Because PCM is a conference hosted by and for Ball State students, many presenters are sharing their work at an academic conference for the first time. If you’ve never attended a conference, it can be difficult to know what to include in your presentation or poster. We’ve compiled some helpful resources and tips below to help give you a sense of how to prepare to share your work at the conference.

General Tips for Presenters

  • This is an interdisciplinary conference, so most of your audience members are not experts in your field. It’s a good idea to define key terms and explain the theories you’re using early in your presentation. 
  • Speak slowly and clearly, and practice your speech ahead of time.
  • If you provide a poster, slide deck, or handout, make sure that your text is concise and easy to read and that it doesn’t distract your audience from your speech.
  • If your presentation incorporates audio or video components, you might ask your moderator if you can test those elements before the panel begins.
  • You might consider restating your key findings at the end of your presentation to help them stick better in your audience members’ minds.

Conference Paper Presentations

If you’re presenting a conference paper, you’ll deliver a 10-15 minute speech on a panel with 2-3 other presenters. After everyone on your panel has presented, the audience will ask you and your fellow panelists questions about your presentations during a Q&A session. While we don’t require you to provide a visual aid, we do recommend that you prepare a slide deck or a handout to help your audience stay engaged with your presentation. You might also consider linking to your script or slide deck so audience members can follow along. Feel free to browse this resource from the Purdue OWL for tips on organizing and preparing a conference paper presentation.

Poster Presentations

Poster presentations are a great way to share your work without having to give a speech to a large audience. Instead, you’ll design and then stand next to a poster board that concisely summarizes the key ideas from your presentation. Audience members may ask you questions about your project, rather than expecting you to deliver a prepared speech. Check out this resource on poster design from NYU, or check out last year’s poster presentations for inspiration and organization ideas. Please be sure that any text on your poster is readable and that you choose a high-contrast color palette to make your poster more accessible.