Tips and guidelines

Creating an interactive presentation

People are on Zoom all day; sessions should have interactive elements so attendees get the content they need and want while staying engaged in the presentation. This can be as simple as “give me a thumbs up if...” question or asking them to respond to a question in the chat. Anonymous polls to check for understanding, asking people at the beginning to tell you in the chat what they are hoping to learn can also be quite effective. Here are resources for ideas/tips:

https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/trends-and-insights/articles/how-to-give-an-effective-online-presentation-from-home/

https://pantheon.io/blog/tips-for-virtual-presentations

https://www.bluejeans.com/blog/how-to-become-a-better-virtual-presenter

What is CCSA looking for in a proposal?

1. Align content with current events and trending

Staying on top of trending content gives you an edge. People are more likely to attend your session and listen to what you have to say if you’re sharing or producing quality content that the attendees care about. This year’s breakout strands were cultivated based on feedback and requests received from CCSA member schools.

2. Inspirational and unique content

Do you have a unique practice that you’ve utilized in your classroom or on your campus with impressive results? Do you believe others can benefit from your story? If so, we want to hear from you.

3. Interactive sessions

Attendees of the CCSA Conference are looking for interactive sessions in which they are active contributors to the conversation. Attendees want to understand how the content you are presenting is relevant to the work they are engaged in every day and they want takeaways they can apply when they return to their school.

Breakout session presenters should...

• Offer a creative, catchy and precise session title.
• Write a program description that reflects what will be presented.
• Address why the audience needs to know this information and how it is useful.
• Feature school leaders, teachers, parents and community members as presenters.
• Offer clear takeaways: practical models, techniques and materials that are easily adaptable and can be implemented at a school.
• Provide handouts.
• Engage the audience by providing real life stories, examples and case studies. The best speakers engage the audience and connect emotionally.
• Feel free to be informal and to communicate the way they normally do. Have a sense of humor? Use it liberally.
• Encourage audience participation by supplying small bites of learning with time to reflect, swap ideas and contrast experiences.
• Leave time for audience reflection—at least 25% of your time should be left for audience Q&A.
• Never engage in sale pitches. Remember, "If you're speaking, you should be teaching." Your presentation is to be educational in nature, not a sales pitch.