Presentations

Sharing your program

This page gives you practical guidance on presenting research at conferences or other professional events. This may be something you want to do once your program has reached a level of maturity and you have insights or findings to share with colleagues.

Where Can You Present

Professional webinars as a way of informal sharing – EG: RUSH Network Meetings, Communities of Practice
Conferences and other professional events that have a focus on practice – EG: the National Conference for Rural, Regional, and Remote Education, symposiums, RUSH WP Forums
Academic conferences, where there is usually a focus on evidence-based practice and evaluation – EG: Conferences such as the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Annual Conference

Why Present

Share knowledge and impact: Presenting allows you to disseminate findings, insights and practice learnings to a wider audience, contributing to sector knowledge and improvement.
Build professional networks: Conferences create opportunities to connect with researchers, practitioners and partners.
Gain valuable feedback: Presenting is also a way to get feedback from respected peers in your field.

Where to start

If you’re interested in presenting your work, whether on a small local scale or at a well-known conference, there are a few common entry points:

Express interest early by speaking with the RUSH Network Lead, your project lead, or manager about opportunities to present work from your program or research.
Watch for calls for abstracts or posters, which are usually advertised on conference websites or shared through professional networks and mailing lists.
Start small. Many people begin with a poster or simply attending a conference to observe and engage before moving into solo presentations.

Getting a conference presenter spot

Generally you will need to present an abstract to present at a conference, whether for a poster or solo presentation. To submit a successful abstract:

Review the call carefully: Each conference specifies themes, formats (talk, poster) and word limits.
Have a specific aim: Your presentation or poster should focus on a specific program or concept. It may focus even more specifically on a theme within your evaluation, the design process, or the application of a specific theory or process.
Write a clear summary: Abstracts usually outline the purpose, approach, key insights and relevance of your work in 150–300 words. Often this needs to include academic references, so do your research to ensure your work is supported by well-respected, recent studies.
Submit: Abstracts are typically submitted through a conference portal online, by a fixed deadline.

Examples of relevant conferences:

The Student Success Conference, also known as the STARS (Student Transitions Achievement Retention & Success) Conference

The National Conference for Regional, Rural, and Remote Education (NCRRRE)

The Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association (EPHEA) Conference

Presenting

Oral Presentations

An oral presentation is a structured talk delivered live during a conference session, usually supported by a slide deck (e.g., PowerPoint or similar). This is a common way of sharing research findings, methodology, and insights with a live audience.

Best practice:

Start with a clear structure: introduction, research question, methods, results and conclusion.
Keep slides simple: use one main idea per slide, with minimal text and clear visuals.
Use legible design: clean fonts, consistent colours, and clear charts help make complex information accessible.
Tell a story: focus on explaining your research in an engaging way, and avoid reading everything off the slides.
Practice delivery: time your talk and rehearse transitions so your narrative flows smoothly.

Research Poster_Template.pptx

Poster Presentations

A poster presentation is a visual summary of your research displayed on a large sheet that conference attendees can walk up to and read. At designated times, the presenter may stand by the poster to discuss the work with others. Use the template above as a start, but Canva, PowerPoint, Publisher, and other platforms have alternatives.

Best practice:

Balance text & visuals: use diagrams, charts and images alongside concise text; aim for a visual balance so the poster is inviting to read.
Logical flow: structure content so it leads the eye naturally through introduction → key methods → results → take-aways.
Elevator pitch: prepare a 1–2-minute summary of your research to share with passers-by.
Be approachable: if appropriate, stand near your poster during the session, make eye contact, and offer to walk viewers through the key points.

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