---
title: "Conference presentations"
canonical: "https://research.refined.site/space/Research/135004208/Conference%20presentations"
format: markdown
---
See below for helpful information regarding preparing for a verbal or poster presentation.
## Verbal presentations
Before you start designing your presentation, you need to understand who you are talking to and what they care about. What is their level of knowledge and interest in your topic? What are their expectations and goals? What are the challenges they face in day to day work? How can your research help them solve a problem or make a decision? You can then tailor your message, tone, and format to suit their needs and preferences.
Most scientific meetings and symposiums have guidelines for presenters, make sure you are familiar with them. They are likely to give instruction about how to format your visual presentation (slides).
Nothing is worse than having the power point slides read directly to you; best way to engage the audience is to talk to the slides in a manner that allows them to intake both a verbal and a visual message that may sometimes be linked but not identical. Be careful that you do not give multiple messages at one time; you know your data well but your audience will not. Rehearse the presentation, if possible with someone you can trust to give good critical comment.
One of the most effective ways to make your research findings more engaging and memorable is to tell a story. A story can help you connect with your audience on an emotional level and highlight the key takeaways. To craft a compelling story, you need to have a clear structure, a main theme, and a hook. A structure can be a simple as an introduction, a body, and a conclusion; a theme is the main idea or message that you want to convey, such as the impact, the value, or the implication of your research; a hook is a catchy or surprising element that grabs your audience's attention and makes them curious to learn more.
Finally, you need to repeat and reinforce your research findings to make them more memorable. You can repeat and reinforce your research findings by using summaries, or call-to-actions. You can also use acronyms, mnemonics or slogans to help your audience remember your key takeaways. Increasingly, meeting arrangers are offering interactive technology that allows you use polls to check your audience's understanding and engagement.
### Useful resources:
There are a multitude of sites that give guidance. This site form the University of Auckland site is simple and informative. [https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/category/presenting-your-work](https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/category/presenting-your-work)
## Poster presentations
Ensure that you address your research’s impact, including dissemination and equity, within your poster.
### Health NZ-Te Whatu Ora Poster templates:
Click [here](https://hauoraaotearoa.sharepoint.com/sites/Intranet/SitePages/Brand-assets-and-templates.aspx) for templates.
### Useful resources:
[https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/presenting-your-work/academic-posters/](https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/presenting-your-work/academic-posters/)
Using PowerPoint for your poster slide: [https://www.wabash.edu/ugresearch/docs/MakingPresentingPoster.pdf](https://www.wabash.edu/ugresearch/docs/MakingPresentingPoster.pdf)
###### Last reviewed November 2023
Author: Nicolette Hansen