Professional Presentations at Conferences and in the Academic World

Workshop Details:

Date: Monday, 10 July – Tuesday, 11 July 2017 (2 days)
Trainer: Dr. Carrie B. Dohe

Content:

The focus of the seminar was on the formal conference panel presentation and the question-and-answer session, and includes sections on the presentation structure, attention- getting openers, visual aids and linguistic cues for the audience (signposting language); we also discussed and practiced networking, small talk, the elevator speech, and introduction speeches.

CRC members participating in the Professional Presentation Workshop.

Participants held individual presentations, followed by a short question-and-answer session. Afterwards, each presenter received ample feedback from the entire group on all aspects of the presentation. Especially we focused on whether

• the opening grabbed the audience’s attention and correctly oriented us to the topic at hand;
• the conclusion summed up the main points adequately, providing us with the desired “take-home messages”;
• the body of the presentation contained a narrative thread and transitional elements to help the audience stay on-track;
• the data or evidence presented was clear, balanced, sufficient and essential;
• the visual aids supplemented the talk without overwhelming or distracting from it;
• the presenter’s verbal and non-verbal communication conveyed professionalism, confidence, and expertise; and
• the presenter’s answers to questions were concise, coherent, and composed.