Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals

CHAPTER 22: PRESENTING AT CONFERENCES

Speaking at an international, national, regional, or local conference can significantly enhance your credibility, clout, and professional status. It’s an opportunity to share your insights, convey useful information, and gain a reputation as an expert in your topic. And it’s where many technical professionals get their start in public speaking.

Here’s what’s exciting about presenting at conferences. Many other presenters will exhibit the attributes of the worst presentations, as outlined in Chapter 3. They’ll move around too much. They’ll face the screen. They’ll avoid eye contact. They’ll omit interaction. They’ll display text-filled slides and immediately begin talking, oblivious to the fact that people ...