Conference lecture topics

If you were to attend a conference, what continuing education lessons/topics bear the most interest to you?

How do you decide what lectures to attend? What do you avoid?

What topics do you wish to see more of? What is not covered well?

Tags: CE, conferences, continuing, education, lectures

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Permalink Reply by Marie Nordberg on May 14, 2009 at 9:05am

Kevin Collopy said:

That is some great advice. However at least around my region many of the smaller 100-300 person conferences do not have a call for papers, they seem to do the hand picking. I agree larger conferences on the state/national levels do have calls for papers; however are they willing to go out on a limbs with people they don't know? Or do they look for extensive speaking experience? I can't imagine a conference like emsexpo taking a 1st time speaker, or am I mistaken?

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Permalink Reply by Skip Kirkwood on May 15, 2009 at 6:47am

It's probably unrealistic to expect to speak at one of the premier national EMS conferences your first time out. Those events have to be a notch better than state/local conferences to get people to attend. So you probably will have an easier time if you develop yourself a resume' before you try to get to the top level. You will also have more appeal as a speaker if you find something unique to speak on, that not every other person in the business thinks that they know about. For example, there are hundreds of people minimally qualified to speak on airway management or 12-lead ECGs. There are less who are experts on Six Sigma QI or the use of operational computer simulations in planning EMS deployment.

Another way to get started might be to co-instruct with an established speaker. This is particularly helpful in longer pre-conference classes, where the "name speaker might need a break, and where you have something to contribute to the subject matter.

"Out on a limb" with a total unknown AND with a "ho-hum" subject will probably not get you on the agenda with any regularity.

One more thought. Most of those state and regional conferences do not have the involvement of professional conference planners like the national conferences do. I've worked with dozens of "conference planning committees" from regional councils, hospitals, EMS groups, etc. They usually struggle to think of local (read - lower cost), quality speakers who can present on topics that the committee believes will interest the audiences. If you become involved with those groups, and a topic you can speak on comes up, you can say "I'll do that" and you're in.

Again, it's not just going to come to you. You're going to have to work for it and build both a subject matter expertise and a reputation as an interesting, entertaining, expert speaker.

Skip

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Permalink Reply by Kevin McFarlane on May 20, 2009 at 12:48am

Kevin,
I think Skip has some good advice. When I started presenting I went to a few of the schools in my area and offered to come in a do a few lectures I knew I could knock out of the ballpark. This will usually get you in front of at least a few, and you never know what doors it will open. This is actually how I got my first teaching job. In my state we usually pick a few names we all know..the "Mike Smith, Paul Werfel or Dr. Bledsoe" but we also look for local talent. Almost every year we have someone who we think will be good but has never done this before. Sometime they do great and sometimes they fail, but the crowd is usually ok either way. The first conference I did on the road, I sent in a call for presentations and did four talks for a VERY low price. The next year they invited me back, and I made a little more money. They took a chance on me and they thought it paid off. I am by no means the expert but I say get your name out there locally and then pick a few states and start looking for their EMS conferences. Before you know it you will be getting your name out there. Just for a little encouragement I have been doing conferences for just over a year now and I will be presenting at EMS Expo this year. They are taking a chance on me, but they liked a couple of my topics that no one else is doing (that I know of). Hang in there and keep trying. Feel free to email me if I can be any help.

Kevin M