As a Student Presenter at ICUR, you will have the opportunity to give a presentation explaining your research project, followed by a Q&A from our audience. So, whether you have a fear of public speaking, you aren’t used to articulating your thoughts out loud, or you just consider yourself an introvert – ICUR could be the perfect opportunity for you to step out of your comfort zone!
Presentation skills are important as they encompass a wide variety of transferrable skills that prove useful in your personal and professional development. These include:
- Confidence:
- Improving your confidence will mean that you are able to pursue opportunities and build connections with more people – which will open your life to new experiences and fulfilling relationships, ultimately further helping to boost your self-esteem!
- Confidence also means that when you fail you can pick yourself back up, and you can look to your previous achievements as motivation for even bigger goals.
- Communication:
- Improving your communication skills means that you can understand and express needs and wants effectively – reducing misunderstandings and tension in your relationships.
- On a professional level, improving your spoken communication skills means that you will be able to efficiently relay and understand information, allowing you to work fluently.
- Refining your communication skills will also allow you to learn how to actively listen and adapt your communication style depending on who you are speaking to, meaning you can be respectful and always offer the best version of yourself.
- Organisation/Time Management:
- These are key skills which highlight your reliability as an individual, letting people know they can count on you be there for them, and to get a job done when it needs to get done. This leads to people being able to trust you, as they know you won’t let them down.
- Having good organisational skills is also a great way of mitigating stress! When you have a structured plan of how you are going to carry out a task, alongside a schedule of how you will allocate your time towards it, you are less likely to feel overwhelmed whilst working.
- These skills will also allow you to be more efficient, supporting you in optimising your efficiency and reaching your goals faster!
- Problem solving/Quick thinking:
- Things can change at the drop of a hat, so being able to stay flexible and think quickly means you won’t give up when an obstacle presents itself.
- Being able to think on the spot means that people are also more likely to perceive you as a charismatic and knowledgeable individual, which is a great foundation for building your leadership skills as people will trust your judgement in difficult situations.
Why ICUR?
- A Supportive and Comfortable Environment:
- At ICUR you will be talking about your very own research project, which is something that you alone will likely be the expert on – meaning you will be best placed to answer any questions that come your way!
- Plus, the audience will be full of academics and students, who all have a genuine interest in what you are sharing – which creates an environment where you can be confident in sharing your research findings.
- If you’re still not quite ready to stand in front of a room full of people, as a hybrid conference, ICUR facilitates presenting online from the comfort of your own home – which makes the entire prospect of presenting a little less daunting.
- In this together:
- At ICUR, your presentation will be assigned a panel where you will have 2/3 other student presenters giving talks on research projects on a common theme to yours! This means you never feel alone in the process or on the day, as you’ll be able to offer each other advice, guidance and moral support.
- Practice Sessions:
- Before your official presentation in September, your session chair will be available for a practice run of your presentation. This makes sure that you can present confidently on the day of the conference, without having to worry about the content of your presentation, your timing or any technical issues.
- Concise:
- At ICUR, your presentation is limited to only 10 minutes, which is just enough time to summarise the most significant parts of your research project. This means you won’t ever be in a situation where you are left trying to fill airtime!
- Moving forwards:
- ICUR gives you the opportunity to hone a range of transferrable skills, which you can apply in all areas of your life – including on your CV and in job interviews after graduation. Presenting at ICUR is a tangible example you can speak about in great detail that supports your ability to communicate effectively, manage your time and dedicate yourself to a project.
As always, if you have any questions that haven’t been answered here, feel free to check out our FAQ’s or contact us over email, social media or in our teams space – which you can join here!