First time speaking at a conference. Any tips?

[mintleavesandthyme]

It’s only for 2 mins but I’m freaking out!

Practice it out loud, multiple times, until you feel confident in delivering it.
Don't try to cram it too full, so many academics try to fit too much in and it dilutes their key points and annoys everyone else (particularly wherever is coming next).
Keep slides (if using) clear and simple - I think less is more, don't just read them out, prioritise graphics.
Good luck!

Thank you @Imicola

Practice, practice, practice. Do it standing up and if you can, get into the room the day before and practice in the room.
Have bullet points on slides. I used to start slide show with a picture of my institution. If I was abroad I would put up a few slides of London and also my house. Have your notes on index cards, tied together.
You will be fine.

Look up Amy cuddy’s ted talk on presence. It’s brilliant.
start with your audience- what do you want them to think, feel and do?
start with an amazing fact. Pose a question.
chatgpt etc will have loads of tips.

Do not go over time.

Practice. When you practice, stand up, and do everything that you'll need to do on the day.

Do not try to cram more than 2 minutes' worth into 2 minutes. Speak clearly, don't gabble.

You may have to cut, once you've practiced under performance conditions. Cut to the chase. Say the important thing; that's the research insight.

Do not apologise for yourself by word or body language. We're there to listen.

Look at people. Don't glue yourself to your text or look up at the ceiling. Talk to us!

Breathe and project. Make sure we can hear you. Be interested in what you're talking about, so we will be interested.

Practice, like everyone says, know your material back to front
Be audible, be clear, don't gabble, take your time.

Realise people are there because they want to hear what you have to say - they won't eat you.

Enjoy it!

ah.... my advice is practice but do not rehearse (unless you are from a discipline where reading a text is normal).

a presentation, especially when short, must deliver a clear message / story, ideally in a compelling way. it needs to feel natural, conversational and grounded in a key number of observations, critiques or facts.

Start with the take home message, finish with the take home message, and explain the what, how, why in the middle.

make it conversational and flowing.
avoid chatGPT gems which are cringey (like starting with a sentence, pausing, then announcing: "I am Marasme Absolu, lecturer and zoologiste at the University of Surrey, and I will tell you all about the platypus".)

Two minutes is no time at all. That’s 2 slides max so your message needs to be finely honed. Think carefully about what you want your audience to know and why, and tell them that with enthusiasm. That’s all you need to do.

Slides of London and your house in a PowerPoint for an academic paper?

Is this a poster blitz session? You are advertising your poster so people will come and see it and chat in more detail. Set out your big picture research question clearly and dont get lost in detail. Tell people WHY the research is important.

If it helps, most people will only remember at most 1 thing you say especially in a 2 min talk. So basically think of what you want to have that thing to be and then don't worry about the rest too much!

Thanks everyone.

it’s an awesome ´elevator pitch’ for an MSc dissertation.

I had a 15 min viva and feel it I really fluffed it up despite some nice feedback so I would like to improve on that

Thank you that does help but my write up was so long and the topic so complicated that I point is going to be tricky!

I feel in 2 mins it’s really just the abstract jazzed up a bit?

Thanks it’s not a very photo-ready topic. I used some nice scenery in my viva one

That’s a very ‘tedtalk’ intro! I’m not sure I can do that without the cringe

Thank you that’s helpful

Whiel I agree re practice, I actually think it's FAR more important to be 100% clear on your message. If you are confident in what you are saying, the rest matters less. And if you are trying to do an elevator pitch, the WHAT you say is absolutely the most important thing.

Start with the "so what"? WHY is this important? What will it solve? Who will benefit? Why should the people listening want to know more about YOUR subject? What's the benefit to them? Make sure you know that very clear.y.

Then think about what you can say tha tmakes that clear. this is not the time for wishy washy, humble statements that require inference and intuition from the audience. TELL them. "My research show sthat in 100 years, everyone will be dead". You don't need to prove it. This is 2 minutes to get them interested.

Play with the language. what is the strongest language you can use that will actually be true and tat you feel you could stand behind if one of these people want to discuss it with you later? Then look at it again and see if you can make it 5% punchier.

Once you've done all THAT work, trust me, your two minutes (which is literally 300 odd words so NOTHING), then suddenly you're half way there. THEN you practice.

(I train people on stuff like this and am actually working on a training program aimed specifically at people in your sort of situation so Iv'e given this a lot of thought).

Practise

breath really deeply before you start , smile all around the room - left and right - and talk to the back of the room to go slowly

2mins - no slides or one at at most

what is the one important thing they should remember ? Why?

and try to say “I” have done - women tend to teamify things and that lets men downplay what they say - we shouldn’t have to do that but in a male dominated field it can help

2 minutes is too short for the classic " tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you've just told them technique". So know your material, the main points on a a postcard to keep yourself on track, don't write a script, or ask somebody else to write it, so you can read it out or you'll sound like BoJo or Trump. I guess you are just giving a quick summary of the work, you, your department or your company do.

what bit is cringe? the " I am xx, lecturer and i will tell you about X"?
that s the type of chatGPT lameness i was suggesting to avoid.

i stand by the sandwich technique otherwise. As an audience member, i have very little attention span and need to be hooked.

Two minutes is no time at all. What one thing do you want them to remember because that’s all you have time for. For that short a presentation is not bother with slides, I’d be interesting, engaged and short - some of the best speakers just get up and say it. If you need slides to convey your key message you’ve not honed it down enough. So simplify, how would you explain it to a friend in the pub, that’s the tone I’d go for because it needs to be easy to understand and take away.

Do keep to time, tempting as it can be to get carried away. There’s nothing worse as a following speaker to watch your time being taken by someone else waffling on.

Why is it cringey to focus on the tale home message. I would not focus or mention the methodology... Focus on the so what... What has changed or can change because of your research.

2 minutes is harder than 10 minutes. It needs a different structure to a typical presentation.

What is your main finding? Why does it matter?

You should be able to answer these questions in a sentence each and build up from there.

But also remember that people are kind and generous and also have sat through many terrible and tedious presentations in their time.

sorry I’ve been distracted entertaining children and neglected mumsnet!
good news is a friend is joining me now so I have some support and someone to drink gin with afterwards!

@MassiveTitthe problem I have is my project was an absolute beast! With lots of findings. So cutting it down is the challenge. I think maybe I just go for what I think is the most impactful?

Thank you @Wafalamani think the whole process of speaking is cringey but I really want to do it well! I’m autistic so probably overthinking massively! Thank you for suggesting I skip methodology, it was quali and interviews. Maybe I need to mention who and why wrt my participants though