I am presenting at a conference next month and I'm REALLY nervous! I have been to one "conference" before, though it was more like a small gathering (the area I research in is fairly small). Anyway, this one is a national conference for a health-related profession which my research fits in with (even though I'm not a "healthy" person). Sooo nervous! Anyone got some advice? What to wear???? What to do????? HOW TO SURVIVE!!!!

great news that you are going to be presenting your work. It will be really useful to your research and you will learn one more thing through this experience. It's normal to be nervous and to worry. I can't begin to describe how shaky and nervous I was on my first presentation; I think it happens to almost anyone. My suggestions are:

- Wear something comfortable, so it won't be one more thing in your mind to think about.

- Take a bottle of water with you and drink during your presentation if you think you are too shaky or your throat is drying or even if your mind stops working. I find that one simple action very useful.

- Do not be apologetic; do not start your speech saying this is your first time therefore blah blah. I don't think anyone sympathise with this, and it creates unnecessary criticism.

- Make eye contact with a few people on the audience; or look at the distance so it looks like you are making an eye contact with someone in the audience.

- Don't read from the screen or your notes. There is nothing more annoying then listening to someone reading from a paper.

Good luck (luck)

hmm the luck in brackets was for the emoticon. let's try this one instead (lucky)

Thanks for the advice 404. I'm hoping that I can get over my fear of public speaking (or at least hide it!) in order to get through!

Well done for getting the opportunity to speak at a national conference! The main thing I recommend is you start working on your presentation ASAP. It always take longer than you think and you don't want to place extra stress on yourself by rushing to finish at the last minute. Also, the more familiar you are with your talk, the more relaxed and comfortable you will be on the day. Practice your talk out loud as many times as you can in front of anyone who will listen...family, supervisors, fellow students, friends, your pets.

I am always most nervous about the questions I will be asked by the audience, especially when you are presenting to experts in your field. Ask your supervisors what Q are likely to be asked beforehand. When I presented my work at a conferece, I did this and thought about answers in advance. Sure enough, they were asked on the day and it felt great to be able to answer them with confidence...made up for the Q I couldn't answer!

Good luck!

Thanks Piglet :) My presentation is almost complete (hopefully it will be all done this week) and then I can start practicing. Great idea about coming up with answers to possible questions - I hadn't even thought about that!!!

Regarding what to wear, if you search the forum using 'wear' and 'conference' as keywords, you will see some comments made on this topic previously...some are relevant and some are not (ie. DanB quoting Sir Mix-A-Lot for some reason). Basically, it depends on the conference itself, the location (weather) and whether you are presenting or not (which you obviously are). Might be an excuse for a little shopping which is always fun!

I personally would suggest something smart (and comfortable as others have said). It is conference specific thought and the ones I go to are always smart ish. It also makes me feel more confident if I feel I look the part.

I would suggest practicing what you are going to say out loud. It may sound crazy but I find this more effective than simply practicing it in my mind. If you can get some one to video you and then watch it back, that may be of help. I have done this and was surprised to see I did not look as nervous as I felt inside. That also gave me confidence.

Good luck!

Fluffy, Piglet & 404 thanks for your replies I am feeling much more confident about the whole thing now. I've checked out my wardrobe and I'm going on a shopping spree (my theory is if I look the part, then I'll feel the part). My aim is to finish my presentation ASAP so that I can start practicing! Tahnks so much for all your help

hey snappy, if you're nervous about speaking in public, there is a simple thing you can do that might help: sing!

singing before you're due to speak has several positive effects. it calms you down and warms up your voice. so you won't start off with a croak, but right from when you open your mouth you will have a strong, confident-sounding voice, and in a feedback-loop this will actually make you feel more confident too. it doesn't matter if you sing well or not - i sing terribly myself if you manage to actually sing loudly it will also help you to believe on a corporal level that what you have to say is worth saying and being heard.

works well for oral exams like vivas etc. too, btw.

don't worry snappy_jaws you'll be fine... You have a great opportunity, to be able to present at a conference... I wish I got anything accepted and got a chance to present...!

oh yeah.. I forgot to post something useful for snappy! I guess you already know this but practice makes perfect, so practise as much as you can. Take some notes with you, and be relaxed. When you feel you are getting stuck, have some water to give you time to think!

Thank you everyone You've calmed my nerves immensely! I'm going to practice, practice, practice and take myself on a shopping spree. Also, the siging thing sound great shani...will definitely have to find somewhere VERY private to do that though (I'm terrible! I'm "musically inept" which is funny considering my fiance is a musician!)

Thanks guys - I will let you all know how I go

snappy_jaws, you could find out whether your graduate school or department can lend you a video camera. It is really horrible to record yoursef presenting but it helps a lot! Sometimes grad school even offer to go through the video with you and give some advise on your style.
Good luck!