, 2017 ). Finally, make notes of important meetings or discussions on professional business cards. These are prompts to add to future communication (Robertson, 2017 ).

Steps for Attending a Conference

Selecting a conference.

When selecting a conference, begin by considering why you are choosing a particular conference or event. It is important to determine your areas of interest, scope of practice, and schedule. Selecting a conference for the first time may be a difficult decision, given the many options currently available to professionals. Determine the benefits available for your own professional development, for your clinical or academic work, and for your organization (Stone & Rossiter, 2014 ), as applicable.

One method for selecting a conference is to choose based on the overall content described in the conference program. Recently, conferences make programs available a few months in advance and in different formats (e.g., mobile apps, online programs, preordered hard copies). Reviewing the program for event content areas or audience knowledge levels provides information about the scheduled presentations. For example, if you primarily work providing clinical services to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you may select a conference that focuses on clinical application generally or that focuses specifically on ASD. However, if you are a graduate student who practices clinical work and research, you may select a conference that offers a wide range of applied and experimental presentations. Another method for selecting a conference is to obtain advice from other professionals and mentors in the field who have attended that conference in the past. For example, you might inquire about the quality of the presentations, the availability of resources provided after the presentations, the scope of the content within the conference program, or the accessibility of the presenters throughout conference events. It may also be helpful to make the decision based on the journals associated with the conference association (Holstein, 2013 ). Journal descriptions, as well as the conference mission statement, can be located on the organization’s conference website. The type of research publications accepted to journals and special-topic issues can reflect the quality of submissions accepted at the conference. You might base your selection on the fact that a given conference is the best venue to present your own work. Another consideration for selecting which conferences to attend is the opportunity for earning CEUs for your certification or licensure. If this is important, then you should at least confirm that a given conference offers relevant CEUs.

For those of you who have families or are breastfeeding, there are likely additional considerations when selecting which conferences to attend. Some conferences have begun to offer support for parents, such as on-site childcare and lactation rooms. Similarly, searching for conference organizations that provide accommodations for specific needs or disabilities may be important for ease of access to the conference content. It may be useful to learn more about the organization that hosts the conference to see if it offers policies and amenities to support your specific needs.

Planning to Attend the Conference

The first step toward a successful experience is to begin planning for the conference well in advance. To assist readers with this process, we have included a resource to guide conference preparation (see the Appendix ). Although planning will vary for different conferences, we recommend beginning to coordinate for a conference approximately six to nine months in advance. Remember to identify the degree to which you want to focus on refining current skills and knowledge, exploring new areas, and networking. As we mentioned previously, you will likely want to allocate behavior related to all three of these goals, but you should allot your responding purposefully to meet your most pressing needs—in other words, prioritize. It is also important to remain flexible in both your planning and your conference attendance. Reviewing your goals throughout the conference will help you make important decisions about the events you will attend. In addition, being flexible will allow you to behave with goal-oriented actions when something happens that threatens to disrupt your well-laid plans.

Registration

Once you have decided on which conference(s) to attend, you will need to register for the conference, reserve your hotel room (or other lodging), and purchase your airline ticket (or other transportation accommodations). Many conferences open up registration several months before the conference, so it is important to watch for the registration dates. Some conferences can cap the number of registrants, so avoid registering at the last minute. Many conferences offer discounted registration if you register early, and often you can also get discounted registration if you are already a member of the organization hosting the conference.

Hotel accommodations

When it comes to booking a hotel room, you may need to plan up to nine months ahead to reserve your room before the hotels are full, especially if you plan to stay at the conference hotel. Most conferences will have a partnered “conference hotel,” either where the conference is held or near the conference. There are several things to consider when deciding whether to stay at the conference hotel or to book a room elsewhere. As stated by Sousa and Clark ( 2017 ), one perk of staying in the conference hotel is convenience. Conferences are often busy and invigorating; having a private space to go rest that is only a short walk away can allow you to maximize your conference time while also allowing you to take any necessary breaks. Additionally, the hotel restaurant and bar are common gathering places for conference attendees and can offer an excellent (and quick) way to spend time networking.

Most conferences will offer discounted room rates at the conference hotel. These discounted group room rates usually have a limited hold on them and thus must be reserved early. Additionally, these rooms tend to sell out quickly, so if you want to stay at the conference hotel, it is best to reserve your rooms as far in advance as possible. In the event that the conference hotel no longer has available rooms, conferences will also secure rooms in overflow hotels within the proximity of the conference hotel. Information about the conference hotel and overflow hotels is typically accessible on the conference website.

If these hotels fill up before you make a reservation, or if you decide that you do not want to stay at the conference hotel, there are almost always other lodging options (e.g., Airbnb, time-shares, nearby relatives). It is usually feasible (and perhaps less expensive) to book a room at a nearby hotel and commute to the conference. You can likely find a hotel that is within walking distance (maybe conveniently just next door to the conference hotel) or a short drive away. Either way, it is good to be thoughtful in booking your hotel to help you maximize your time and resources at the conference. It might not be the best idea to reserve a room that is a 20-min drive to the conference, even if the room is significantly less expensive than the hotels that are closer.

Hotel roommates

Another consideration when booking your room is whether you will be rooming alone or have any roommates. The pros and cons of sharing a room at a conference are fairly obvious. Rooming alone gives you more privacy, and you can book a room wherever you want, without having to worry about coordinating with colleagues. Sharing a room can be more economical, but you lose a bit of privacy along the way. If staying at the conference hotel is important to you, then sharing a room is a good way to make the cost more affordable. If you elect to room with colleagues, it would behoove you to select individuals with similar goals for the conference or to differentiate your goals upfront. A misalignment of roommate goals can cause conflict when one individual socializes late at night, whereas the other plans to attend early morning events.

Schedule of activities

For planning your travel, the main advice that we have to offer focuses on planning the dates that you will attend the conference. As Robertson ( 2017 ) pointed out, “conference locations are chosen to provide opportunities for attendees to do a little sightseeing, so take advantage.” You might consider arriving a day early or staying a day late to give yourself time to go explore. Also, many conferences offer pre- or postconference workshops, so you might also plan an extra day to attend those as well.

As the conference nears, you should begin to plan what your days will actually look like once you are there. As mentioned in the networking section, you might begin to reach out to friends and colleagues to set up meetings a couple of weeks before the conference. Begin to research the city you are visiting and decide on what extracurricular activities you might want to do. For example, if a major sports team is located in that city, see if they will be having a game and purchase tickets. Attending local events might provide an occasion to invite old friends and new colleagues on a social outing away from the conference. Also, begin to look at the conference program to review what talks are offered in each time slot. For smaller conferences that are single track, this will be a simple matter of looking to see what is offered and deciding if you will stay for all talks or use some of that time to go do other meaningful activities.

Conference program

For larger conferences, browsing the program can be a bit more confounding, which is why we recommend looking early. As we mentioned previously, it is important to keep your goals in mind when planning out your conference activities. This is especially important when you begin to look at the program and flag talks. Conferences are now beginning to offer a variety of program book formats, including hard copies, online searchable programs, or mobile apps. The mobile apps are particularly beneficial because attendees can search the full program, create a schedule of events, and sometimes contact other attendees (Sousa & Clark, 2017 ). Notifications are also sent if events you have indicated interest in are during overlapping time slots. During the conference, the app will notify you of the subsequent event on your schedule, event start times, locations of events, and directions to those events.

You may find it helpful to write your goals down before diving into the program. A helpful strategy is to go through the program in stages. For example, in Stage 1, simply look through the titles of the symposia and other events to get a feel for what is being offered and make a note of anything that looks interesting. At this point, do not worry about flagging too many talks or whether there are talks at conflicting times. Stage 1 is simply to see what is being offered and what stimulates your interest. In Stage 2, keep your goals in mind and revisit all the talks and symposia that you flagged in Stage 1 for a closer look. Read the abstracts and descriptions and take a look at who is presenting. Use this information to help you decide whether you want to attend the symposia or not. Use Stage 2 to identify which symposia you can remove from the list and which ones you will consider attending, but do not be too concerned if you have flagged multiple symposia in each time slot. Use Stage 3 to finally narrow down exactly which talks you will attend. You might do this before arriving at the conference, the morning of the conference, or routinely throughout the conference. The authors of this article usually flag multiple possible symposia per time slot and decide on which ones to actually attend throughout the conference day. In the likely event that there are two conflicting symposia, consider asking a friend or colleague to attend one while you attend the other. Each of you can then take notes for the other.

Another tip to improve successful planning is to utilize the features of the conference program to help you make informed decisions. For example, most conference programs will include titles, general content areas (e.g., autism, organizational behavior management, experimental analysis of behavior), and intended audience level (beginner, intermediate, advanced). When you are armed with this information, it is easy to build a conference schedule that maximizes attending events that are most aligned with your specific area of interest, as well as your skill or knowledge level. Other features to attend to include clues in the title or abstract that can be helpful. Language such as “best practice,” “applications of,” or “advances in” can indicate that the event is perfect for someone who wants to ensure that skills and knowledge remain relevant or who wants to continue to refine and advance skills and knowledge.

Professional Etiquette

Given the multitude of conference events you can attend with other professionals, it is important for you to represent yourself, your organization, and your field tactfully. Be prepared to meet professionals in any setting before, during, and after the conference events. Occasions to see other professionals (and be seen by other professionals) can take place at the conference location, around the city, or during transportation (e.g., boarding similar flights). Therefore, we have included some professional etiquette suggestions to practice beginning the moment you leave your home until you return home from the conference events.

Begin by planning your conference wardrobe after checking the weather for the location of the conference. The clothing items you select should be clean, pressed, and appropriate for the events you plan to attend. For most conferences, you will be expected to wear either business formal or business casual attire. If you are unsure about the appropriateness of your clothing, you can ask colleagues who have attended the conference or review the conference organization’s website for pictures of previous conference events. Choose clothes that are formal and comfortable, so that you can travel quickly to the next event location. Packing clothes that you can wear in layers is a proactive strategy for times when the conference room temperatures may be unpredictable. Sometimes, hotel and convention rooms are colder than the outside temperature for which you planned.

During conference events, be respectful of the speakers and other attendees by arriving on time and staying for the entire event. Arriving early may also provide you with an opportunity to introduce yourself to the speakers. However, be mindful that before and after the event, presenters may need the time to prepare, clean up, or transition to their next talk. Additionally, some event rooms quickly meet capacity, and you may be tempted to leave the previous talk early. If leaving an event early is unavoidable, then plan to sit in an aisle seat or toward the back of the room to limit any distractions. Additionally, be mindful of extraneous noises you may produce (e.g., ruffling personal items, loud typing, taking pictures, snacking, phone alerts). One benefit of attending conferences is asking speakers questions publicly. Ask your question when the presenter indicates; typically this is toward the end of the presentation. When delivering the question to the presenter, keep your statements polite, neutral, and concise.

Endurance to perform well throughout the conference’s events depends on preparation and self-care. It may be easy to lose sight of self-care because of busy schedules; however, it is important to prioritize your well-being. During the day, stay hydrated by bringing a reusable water bottle and locating refill stations. Keep your energy high by bringing healthy snacks to consume between talks. Avoid paying higher hotel prices for snacks by searching for nearby stores. This can also be helpful for obtaining last-minute items that you forgot to pack. At night, prioritize sleep to obtain the necessary amount to be attentive during the following day’s events. Additionally, although your days will be busy with attending professional events, it is possible to maintain your exercise routines by visiting the hotel gym or bringing shoes for a quick run around the city. One final concern for maintaining self-care is avoiding overeating and excessive drinking. Not only does mindful eating and drinking help limit expenses, but it can also prevent inadvertent and unproductive interactions with other professionals.

Finally, “dance like nobody is watching” does not apply when you attend conferences. From the beginning to the end of your conference experience, expect that future colleagues, employers, supervisors, or mentees will observe your professionalism at all times. Avoid engaging in behaviors that can be perceived as unprofessional, such as gossiping, complaining, stealing, interrupting, or similar discourteous actions. The intended or unintended impression you leave on others is lasting, especially within the growing field of behavior analysis. Conference events should be viewed as opportunities for professional development across learning and networking activities. Therefore, we encourage readers to invest in their future and their relationships within the field by using the suggestions we provided.

Concluding Conference Activities

Surviving the full conference—packed with new information, socialization, and restaurant food (and drinks)—is an accomplishment! As we have indicated previously, conferences are marathons that require planning to maintain energy for successful behaviors. However, simply because the last scheduled talk has been completed and the closing social has ended does not mean the last task of the conference has concluded.

Before closing the book on the conference event, make it a priority to verify that CEUs are organized and fully submitted. Take a picture, make a copy, or take a screenshot of whatever documentation you are required to submit prior to submitting so you can have a record of how many CEUs you earned (Robertson, 2017 ). Additionally, if you have attended the conference with funding from an organization, sort any receipts for reimbursement (Goldman & Schmalz, 2010 ; Robertson, 2017 ). Even if you are funding your own conference experience, take time to organize receipts for tax deductions (Robertson, 2017 ).

One task that is easy to forget after the conference has ended is organizing all notes recorded throughout the conference at talks, panels, dinners, or drinks at the hotel bar (Belsky, 2011 ). Although many individuals may be ready to take a long break from all the scholarly content they recently learned at the conference, it is important to review and organize notes before the relevance of this information is lost. An organizational system to categorize the clinical implications, research ideas, and possible future collaborations can help determine next steps to follow up on each note. If the notes that were taken at the conference are automatically filed the next day and never reviewed, then you may be less likely to apply the knowledge gained from attending the conference.

Organizing notes is also important for disseminating what you learned to other colleagues who could not attend. Some conference goers are required to present key ideas for how newly learned information and techniques can be used to improve practice in their workplace. If your organization supported you, it is appropriate that you discuss the ideas you learned in order to extend the resources of your colleagues and supervisors (Stone & Rossiter, 2014 ). If you are not required to share presentation content or resources with others, consider organizing your notes to share this information anyway. This gesture not only builds stronger professional connections but also increases retention by continuing your contact with the new materials through the explanation of the concepts to novel audiences (Nestojko, Bui, Kornell, & Bjork, 2014 ). Your colleagues will appreciate it if you send them details of a talk or the contact information for a person in their area of interest (Stone & Rossiter, 2014 ).

As you review your notes, determine if any commitments need to be followed up with further action (Robertson, 2017 ). For example, you may have met a contact to whom you promised you would send a research article. Creating a contact list of those individuals you met at the conference, relevant details about your interactions with them, and any follow-up tasks will help you remember your conversations with them. This will make it easier to contact them at a later time and prompt them to remember your interaction. These contacts are helpful for future networking or resource requests (Goldman & Schmalz, 2010 ). While reviewing your contact list, you may decide that you want to ask for a copy of the presentation or materials used in the research or presentation. Although not all presenters will share this information, those who do share these resources are important contacts to make. If you are interested in learning more about an individual’s work or are seeking a mentorship opportunity, you can use the contact information to reintroduce yourself and coordinate a meeting in the future.

One last task before wrapping up the conference is to send any thank-you notes for special events, honors, or meetings (Goldman & Schmalz, 2010 ). Showing appreciation for the extra services organized at the event is another effective way of demonstrating thoughtful professional behavior. This is also a moment to establish your relationship with the individuals who organized the event or provided you with a specific opportunity (e.g., asking you to serve on a panel, discussant roles). Thank-you cards help you to emerge from a sea of faces encountered across a vast conference experience.

Given the amount of work you have just put into attending a conference event, consider whether you will elect to attend it in the future. Reflecting on the benefits of attending in temporal proximity to the event should allow for a more accurate evaluation than thinking back after several months or years. If you enjoyed the conference, then plan for the following year by checking the conference website for next year’s dates and location (Robertson, 2017 ). There are clearly many opportunities at conferences that span learning new content to socializing and building strong networks in the field. Thriving at conference events requires planning before the conference begins and a thorough review of all events after the conference ends. However, if you review these strategies, you are more likely to feel accomplished, rather than overwhelmed, when returning home from this experience.

Timeline Checklist for Professional Conference Tasks

This article involves no studies and has not received study funding.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

The first author previously sat on the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) executive council. The second and third authors declare that they do not have any conflict of interest.

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

• Alligood, A., & Miller, A. (2018). Development and validation of a reinforcer preference assessment for African lions. In A. Alligood (Chair), What’ll it be? Assessing the preferences of nonhuman animals in applied settings. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, San Diego, CA. Accessed May 2018
• Association for Behavior Analysis International. (n.d.). Chapters. Retrieved from https://www.abainternational.org/constituents/chapters.aspx
• Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (n.d.-aa). BACB certificant data . Retrieved from https://www.bacb.com/BACB-certificant-data
• Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (n.d.-bb). Maintaining BCBA certification . https://www.bacb.com/maintain/maintaining-bcba/
• Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2014). Professional and ethical compliance code for behavior analysts . Littleton, CO: Author.
• Belsky, S. (2011, April 5). Five tips for making the most of a conference. Retrieved from http://99u.com/articles/7020/5-tips-for-making-the-most-of-a-conference
• Björk B-C, Solomon D. The publishing delay in scholarly peer-reviewed journals. Journal of Informetrics. 2013; 7 :914–923. doi: 10.1016/j.joi.2013.09.001. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Croxall, B. (2009, December 21). How to hack a conference (aka attend one productively). Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/how-to-hack-a-conference-aka-attend-one-productively/22891
• Ferrazzi K. Never eat alone and other secrets to success, one relationship at a time . New York, NY: Random House; 2005. [ Google Scholar ]
• Goldman KD, Schmalz KJ. Cultivating conference confidence: Getting the most out of attending professional meetings. Health Promotion Practice. 2010; 11 :157–160. doi: 10.1177/1524839909357318. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hickson M. Why bother attending conferences? Communication Education. 2006; 55 :464–468. doi: 10.1080/03634520600917632. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Holstein, J. (2013, September 26). How to make the most of academic conferences: Five tips. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2013/sep/26/academic-conference-five-tips-research
• Hone. (n.d.). In English Oxford living dictionaries . Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hone
• Houston, N. (2013, November 4). From the archives: Academic conferences. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/from-the-archives-academic-conferences/53321
• Hubrath, M. (2014, July 20). Networking for a successful career in academia. Retrieved from http://www.academics.com/science/networking_for_a_successful_career_in_academia_30577.html
• Khoo, T. (2011, June 15). Networking and other academic hobbies. Retrieved from http://theresearchwhisperer.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/networking/
• Knight, R. (2015, July 8). How to get the most out of a conference. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/07/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-a-conference
• LeBlanc LA, Heinicke MR, Baker JC. Expanding the consumer base for behavior-analytic services: Meeting the needs of consumers in the 21st century. Behavior Analysis in Practice. 2012; 5 :4–14. doi: 10.1007/BF03391813. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Madden, G. (2018). It’s all lunch and games: Behavioral economic and game design approaches to healthy eating. Paper sessions presented at the meeting of Kansas Association for Behavior Analysis, Overland Park, KS.
• McCarthy, J. F., McDonald, D. W., Soroczak, S., Nguyen, D. H., & Rashid, A. M. (2004). Augmenting the social space of an academic conference. Proceedings of the 2004 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work , 39–48. 10.1145/1031607.1031615
• Naseman, R., & Weber, R. J. (2013). Making the most of a professional meeting. Hospital Pharmacy, 48 (7), 603–606. 10.1310/hpj4807-603 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ]
• Nestojko JF, Bui DC, Kornell N, Bjork EL. Expecting to teach enhances learning and organization of knowledge in free recall of text passages. Memory and Cognition. 2014; 42 :1038–1048. doi: 10.3758/s13421-014-0416-z. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Reed, D. (2017). The promise of applied behavioral economics: Examples from under the dome. P aper presented at the meeting for the Missouri Association for Behavior Analysis, St. Louis, MO. Accessed November 2017.
• Robertson, C. L. (2017, May 20). 15 ways to make the most of your conference experience. Retrieved from https://abatechnologies.com/15-ways-make-conference-experience/
• Severt K, Fjelstul J, Breiter D. A comparison of motivators and inhibitors for association meeting attendance for three generational cohorts. Journal of Convention & Event Tourism. 2009; 10 :105–119. doi: 10.1080/15470140902949695. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Sousa BJ, Clark AM. Getting the most out of academic conference attendance: Five key strategies. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. 2017; 16 :1–2. doi: 10.1177/1609406917740441. [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Stone TE, Rossiter R. Making the most of conference attendance. Nursing and Health Sciences. 2014; 16 :275–276. doi: 10.1111/nhs.12171. [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]

IBM Developer Blog

Ibm's contributions at open source summit north america 2024.

Your guide to the different presentations from IBMers and co-presenters at the main conference and co-located events at Open Source Summit North America 2024

• Facebook Share this on Facebook
• Twitter Share this on Twitter
• Linked In Share this on LinkedIn

By Sahdev Zala , Susan Malaika , Michael Maximilien Published April 3, 2024

IBM will have a wide representation at the Open Source Summit North America 2024 in the AI/Machine Learning, Cloud, CI/CD, Quantum Computing, Security, and other areas. This post gives an overview of the IBMer presentations and can be used as a guide for attending the various IBM accepted talks.

Open Source Summit is the premier event for open source developers, technologists, and community leaders to collaborate, share information, solve problems, and gain knowledge, furthering open source innovation and ensuring a sustainable open source ecosystem. It is the gathering place for open-source code and community contributors.

Open Source Summit is a conference umbrella, composed of a collection of events covering the most important technologies, topics, and issues affecting open source today.

In this post, we present a brief overview and guide for the different presentations from IBMers and co-presenters at the main conference and co-located events. The goal is to help our existing and prospective partners and clients quickly decide and build their schedule to have a more fulfilling experience.

Also, we invite you to join the after hours AI Meetup happening on April 16 evening. The IBM speakers are helping with the event and will be honored to meet you.

IBMer Sessions

Now, let's explore the accepted talks from IBM speakers. All times are presented in Pacific Time (US/PT). The full schedule can be found at the summit website .

Tuesday, April 16

Panel Discussion: Improving Supply Chain Integrity with OpenSSF Technologies (11:20am - 12:00pm) – by Arnaud Le Hors, Jay White, Isaac Hepworth, Michael Lieberman, Marcela Melara

OpenSSF has been developing a series of technologies aiming at improving the security posture of open source and the software supply chain. This panel will give attendees a chance to hear from the very people involved in the development of these technologies what's behind names like SLSA, S2C2F, and GUAC, the status of these technologies and their implementations in the industry. Attendees will leave the session with the latest info on what they can do to leverage these technologies and improve their security posture.

Adopting CDEvents and Embracing Interoperability – by Andrea Frittoli (11:40am - 12:00pm PDT)

The software delivery lifecycle landscape (SDLC) is rich with tools and services that help engineers automate every step and aspect of the software production process: configuration management, testing, build tools, artefact storage, software supply chain security, deployment and monitoring. How to connect all these tools together and how to audit them consistently from beginning to end? The CDEvents project is on a mission to help solve this problem through standardization and interoperability. In this talk, the speaker will introduce CDEvents, its latest news and roadmap; he will present how the project’s shared event format is being adopted by various tools across the SDLC: Jenkins and Tekton for CI, TestKube for Testing, ArgoCD and Spinnaker for GitOps and Continuous Delivery, Harbor for artefact storage, and the list keeps growing. He will present the challenges to adoption and the successes achieved and demonstrate an example of interoperability within the SDLC through CDEvents.

Introducing the Post-Quantum Cryptography Alliance - by Michael Maximilien, Hart Montgomery (12:15pm - 12:55pm)

There is a looming threat to all on the horizon. Today’s data and communications are secured using various forms of public-key encryption. These schemes are all (principally) based on the surprising complexity of factoring large numbers. The issue with modern-based cryptography is that, in 1994, Peter Shor discovered a quantum algorithm that can break modern encryption when executed on large enough quantum computers (QCs). What can we do today to protect from this looming threat? The QC and cryptography communities have been hard at work on devising new encryption algorithms that can be resistant to QCs. Working closely with the Linux Foundation and leaders of the cryptography and OSS community the Post-Quantum Cryptography Alliance (PQCA) was created to host and lead a collection of initial post-quantum projects that can be used to make the world’s software quantum safe. As part of the original representative members of the PQCA, Hart and Max have seen the progression of the alliance from its inception at the LF Member’s Summit 2022 to its current form. In this talk they will present the foundation and its charter along with an overview of the current projects and algorithms.

Software in Space: Lessons Every Developer Can Learn From - by Joe Winchester (12:15pm - 12:55pm)

This talk covers how software is used in space missions focusing on the four most high profile failures, and mission rescues. Ariane 5, Cassini Huygens, Mars Polar Lander, and Spirit Rover. These were all struck down by lack of testing, software not being switched off when it was no longer required, failure to understand metric and imperial conversion, and race conditions writing to memory. While these had catastrophic results in two of these, the other two were rescued through a combination of brute force, raw ingenuity, and brilliant innovation. This talks will cover each of the space missions and discuss how the lessons learnt can and should be applied to day to day programming and testing and architecture of all software packages, especially as shops rush to move to adopt agile results without fully understanding the risks.

Wednesday, April 17

Get to Know PyTorch - A Cutting Edge Open Source AI Framework for Deep Learning - by Sahdev Zala (11:00am - 11:40am)

PyTorch has emerged as a leading open source framework for AI research and commercial production for key facets of deep learning. Created initially at Meta, it has moved under the Linux Foundation umbrella as the PyTorch Foundation to accelerate progress in AI. The foundation was created in September 2022, the project continues to evolve, and many exciting things are happening in the project. In this talk we provide an overview of deep learning, PyTorch fundamentals, and the latest developments in the community. We also provide a tour of the many repositories in the PyTorch project, discuss how you can become a contributor, and show how you can leverage PyTorch to create neural network models for your own needs.

Application-Aware Layer-7 Security Framework for Cloud APIs Using Large Language Models - by Julian Stephen, Shriti Priya (2:00pm - 2:40pm)

Organizations today increasingly deploy cloud based APIs for their internal and external operations. These deployments deal with an ever-increasing number of complex threats, leading to data breaches, unauthorized accesses and other forms of abuse. Prevention and mitigation measures against such threats need application specific semantics to be considered while defining policies, posing a challenge to security administrators. This talk will show how we can leverage advancements in large language models (LLMs) to prevent application layer threats against cloud API workloads. We will present the design and implementation of a security framework that allow administrators to easily define and enforce policies capable of preventing layer-7 threats against APIs. The framework utilizes LLMs to identify common API flows , making it easy for administrators to define cross application policies. Policies are expressed and evaluated in Open Policy Agent (OPA) and enforced by customized web assembly plugins within envoy proxies. This talk will show how you can build your own API security policies that are sensitive to application semantics but work across applications.

How Our Mainframe-Focused Working Group Solved Our Linux Distribution Maintainer Isolation Problem - by Elizabeth Joseph (2:00pm - 2:40pm)

When you're the only maintainer caring for a somewhat niche part of your project, it can be very isolating. This was happening with maintainers of the s390x (mainframe) port of a number of Linux distributions, and so in 2021 we founded The Open Mainframe Project Linux Distributions Working Group to try and solve this. The working group brought together maintainers of the s390x port of openSUSE, Debian, Fedora, Rocky Linux, and more to discuss and collaborate on shared issues, future planning, and access to hardware resources for development and testing. This talk will provide a basic introduction to the s390x architecture to provide context to why collaboration is required and why maintainers sometimes struggled. Then we'll dive into some of the specific technical success stories the distributions have from this working group, and how that's managed to knock down those walls that were causing us to feel so isolated, and create a friendly, collaborative team.

Panel Discussion: The 5 Ws and H of Open Source Community - by Lori Lorusso, Jeremy Meiss, Andrea Frittoli (4:20pm - 4:40pm)

The term 'community' is used throughout tech conversations, articles, websites, marketing collateral, etc. The list is endless but what exactly is an open source community? This panel will discuss the 5 Ws: who, what, where, why, when, and the H: how - of open source community. We'll dive into each question and give real world examples of our experience getting to the bottom of 'open source community.' We'll discuss the who, the people that dedicate their time to community, the what: technology and projects, when things go well, why things maybe don't go so well, and how to join and get involved!

BOF: Trusted AI - Discussion of Model Evaluation Tools, Guidelines, and Geographical Variations - by Susan Malaika (4:55pm - 5:35pm)

This session will energize and grow the community around Trusted AI and increase the number of contributors to the materials the LF-AI and the Generative AI Commons are working on. The discussion will extend to include elements of Responsible AI, Security and Privacy.

Thursday, April 18

Clusterlink: Enabling Fine-Grained and High-Speed Application-Level Connectivity Spanning Clusters - by Pravein Govindan Kannan (2:00pm - 2:40pm)

While current application deployments tend to span multiple clusters across cloud, rapid application connectivity across clusters still remains an infrastructural concern which tends to remain static and changes often require processes such as compliance, identity, asset protection, etc. However, what application requires is programmable, fine-grained and secure network connectivity between application modules which enables applications to be scaled beyond clusters without requiring infrastructural changes to the underlying platform. We propose ClusterLink, which is designed as a building block for providing application-level multi-cloud connectivity for cloud applications. The main design principles of Clusterlink are : Programmable, Open & Extensible and Connection-orientedness. ClusterLink is realized as an in-cluster gateway responsible for handling application traffic according to definitions and policies specified through declarative APIs. In this talk, I will explain the internal design rationale of ClusterLink, provide a live demo of ClusterLink’s fine-grained connectivity, illustrating use-cases, and future developments.

“Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” - Addressing Quantum-Safe Cryptography in Open Source Development - by Alex Bozarth & Mariam John - (4:10pm - 4:50pm)

With the introduction of quantum computers, current encryption algorithms will no longer stay secure. To address this impending problem, encryption software must start using new quantum-safe algorithms. The switch to quantum-safe needs to happens quickly to address the “harvest now, decrypt later” problem, where encrypted content can be saved now and then decrypted once the quantum computers have caught up. This session goes over what quantum-safe cryptography is and why it’s important, including the predominant open source initiatives implementing it. It will then demonstrate how to set up and use OpenSSL with quantum-safe algorithms to address quantum security, setting up a local development environment with quantum-safe OpenSSL and showcasing show some practical examples for using quantum-safe OpenSSL such as cURL and HAProxy. Attendees should walk away with a understanding of what quantum-safe is, why it’s important now, how the open source community is addressing it, and what a quantum-safe implementation looks like in OpenSSL.

Secure Open Source Software (SOSS) Community Day

The SOSS Community Day is happening on Monday, April 15 alongside the Open Source Summit. Join IBM’s Mo McElaney for a panel discussion featuring key members of the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) DEI working group.

Open Source Summit North America 2024 will most certainly continue its long tradition of top tier open source conference. IBM is proud to participate in this prestigious conference and will have presentations on variety of topics from various speakers, leaders, and executives. We hope this post helps you to make the most of the various IBMer presentations and activities. We hope to meet you at the conference!

Explore more articles and tutorials that IBM has published on open source AI topics.

• IBM Developer
• Third-party notice
• Twitter Launch
• LinkedIn Launch
• YouTube Launch
• Newsletters
• Open source projects
• Career Opportunities
• Terms of use
• Accessibility
• Cookie preferences

IBM web domains