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Academic and leadership conferences are excellent ways to meet people in your field, develop your presentation skills, and gain new insights on topics you genuinely care about. They can also be really terrifying! As an undergrad and now as a grad student, I attended my fair share of academic and leadership conferences. I’ve decided to share my experiences, as well as get some tips and tricks from my network, so that YOU can attend your next conference as successfully as possible!
A current professional program student and former BSc Honours Psych student told me that they enjoyed “Getting feedback from other researchers about ideas for data analysis, and hearing others’ ideas for possible theories regarding questions I had about preliminary results.”
Many people interested in research go with a couple questions in mind about their research, as “using [the] audience as a tool to help your own research is so beneficial, especially because many of them are experts in their field.” One undergrad student said that it was just a great opportunity to “see all the cool research happening in our department.” A friend in my grad cohort said that it is straight up a “nerd party!”
As for leadership conferences, it’s simply a great way to get inspired about the work you are interested in doing. Whether it’s social justice related like mental health advocacy (like me) or something related to your professional field like graphic design or social media marketing, conferences are a great way to build your confidence as a new bean on the scene. Often times you get to hear keynote speeches from successful people in the field and attend workshops that help build your skills too. Most importantly, you get to meet like-minded folks and network with people you’d never meet in your daily life.
There are a lot of different ways to learn about a conference including social media — following organizations or universities on Twitter or Facebook. I learned about a really cool conference in my field through a closed Facebook group called “Koreanists” — similar ones for your area of interest will also have other cool postings including new books and newly-opened positions.
Often times, grad students find out about exciting conferences via their supervisor or e-mails forwarded from their Graduate Chair. If you’re an undergrad, take some time to peruse the Student digest e-mail, as organizations and departments are often advertising their conference opportunities there as well. My friend in my cohort (an East Asian Studies MA second-year student) pointed out that the famous universities and famous associations usually tend to have their own research conference every year — so utilize word of mouth and social media to stay updated on the abstract submission dates.
My first conference ever was Jack Summit 2017, a national youth mental health advocacy conference in Toronto. I learned about it through a friend I was volunteering with on the Kids Help Phone Student Committee, and who had been accepted to the 2016 summit. She came back and raved about it so much that we started a Jack Chapter at UofA and I applied for Jack Summit the next year. Leadership summits and conferences often have an application process, and while it’s important to hype up all the related work you’ve done, it is also important to let them know about all the cool things you want to learn about at the conference as well. Once you’ve filled out the application form CV-style, take another look over and see where you can insert your personality!
As for academic conferences, you often have to prepare an abstract on the research topic/project you want to present on. Some tips include “start early and get your supervisor’s feedback on your abstract” and “follow the true and tried format of research abstracts.” It’s also important to consider avoiding jargon or specialized terminology within your field, as conferences often attract a broad audience (even people outside of academia). Consider writing in layman’s terms.
No need to dress business formal, but look well-presented! Conferences are often day-long affairs, so be sure to prepare an outfit that is “professional but also comfortable. Leave the three-inch heels at home.”
Check the conference program or pre-read ahead of time to plan which sessions or workshops are the ones you will be aiming for. Be sure to check whether or not you need to pre-register ahead of time so you can go to the ones you actually want to be at. Also, if registration for sessions/workshops happens in-person during check-in, triple check the time and location.
If you’re travelling, make sure you have what you need to feel comfortable while you’re away. Conferences can be pretty nerve-wrecking, so I suggest bringing what you need to make you feel as comfortable and in the zone as possible. Whether that includes your preferred brand of shampoo and conditioner, a lucky charm, or even a portable battery to make sure you can stay connected to all the people you meet. I personally love to tweet key learnings throughout the day when I’m at a conference, so I have to have my portable battery for sure.
If you’re presenting, the classic presentation tips apply here. Include minimal text on any slides, and if you’re using jargon or new terminology during your presentation, be sure to explain them! Practice in front of the mirror and practice in front of a friend, to make sure argument and research gets across clear. Touch base with the organizer as soon as you can after arriving in the city, and make sure you ask “what button do I press to change the slide?” before your presentation starts.
As well, if you’re nervous about meeting famous professors at the conference, my classmate suggested this article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, titled “How to Talk to Famous Professors” and claims it has helped them with these exciting yet slightly terrifying experiences.
You can still apply for funding to go! As a grad student, I applied for GSA funding to attend a conference at UC Irvine in California, because the topic was highly relevant to my Master’s thesis topic — and I received it! It helped cover my flight and accommodations, which is awesome.
Over lunch, the presenters and organizers went to their catered lunch together. Instead, I ended up having a lot of wonderful conversations with other students who weren’t presenting as well. I got to learn about their research, and more information about how the American university system works — which is important to me as I’m interested in applying to American schools for PhD programs.
If you’re like me, and you’re there to pretty much make a note of upcoming research and key scholars to cite in your research, you might be focused on taking notes. Taking great notes is important, but engaging with the presenters is super crucial. Prepare questions for the presenters ahead of time, by taking a look at their presentation topics or Googling them and noting what relation they might have to your field of interest.
“No one expects you to understand their research at first glance, but they have spent months or even years working on the topic or project and would be more than happy to explain it to you.”
A thoughtful question or so to the right professor is a great first impression to a future supervisor or employer!
Also! Whether you’re presenting or not, people are going to be asking who you are and what you do. Prepare a three or four-line spiel along the lines of — Hi, I’m [name], pronouns are [???/????]. I go to [school] and I’m studying [program name] because of my interest in [cute reason here] and I’m currently working on or researching [project topic]. This way, people will know what you’re about and be able to make recommendations on school, programs, or other opportunities to check out.
First things first, “free coffee and muffins are for everyone!”
In fact, that’s where I met one of the presenters who turned out to be a very well-known professor in my field. Our pleasant exchange over coffee turned into us sticking together throughout the day and a lunch invite for the next day.
Since you listened to my advice in Question 3 and pre-picked or pre-registered your sessions or workshops, you already have a good idea of how the day is going to go. But say you meet a new friend, and they are presenting in a different session and it sounds more relevant to your interests. Be flexible! Why not head to that session instead?
Not only have you done something positive to strengthen your relationship with this new connection, but maybe you learned something you weren’t even expecting to learn at the conference. And honestly, new connections and insightful new learnings are what conferences are all about!
Also? New cities and new friends are great, but make sure you’re able to make it to the second day of the conference on time and in the right mindset. If you get terrible hangovers or can’t wake up early when you sleep late the night before, try to avoid a late night out on the town. Other alternatives include grabbing a drink or two at the hotel bar, or perhaps coffee or bubble tea with fellow delegates or presenters after the conference. That way you still get a chance to relax and get to know each other as humans, without getting in the way of learning during the conference.
If you can, I often give myself a travel day before and after the conference to get my bearings and see a little bit of the city. If you have an extra travel day after the conference, you can have a fun night out and maybe hang out with other delegates who stayed behind the next day, too!
First of all? Get a good night’s sleep! You deserve it after a long day, or perhaps, after a long weekend even!
Once you’re well rested, I think it’s good practice to reflect on all the exciting things you learned, the people you met, or even the emotions you felt during the conference. Whether you do that publicly on a blog post or a social media post, or privately — it’s a good way to ensure the experience stays with you for the future.
Another thing to note is that, I’ve noticed that within myself and other friends we get a bit sad after a conference comes to an end! Be mindful that you might feel a little lonely and disconnected or emotionally drained after a long day or weekend spent networking. On a base level, I just end up missing all the new friends I meet a lot since many of them live in different provinces or even different countries.
If you’re a social media person, then be sure to connect with them on socials! Follow up with a message or comment on their post about that weekend with how awesome it was to meet them, and slip in an inside joke from the conference as well. Through these friends and connections, you will not only continue to learn of other awesome opportunities but I find that I personally continue to be inspired by all the other amazing people I have met through conferences. If you’re not a social media person, then follow up via e-mail, text/phone call or even via snail mail. It would be such a shame to lose an important connection!
I hope you learned something before applying to or attending your first conference! Remember that all the other attendees have been in your shoes before, and will be sure to cut you some slack in case you stumble at any point in the day. Go easy on yourself, you’ve got this!