2024 IBSC Annual Conference
Harrow School
Harrow on the Hill, London, United Kingdom
July 1-4
Tips for Workshop Presenters
Thank you for agreeing to present a workshop at the 2024 IBSC Annual Conference. We look forward to seeing you at Harrow School in July. To ensure a successful experience for both presenters and attendees, please keep these tips in mind as you prepare your presentation.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Amy Ahart at ahart@theibsc.org.
Come to the IBSC Annual Conference Prepared
- Register. If you have not done so already, please register for the conference. All workshop presenters are required to register in advance, even if you only plan to attend and present.
- Send your presentation materials to IBSC to post on the website. This ensures attendees can access and download all materials before, during, and after the conference. Email your materials to IBSC@theibsc.org with the subject line "24AC website materials." In the body of the email, include the name and workshop block of your workshop. Remember:
- Files may not exceed 1 MB.
- Files must be submitted in PDF format.
- You may also submit a website link that holds all of your materials.
- Submit all of your materials together in one email.
- We try to post all presentations submitted within two business days of submission.
You may submit materials at any time leading up to the conference and we will continue to post for two weeks after the conference ends.
Room Setup / Audio Visual Needs
Each room has the following standard room setup. This cannot change so prepare accordingly.
- Classroom seating (~30 seats)
- A projector and appropriate adaptors for both PC and MAC users
- Whiteboard and dry-erase markers
- Internet connection
If you plan to use video, make sure to download all materials to your computer to avoid any internet issues.
Delivering Your Workshop
- Pay attention to time.
- Ensure your workshop begins at the designated time. A host will introduce the workshop and call the room to order.
- Design your presentation to fit the allocated time of 60 minutes and adjust as necessary throughout.
- Save time for questions.
- Please help the IBSC Annual Conference stay on time and respect colleagues presenting after you. Make sure you complete your workshop at the designated workshop block end time. If conversation continues, invite those individuals to join you outside the room.
- Introduce yourself, all other presenters, and the title of the workshop.
- Take a few minutes to review the purpose, objectives, and level of your topic. Then give attendees permission to leave if this isn’t a good match for them.
- Know your audience. Make sure you understand the group attending your workshop. Find out what they already know about your topic. Adjust your presentation as needed. Move quickly through the background and on to more complex ideas if you find you have a more experienced audience.
- Bring a sign-in sheet. Create a plan prior to the conference of how to collect information from your workshop attendees if you’d like to engage in any follow-up conversation.
- Don’t sell a product.
- Invite workshop attendees to evaluate your workshop via the conference survey.
- At the conclusion of your workshop, clean up your materials, reset the room to its original condition, and move any lingering conversations outside of the room. You must return the room to its original setup, including chair arrangements.
Designing and Presenting Your Workshop
Enhance your presentation and engage your audience with these tips:
- Design an interactive workshop with plenty of time for discussion and engagement with attendees.
- Ensure your presentation matches your abstract in the conference program.
- 10-20-30 PowerPoint Rule: Follow this rule from Guy Kawasaki, “… a PowerPoint presentation should have 10 slides, last no more than 20 minutes, and contain no font smaller than 30 points.” Use a good balance of images and text.
- Remember this is a global conference, so attendees from other countries and educational systems may not be familiar with terms and references you take for granted.
- Seek out “critical friends”—experienced colleagues and presenters—for honest advice while planning and rehearsing your workshop. This is especially true for those who present infrequently.
- Leverage and share expertise in educating boys. Make sure you talk about how the activity or program is attuned to boys’ learning, motivation, engagement, and achievement. Your insights and reflections prove so valuable!
- Challenge your audience with new ideas and discussion. Make them think and take new ideas or strategies back to their schools.
- Whenever possible, provide evidence to support the success of the program or activity you are discussing. As an organization we model the principles of “reflective practice” and action research, so workshops should model these, too. Evidence can take a variety of forms: quantitative, qualitative, formal, and informal. “What would evidence look like?” could also prompt a robust discussion. Reveal your ideas and thoughts about how you might continue to improve the practice and invite reflection.
- Construct a “running sheet”—time allocated to the sections of your workshop—to ensure smooth pacing. Practice the running sheet, keeping in mind that you will need to improvise. Some presenters ask a friend to serve as “timekeeper” during the workshop.
- Keep your workshop energetic and lively and “mix it up” as much as possible with various activities, sharp transitions, and delivery methods.
- Remember this is important professional development for attendees. Would you want to attend this workshop or recommend to your staff?
- Opportunity to discuss, probe, and exchange is essential for workshops. Even if your workshop is a more traditional, direct presentation, provide ample time for discussion during the workshop and especially at the end.
- Manage discussion effectively. Give as many attendees as you can an opportunity to participate, while keeping an eye on your running sheet. Be prepared to ask questions to spark discussion and to direct the flow of discussion. If you use small-group discussion in the workshop, be clear and crisp in your instructions.
- Leave time at the end to summarize what you have presented, reflect on ideas discussed, and thank attendees for their attention and contribution. Let them know how they can contact you.