I can now say I have spoken at a teaching conference! Three weeks before the event, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about writing or saying those words. Although I was never going to back out, I did seriously question why on earth I was putting myself through it. A week on from the event, here are some reflections, thoughts and advice for others planning to talk at a teaching conference for a first time:
Think about the wording of your proposal!
When I produced my proposal to talk at a conference I didn't realise that my submission (done in probably half an hour or so) would be cut and pasted into the conference brochure. Obviously this makes sense and saves time for the coordinators and presenters. When I was writing it however I was trying to sell my idea to the conference organisers rather than delegates. Not much difference I know but I think it would have changed the style of my synopsis and some of the language I used. I would have certainly found a better photo than just using the one from my CV!
Use your network
You will probably know people or know people who know people who have spoken at conferences - don't be proud, use your contacts and ask people for advice. I found people incredibly helpful and supportive (you know who you are - thank you). Advice which I received and would recommend included:
Lessons I learnt
So in summary, although the preparation was hard work and the build up was nerve-wracking, I am really glad I did it and would do one again. But differently. And hopefully better.
The next professional development activity for me is Delta Module 2 which started yesterday. There seems a lot to get my head round so far but I'm looking forward to it. Any social life is hereby cancelled until the end of May.
Think about the wording of your proposal!
When I produced my proposal to talk at a conference I didn't realise that my submission (done in probably half an hour or so) would be cut and pasted into the conference brochure. Obviously this makes sense and saves time for the coordinators and presenters. When I was writing it however I was trying to sell my idea to the conference organisers rather than delegates. Not much difference I know but I think it would have changed the style of my synopsis and some of the language I used. I would have certainly found a better photo than just using the one from my CV!
Use your network
You will probably know people or know people who know people who have spoken at conferences - don't be proud, use your contacts and ask people for advice. I found people incredibly helpful and supportive (you know who you are - thank you). Advice which I received and would recommend included:
- Get a friendly face or someone you know in the audience. They can be encouraging, ask questions, stimulate debate if needed and give you feedback afterwards
- Remember you won't know most (or all) of the audience so build this into your planning - it is different to teaching a lesson or leading a team meeting where you know everybody
- Think about what you find useful at a conference talk - are you aiming to give delegates something to think about, activities to take away or a bit of both (I went for the latter as that's what I find useful)
- If you are using a lot of slides, get a laser pen. You don't want to be walking in front of the screen all the time to click onto the next slide
- Remember people are there to see you – be more assertive, give your ideas and opinions. This is not something I do naturally and I needed to work on it
Lessons I learnt
- If you have the opportunity, doing a "dummy run" at your school's team meeting is invaluable. I did this a week before the conference and my final presentation definitely improved as a result. Not only did it mean I had prepared my presentation a week before I was going to be doing it "for real" (which was different to my normal "just in time" philosophy!) but it also meant I could test the timing, get feedback from a friendly audience and tweak/amend it as appropriate. As well as being better, my conference presentation was also more relaxed than it would have been otherwise
- Preparing the presentation/talk takes hours! I like to think that my lessons are well organised and put a lot of time into planning them but I have never spent so long preparing for one hour of input in my life. If not writing it, I spent hours (on the way to work, in the shower, at random moments) thinking about what I was going to say, how I could get my message across, what might go wrong etc. Don't underestimate how long you will put into it. It might be easier second time around but I'm not sure. I now completely understand why speakers present the same talk at different conferences!
- The run up to my first conference talk was very daunting - but it really was worth it. I think it's important not to lose sight of why you are doing it and what you hope to achieve. Focus on that rather than wondering of you're are doing the right thing - you were when you put the proposal in and you still are now
- It was really useful to see the speaker before me in the room I was going to use. This gave me a feel for the layout, how the room worked, any sound issues etc (and as it happens the speaker was really interesting). This made me a lot more comfortable when it was my turn to stand up.
- I will practise more with the laser pen! It was great for moving the slides on but when I wanted to highlight things on the screen, I sometimes used the pen and sometimes wandered across the screen and pointed at the screen with my finger - I could have looked more professional and stuck to the pen
- Be more aware of the audience. Sounds daft doesn't it but a couple of the audience were obviously quite warm in the room. If I was teaching, I'd have done something about it (opened the door, turned the air con on etc) but I was so fixed on what I was trying to say that I just ignored the problem. Not a disaster but I could have made the audience's experience a bit better. One of the video clips was also very dark on the big screen (it looked fine on the laptop). The video was mainly shown as a listening activity so the fact that the image wasn't very clear wasn't a huge issue. I could still have apologised or made a joke about the quality to show I was aware of the problem. I didn't, I just moved on. Next time (that phrase again) I hope to be more aware of the audience's experience
- Although it might seem strange I was completely thrown when a couple of people came up to me at the end of my talk to ask my views on specific aspects of teaching. For whatever reason, I just was not expecting this - I had almost switched off (with relief that it was over more than anything else) as soon as I thanked people for coming. I was still a bit baffled that people were interested in my opinion (see above) and I'm afraid gave very poor answers and responses that don't really reflect my views and experiences. If you are reading this, I can only apologise. I will remember to stay focused for a bit longer next time.
So in summary, although the preparation was hard work and the build up was nerve-wracking, I am really glad I did it and would do one again. But differently. And hopefully better.
The next professional development activity for me is Delta Module 2 which started yesterday. There seems a lot to get my head round so far but I'm looking forward to it. Any social life is hereby cancelled until the end of May.