For many graduate students, putting together a conference proposal can be daunting. Trying to find panelists outside of one’s own department can be difficult. Presenting at conferences not only builds a curriculum vitae, but also is central to developing a professional network. Strategies for finding appropriate conferences, meeting the proposal deadline, finding other panelists, and writing up a proposal can ease the concern of graduate students facing the process for the first time will be discussed.
Once the paper has been accepted and written, presenting the paper is the next step. Successfully presenting a conference paper is only partially about the content of the presentation. The delivery of the paper can change how an audience engages with the presenter’s material during a busy conference weekend. Strategies on how to plan a paper within the allotted time, how to deliver the paper in an engaging way, using AV effectively, and other details that may distract listeners from listening to the content of the paper will be discussed.