Preparation for the Conference

An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers (not always academics) to present and discuss their work.

Conferences are usually composed of various presentations which are usually followed by a discussion. The work may be bundled in written form as academic papers and published as the conference proceedings.

Most conferences include one or more keynote speakers, regular presentations, poster sessions, workshops, panel discussions and round tables on various issues.

There are various ways in which one can find a conference to participate in. Usually, calls for papers of subject specific conferences are sent to the research institutes that are specialized in this subject area. It is also possible to actively search for a fitting conference, by visiting websites which present upcoming conference.

When it comes to successful preparation for your conference event, consider the following:

• Keynote speaker - the keynote speaker is exceptionally important as he or she will set the overall mood for the event. Your speaker should be relevant to your conference topic but more importantly, engaging and able to draw the attention of the audience.

• Print materials - visuals are such an important part of a conference and help to tie the event together.

• Audio visual equipment - being as prepared as you can be with your audio visual requirements and setups is vital run a smooth conference.

 

 

Structure of Meetings

Meetings generally follow a more or less similar structure and can be divided into the following parts:

I - Introduction

Opening the meeting

Welcoming and introducing participants

Stating the principal objectives of a meeting

II - Beginning the Meeting

Introducing the agenda

Allocating roles (secretary, participants)

Agreeing on the ground rules for the meeting (contributions, timing, decision-making, etc.)

III - Discussing Items

Introducing the first item on the agenda

Closing an item

Next item

Giving control to the next participant

IV - Finishing the Meeting

Summarizing

Finishing up

Thanking participants for attending

Closing the meeting

Meeting Vocabulary

Whether you are holding a meeting or attending a meeting, it is important that you understand key English phrases and expressions related to meetings. A successful meeting has no surprises. With proper preparation and careful organization, a meeting can run smoothly. Setting goals and time limits, keeping to the agenda, and knowing how to refocus, are key components of an effective meeting.

 

Writing an Agenda

In order to keep the meeting on task and within the set amount of time, it is important to have an agenda. The agenda should indicate the order of items and an estimated amount of time for each item. If more than one person is going to speak during the meeting, the agenda should indicate whose turn it is to "have the floor".

 

Welcome

 

Once everyone has arrived, the chairperson, or whoever is in charge of the meeting should formally welcome everyone to the meeting and thank the attendees for coming.

e.g. I think we'll begin now. First I'd like to welcome you all and thank everyone for coming, especially at such short notice. I know you are all very busy and it's difficult to take time away from your daily tasks for meetings.

 

Introductions

 

If anyone at the meeting is new to the group, or if there is a guest speaker, this is the time when introductions should be made. The person in charge of the meeting can introduce the new person, or ask the person to introduce him or herself.

 

Objectives

Some people who hold meetings prefer to pass around copies of the agenda, and others will post a large copy on a wall, or use an overhead projector. No matter which format is used, attendees should be able to follow the agenda as the meeting progresses. Before beginning the first main item on the agenda, the speaker should provide a brief verbal outline the objectives.

e.g. As you can all see here on the agenda we will be mainly talking about the upcoming tourist season. First we'll discuss the groups that will be coming in from Japan. After that we'll discuss the North American Tours, followed by the Korean tours. If time allows we will also discuss the Australian tours which are booked for early September. Next, I'm going to request some feedback from all of you concerning last year's tours and where you think we can improve. And finally, we'll be voting on where and when to have this year's staff picnic.

Watching the Time

One of the most difficult things about holding an effective meeting is staying within the time limits. A good agenda will outline how long each item should take. A good chairperson will do his or her best to stay within the limits. Here are some expressions that can be used to keep the meeting flowing at the appropriate pace.

I think we've spent enough time on this topic.

We're running short on time, so let's move on..

If we don't move on, we'll run right into lunch.

We've spent too long on this issue, so we'll leave it for now.

We'll have to come back to this at a later time.

We could spend all day discussing this, but we have to get to the next item.

Regaining Focus

 

It is easy to get off topic when you get a number of people in the same room. It is the chairperson's responsiblity to keep the discussion focused. Here are some expressions to keep the meeting centred on the items as they appear on the agenda.

Let's stick to the task at hand, shall we?

I think we're steering off topic a bit with this.

I'm afraid we've strayed from the matter at hand.

You can discuss this among yourselves at another time.

We've lost sight of the point here.

This matter is not on today's agenda.

Let's save this for another meeting.

Getting back to item number 5...

 

Comments and Feedback

During the meeting, participants will comment, provide feedback, or ask questions. Here are some ways to do so politely:

If I could just come in here...

I'm afraid I'd have to disagree about that.

Could I just say one thing?

I'm really glad you brought that up, Kana.

I couldn't agree with you more. (I agree)

If I could have the floor (chance to speak) for a moment...

We don't seem to be getting anywhere with this.

Perhaps we should come back to this at another time?

II Practice and Experience

Part I Vocabulary Practice

1. A. Match words and word combinations that will help you register at a conference with their meanings:

1) conference proceedings	a) a person who takes part in something;
2) registration fee	b) a person who attends a conference or other gathering;
3) agenda	c) the official written records of a meeting (conference);
4) calls for papers	d) a place where a business person can show their products to customers;
5) attendee	e) the money you pay to go into a conference or exhibition;
6) conference pack	f) a list of items to be discussed at a formal meeting;
7) participant	g) official documents that give information about the conference, an invitation to take part in a conference;
8) exhibition	h) a set of papers with information about the conference.

 

2. Match the objectives of an introduction with the corresponding vocabulary:

1.	Moving forward	a.	Good morning/afternoon, everyone. If we are all here, let's get started / start the meeting / start
2.	Welcoming and introducing	b.	So, if there is nothing else we need to discuss, let's move on to today's agenda. Shall we get down to business? Is there Any Other Business? If there are no further developments, I'd like to move on to today's topic.
3.	Stating the principal objectives	c.	Please join me in welcoming (name of participant) We're pleased to welcome (name of participant) I'd like to extend a warm welcome to (name of participant) It's a pleasure to welcome (name of participant) I'd like to introduce (name of participant)
4.	Opening	d.	We're here today to... I'd like to make sure that we... Our main aim today is to...

3. Find in the table below the phrases which are aimed:

1) tointroduce the agenda;

2) to allocate roles (secretary, participants);

3) to agree on the ground rules for the meeting;

4) to introduce the first item on the agenda;

5) to close an item;

6) to introduce the next item;

7) to give control to the next participant.

 

a.	We will first hear a short report on each point first, followed by a discussion of... I suggest we go round the table first. Let's make sure we finish by... There will be five minutes for each item. We'll have to keep each item to 15 minutes. Otherwise we'll never get through.
b.	So, let's start with... I'd suggest we start with... Why don't we start with... So, the first item on the agenda is Shall we start with... (name of participant), would you like to introduce this item?
c.	I'd like to hand over to (name of participant), who is going to lead the next point. Next, (name of participant) is going to take us through... Now, I'd like to introduce (name of participant) who is going to...
d.	Have you all received a copy of the agenda? There are X items on the agenda. First,... second,... third,... lastly,... Shall we take the points in this order?
e.	Let's move onto the next item. Now that we've discussed X, let's now... The next item on today's agenda is... Now we come to the question of…
f.	Shall we leave that item? Why don't we move on to... If nobody has anything else to add, lets...
g.	(name of participant) has agreed to take the minutes. (name of participant), would you mind taking the minutes? (name of participant) has kindly agreed to give us a report on... (name of participant) will lead point 1, (name of participant) point 2, and (name of participant) point 3. (name of participant), would you mind taking notes today?

 

4. Define the objectives of the following vocabulary (consulting the background) and rearrange it in the correct order.

Finishing the Meeting

...	Thank you all for attending. Thanks for your participation.
…	Before we close today's meeting (conference), let me just summarize the main points. Let me quickly go over today's main points. To sum up,...,. OK, why don't we quickly summarize what we've done today.
…	The meeting is finished, we'll see each other next… The meeting is closed. I declare the meeting closed.
…	Right, it looks as though we've covered the main items. If there are no other comments, I'd like to wrap this meeting up. Let's bring this to a close for today. Is there Any Other Business?

5. Review useful phrases of the unit. Translate the following phrases into English:

 

Раді бачити вас.

Розпочинаємо роботу нашої секції.

На порядку денному 15 доповідей.

Ми маємо визначитися з регламентом.

Які будуть пропозиції?

Зважаючи на те, що ми обмежені в часі, пропоную встановити регламент до

10 хвилин для доповіді і до 3 хвилин для відповідей на запитання.

Погоджуємо.

Слово надається…

До слова запрошується…

Ми плідно попрацювали.

Дякуємо за активну участь.

Робота в секції була плідною.

Було заслухано 15 доповідей різноманітної тематики/які були присвячені....

Всі доповіді були цікавими/ змістовними/викликали жваве обговорення.

Особливий інтерес викликала....

Було висловлено пропозицію…

Part II Conference Planning