Top five reasons to present a free paper or poster

Conference speaker

#thefloorisyours

We all know that conference presenters all have nerves of steel, are right at the top of their career and already have decades of great work behind them. At least, that’s how many of us feel. The call for abstracts lands in your inbox, and you delete it without a second thought. Other people speak at conferences, you go along to listen.
 
Stop and think for a second. Those people up on the podium had to start somewhere. And you’d love to be able to tell people about that great project you worked on, the interesting patient case you’re so proud of, or the way your team have been using that new piece of technology.
 
Free papers and poster presentations were developed for exactly this reason. So much great work goes on that deserves to be shared with a wider audience. Presenting a free paper slot or sharing a poster are ideal ways to share what you’ve learnt and give yourself a real sense of achievement. There are lots of good reasons to have a go, but in case you need a little more persuading, we’ve put together our top five.


Our top 5 tips are:

1. Peer recognition of your work

So many nurses working in wound care are doing great work. You work hard to try new things and create better outcomes for your patients. We know that the NHS can be a tough environment to work in and there are days when it all feels an uphill struggle to make a difference. Presenting a paper or poster gives you a chance to celebrate your hard work and be proud of your outcomes, and brings peer recognition which helps lift you up and keep you going. There’s no better feeling than hearing your work recognised and praised.
 

2. New career opportunities

Presenting at a conference opens doors. Whether that’s the opportunity to turn your presentation or poster into a published article, or exciting networking opportunities that lead to new projects and collaborations, presenting can set you on the path to the next step of your career. You never know where it might lead.
 

3. Hone your ideas

It’s often said that the best way to really understand something is to teach it to someone else. Both posters and presentations force you to thoroughly examine your work, what it means and how to put it into context. Structuring your thoughts and developing your ideas strengthens your knowledge and helps you to apply what you’ve learnt more effectively in future.

4. Boost your presenting skills

We know that lots of people are terrified of presenting. We also know, from talking to presenters at all of our conferences, that it’s never as bad as you think it will be! Presenting is a skill like any other and it’s absolutely possible to learn to do it well even if it doesn’t come naturally. Take yourself out of your comfort zone and you’ll come away with an incredible sense of pride and achievement. Even seasoned presenters learn something new every time they present, so it’s always a valuable exercise. If presenting is one of your fears, look out for our forthcoming set of top presenting tips to help you tackle it with confidence.

5. Opportunity to challenge and change practice

Wound care nurses are passionate about their patients. We know that so many of you are doing work that changes lives. Imagine if we brought all those ideas together in one place. Sharing your work could help another HCP to change a patient’s life. If you’ve got something great to say, there will always be someone ready to listen.

Our 6th reason

Of course, if you apply to Wound Care Today, you’ll find a sixth reason: free accommodation! We know how much work goes into posters and presentations. As our thank you to you we’ll therefore give you a free hotel room for the night at the conference, leaving you free to focus on enjoying the event and doing a fantastic job of contributing your knowledge and ideas. 
 

The floor is yours – what do you want to say?

#thefloorisyours