Tips and guidelines

Creating an interactive presentation

Thank you for your interest in presenting at CCSA’s Annual Conference! We pride ourselves on high quality, engaging programing. Please refer to the tips below to make your sure your presentation is both clear and engaging.

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

If you have a unique point of view on an industry topic and want to explore it with attendees in an interactive, casual environment, submit your proposal as a poster session in one of our Expos. The CCSA programming committee is also looking for proposals for 75-minute breakout sessions that integrate interactive facilitation techniques.

What makes a quality CCSA Conference presentation?

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.
• Have a clear objective and purpose: what do you want attendees to learn, know, or do as the result of your session?
• Write a program description that reflects what will be presented.
• Address why the audience needs to know this information and how it is useful.
• Offer clear takeaways: practical models, techniques and materials that are easily adaptable and can be implemented at a school.
• Feature school leaders, teachers, parents, and community members as presenters whenever possible.
• Provide handouts or resources.
• Engage the audience by providing real life stories, examples, and case studies.
• Leave at least 25% of your time should be left for audience participation. Use inclusion and engagement techniques to get the attendees involved. For example: checking for understanding, think and write, small group discussion, cold calling, polling, practice, Q and A.
• Be yourself. Communicate the way they normally do. Have a sense of humor? Use it liberally.
• 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.
`