You have expertise. Yes, you! And there are librarians and classroom teachers out there who want to learn from you. Perhaps you’ve considered writing a proposal to present at a conference. There’s a support group for that!
Similar to an author’s critique group, the Publications Group is here to help you as little or as much as you feel you need. We would like to encourage you to share your learning journey. The delightful surprise is that, by sharing, you have another opportunity to reflect on and learn from your practice.
Here are some steps to begin your conference presentation proposal:
- Brainstorm topic ideas
- What are you truly passionate about? What have you been thinking about or researching? Chances are this will point to the expertise you can share with colleagues.
- What conferences are you interested in attending in the next 24 months? If you have attended the conference before, what topic choices work based on the audience and speakers you’ve heard in the past? If the topic is new, look at the previous year’s schedule and speaker presentations online to find similar presentations.
- Brainstorm how you can express your idea so it dovetails with the conference theme. Just tweaking the title to tie-in with the theme can be important.
- Adult audiences, just like students, like to be engaged and challenged. What mini-inquiry questions or activities might serve your topic well?
- Plan your application
- Read requirements. Make connections between your topic idea and the call for proposals. Make sure that your content and format fits with the conference format.
- Pay attention to deadlines. Proposals are due long before the conference happens, often several months to a year or more.
- A good title can organize our thinking about the presentation. Sometimes when gathering resources the big picture emerges.
- Write a focused, action oriented proposal (“Writing a Winning Conference Proposal”)
- Ask one of us to read your proposal – we’ll give you feedback, and cheer on your good work!
- Tips for writing your description (“How to Write a More Effective Conference Proposal”)
- Combine new and familiar ideas
- Don’t use “will” or “should” or “must”
- Use the current topic language
- What do you find exciting?
Here are some organizations that would benefit from your expertise at their conferences.
Don’t forget your State Association!
As you research possible venues for your idea(s), please feel free to reach out to one or all of us to help you refine ideas, review proposals, or simply discuss the process.
Debbie Abilock: dabilock@gmail.com
Tasha Bergson-Michelson: tbergsonmichelson@castilleja.org
Dorcas Hand: handd51@tekkmail.com
Christina Karvounis: KarvounisC@Bolles.org
Sara Kelley-Mudie: sara.kelleymudie@gmail.com
Cathy Leverkus: cathyl@thewillows.org
Nora Murphy: NMurphy@fsha.org
The Publication Group