Presenting in multiple venues
Present every time
Attending an academic conference is important for faculty members, presenting is more important. Faculty members are producers as well as consumers of knowledge, and by pushing themselves to present at every opportunity they will gain more from the experience. Conferences offer many ways to gradually ease into presenting, including poster sessions, informal discussion groups, panels, or co-presentations. It can be discouraging to be assigned a presentation time at the end of a gathering or during an off time when few people attend. It is especially frustrating to be scheduled opposite a big name presenter that will draw large crowds away. In spite of these frustrations, each presentation is an opportunity to share, whether in-progress work or final findings, and should not be missed. Over time the schedules will inevitably improve, and in the meanwhile, an individual's curriculum vitae will grow in depth and breadth presenters are strategic.
Publish every time
Accomplished faculty members write in preparation to present, and the papers go into conference proceedings whenever that is an option. In addition to proceedings, veteran conference goers seek other venues to make their work public. Once a presentation is completed, it is important to take the manuscript and work it into a publishable article. In this way the impact of the work that went into the presentation is doubled. All faculty members benefit from this push to publish by taking a pause to make public their work and rejoin the larger academic community, whether on the sharing or listening end of the interaction. The contributions to the individual, those participating in the audience, and those reading the final printed version are multiplied with each opportunity to go public that is taken. Junior faculty members who begin their careers expecting to publish will be well positioned as they progress along the path to tenure.
Make strategic connections
Academic gatherings can be bewildering, isolating and overwhelming if not attended strategically. Early in an academic career it is possible to craft a network of colleagues who meet each year at the same conference and plan collaborative research and writing for the upcoming year. Many successful faculty members do just that, and establish a regular rhythm of publishing and presenting several times a year thanks to conference deadlines that predictably come along. New faculty members who set up this pattern will be more successful at developing a pattern of presentation publication over time than those who do not, and have the added bonus of reconnecting with colleagues on an annual basis.
Rationale for Conference Attendance
Why Attend an Academic Conference?
Rollins, P., Popular Culture and American Culture Associations, Southwest Texas
This open letter addresses the frustration of having a small number of attendees at a conference presentation, even as a senior scholar.
Attending and Presenting at Conferences
Center for Excellence in Teaching, USC
This site addresses why presenting your work at conferences is an integral part of academic life.
Attending Conferences Strategically
Attending an Academic Conference
Ernst, M. (July, 2004). Associate Professor, Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington
This website offers tips about goals of conference attendance, and links to advice from other faculty members.
Advice for First-Time ICSE Participants
Notkin, D. (May, 2002). Chair, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington,
International Conference on Software Engineering
This advice to graduate students is very helpful for understanding conference attendance generally.
Advice for Graduate Students and Others Attending Academic Conferences
Lindley, D. (May, 2004). Department of Political Science, Notre Dame
This site offers advice on attending, presenting, being a chair, being a discussant, asking questions, to booking rooms, job interviews, etc. at major conferences.
How to Hack a Conference (AKA Attend One Productively)
Croxall, B. (December, 2009). Productivity, profhacker, tips & tutorials for higher ed
This blog post describes must do activities that enhance the conference attendance experience.
Conference Rookies
Vick, J.M. & Furlong, J.S. (December, 2006). Manage Your Career, The Chronicle of Higher Education
This conversation among new conference attendees offers multiple perspectives on getting the most out of a conference experience.
Attending a Conference, Looking for an Exit
Views (March, 2008). Inside Higher Ed
This reflection addresses some of the things that can go wrong at a conference, and how difficult it can be as an audience member to remain in a session gone bad.
Issues Concerning Conference Attendance
The Chronicle of Higher Education
This site offers titles of articles about conferences in past issues of the Chronicle with topics such as: how to get the most out of science conferences, managing a controversial conference, making the conference come to you, and an ocean of difference in academic conferences.
Strategies to Enhance Research Impact: Six Lessons
Young, J., slideshare presentation
This slide presentation with a presentation transcript offers suggestions for bringing the results of agriculture research to Africa.
