Proposal Creation Best Practices

• Feel free to submit up to three proposals. We’re looking for diverse approaches across tracks. The more proposals we have to consider, the greater the chance we’ll find an ideal fit for your material on the session agenda.
• Be passionate about your chosen topic.
• Avoid using undue amounts of jargon. Draft your proposal in plain language.
• Include specific strategies attendees can implement within their own workers’ comp and injury prevention programs. The best presentations give attendees a framework to envision how your ideas can be applied to the challenges they face.
• Start with your goal in mind. Consider the key ideas you want attendees to walk away with and develop your proposal around how you’ll deliver those ideas and instill attendees with the urgency of your message.
• Keep in mind that participants learn not only from successes, but also from the lessons taken away from failed efforts.

Choose the Right Format

Select a format. Choose a format and structure that will best engage the audience in the specific material being presented. Format options include:

• Traditional — A typical lecture-style presentation by one or two speakers.
• Group panel discussion – Unscripted group discussion on a topic, with or without a moderator.
• Point-Counterpoint — A moderator leads subject matter experts who explore a topic from diverse or even opposing points of view.
• Case studies – Step-by-step account of one company’s experience implementing a new strategy or program, with results measured and explained.
• Scenarios – Can be used to present approaches to material using what-if situations or to illustrate critical decision-making approaches, for example.
• CompTalks — our exciting new short-format program. CompTalks are 15-minute solo presentations, like TED Talks, but for the workers' comp community.

Think Ahead to Your Presentation

• The most memorable session experiences are those that actively engage the audience in more than one way. If you’re presenting a session in a traditional lecture style, consider adding a poll or a guess-the-answer question, or questions that attendees can answer by a show of hands.
• Tell a story.
• Don’t pack your slides like your luggage. Slides should contain a minimum amount of information. Overloaded slides take the audience focus away from the presenter and are commonly known to be less effective at getting ideas across. You want your slides to help guide attendees through your presentation, rather than merely repeating what you’re telling them.
• Please include “for more information” slides with additional resources for attendees, but don’t shortchange your presentation by spending time presenting that content. Refer to it briefly and let them know exactly where to access it.
• Rehearse your presentation before your colleagues and review your abstract to ensure that your presentation aligns with the proposal you’ve submitted.
• In addition to educational takeaways, we urge presenters to consider tangible resources or tools that attendees can use once they’ve returned to their employers. Examples include checklists, assessment forms, whitepapers, how-to’s, toolkits, templates, or worksheets.
• Make ‘em laugh (but be cautious). Infusing humor can be an incredibly effective way to make your session and your content memorable. Just be certain not to overuse it and to keep it suitable for all audiences.