Share your expertise to boost career
Conference speaking can boost professional status
If you have expertise in an area, you could be providing vital information to others as a conference speaker. To get started, identify several conferences that cover topics within your area of expertise and your presentation skill level and experience, advises Annette Mercurio, MPH, CHES, director of health education services at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA. Then become familiar with the presentation standards and interests of conference organizers, review prior conference materials, and talk with colleagues who’ve presented at conferences.
Many organizations issue requests for presenters, and this is a good way to get started as a speaker, says Joan Greathouse, MEd, owner of Joan Greathouse Consulting Co. in Seattle. You will be competing with other hopeful speakers, and most organizations offer no compensation of any kind, not even a discount on the conference fees, notes Greathouse. However, being a speaker provides the opportunity to become known as a presenter, and eventually you may be invited to speak at conferences that pay an honorarium.
Once in the presenter circuit, look for conferences that might fit the topics on which you speak. "Letting people know that you are interested in presenting, networking, developing contacts, and discovering professional organizations that might benefit from your expertise all takes time, energy, and work," says Greathouse.
Before submitting an abstract on a conference topic, contact conference organizers to informally explore your presentation ideas. Once a draft of the abstract is completed, ask others within the organization who have presented to critique it.
The real work begins when you are selected as a conference speaker. "Once my topic is approved, I begin research and prepare an outline. I work on the outline and perfect it, putting it into slides and handouts," says Kathy Ordelt, RN, patient and family education coordinator at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Although you know something about your topic, it is important to research it further. Read journals, surf the Web, and talk to other professionals in the field to gather information and ideas, says Greathouse. She also suggests that conference presenters develop learning objectives before creating an outline. "I develop learning activities that will help the participants achieve the objectives. All my presentations are interactive, because that is how people learn. Even my keynote addresses involve the audience," she says.
When developing your presentation, learn as much as possible about the audience, including the disciplines they represent, the settings they work in, and what level of knowledge and experience related to the topic they are likely to have, advises Mercurio. To determine whether you are on track, talk with your conference contact regularly.
Once the presentation has been perfected, rehearse it in front of anyone who will listen. "My goal is to get so comfortable with the material that I am relaxed in front of the audience," says Ordelt. Also, practice ensures that you are not trying to cram too much information into too short a time, adds Greathouse.
Clearly communicate your needs as a presenter regarding room setup and audiovisual support to conference organizers, then confirm that these needs are met as the conference date approaches. On the day of your presentation, arrive at the room early so you can review how it is set up and make sure all the audiovisual equipment is there and you know how to operate it, says Mercurio.
For more information on selecting conferences for professional growth, contact:
• Donette Lasher, MAT, Patient and Family Education Coordinator, York Health System, 1001 South George St., York, PA 17405. Telephone: (717) 851-3081. Fax: (717) 851-3049. E-mail: [email protected].
• Annette Mercurio, MPH, CHES, Director of Health Education Services, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Rd., Duarte, CA 91010-0269. Telephone: (626) 301-8926. Fax: (626) 301-8868. E-mail: [email protected].
• Kathy Ordelt, RN, Patient and Family Education Coordinator, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1001 Johnson Ferry Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30342. Telephone: (404) 929-8641. Fax: (404) 929-8690. E-mail: [email protected].
• Rita Smith, MSN, RN, Education Coordinator, Provena Mercy Center, 1325 North Highland Ave., Aurora, IL 60506. Telephone: (630) 801-2687. Fax: (630) 801-2687.
For more information on conference presentation, contact:
• Joan Greathouse, MEd, Joan Greathouse Consulting Co., 3853 Williams Ave. West, Seattle, WA 98199-1540. Telephone: (206) 284-3996. Fax: (206) 284-6362. E-mail: [email protected].
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content