Effective Conference Presentations

It is essential for active engineers to attend technical conferences to keep abreast of new developments. This paper is aimed at making conference presentations as effective as possible. The main purpose of attending a conference is to learn from each other. For this purpose to be achieved, the papers must contain valuable information, the speakers must convey the information effectively, and there should be adequate opportunity for discussions during and between sessions. Many new ideas originate through these discussions. Poor presentations defeat the main purpose of attending a conference by making it difficult to understand the material, thus inhibiting discussions after the presentation. The advantages of audience feedback are, thus, not realized. It does not make sense to spend hundreds of dollars on airfare, hotel, and registration fee, only to fail to prepare adequately for the presentation. The most important criterion for effective conference presentations is organization. Drawing on his experience, the writer provides guidelines for organizing the presentation, preparing materials, rehearsing, maintaining audience interest, and finishing on time.