Show and Tell: Presenting at Professional Conferences
12 Days of Christmas Day 9
December 19, 2025
Welcome back to the 12 Days of Christmas: Museum Education Edition!
In today’s episode we explore a topic that might feel intimidating to many but is incredibly rewarding: presenting at professional conferences. Sharing your knowledge and experiences with peers can be a transformative step in your professional journey, and I am here to guide you through it!
Whether you’re new to presenting or just need a little push, this episode is packed with actionable tips and heartfelt encouragement to help you take the leap. I share my personal journey with presenting, some advice for starting small, and practical tips for planning, practicing, and engaging your audience.
Key Insights
“Your perspective is valuable. Whether your first presentation is big or small, it’s a chance to contribute and inspire others in the museum field.”
Presenting at conferences is essential for personal and professional growth. But it can be helpful to start small with poster sessions, lightning talks, or state-level conferences.
You are the expert in your own experience! No one is expecting you to have all the answers, so focus on what you know best and lean into your network for support.
Repurpose the marketing techniques you mastered for writing a program blurb to craft compelling session proposals.
Planning, practicing, and engaging your audience can help you overcome imposter syndrome.
Take Action Now
Find a local or regional conference and mark the session proposal deadline on your calendar. Start brainstorming a topic or project you’d love to share!
Have questions or need encouragement? Send me a DM on LinkedIn!
Let’s Close Those “Someday” Tabs for good
Museum education projects shouldn’t have to linger in the background.
Click here to learn how I can help make things easier for you. Or just drop me a quick message and we’ll untangle your problems together.
It took me years to figure out what really turns a spark into substance on the museum floor.
But now you can get access to multiple field-tested tools to plan, run, and evaluate programs! Avoid common program pitfalls, survive summer camp season, evaluate a program’s ROI without a headache, and more!
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