Recently we crowd sourced our experienced presenters on Twitter and asked: “What are your tips for a first-time DDW presenter?” Answers came rolling in and are organized by theme below. If you’re presenting at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2019, read on. And don’t forget to check out the presenter resources we have available on the DDW website.

Preparation

1. @jphysiol_eic: Remember that you know more about your project than anyone in the room, and have fun! This is your time to shine.
2. @waikitlo_md: Sign up for a practice slot in the speaker preparation room. Visit the actual room after hours to get a sense of the space. Know your data— remember, you are the expert, so be confident and excited about sharing your work!
3. @ibddoctor: Go to the room where your presentation will be. Practice sitting in the front row, then bounding up the stairs to the podium without tripping. Once you make it to the podium in one piece, the rest is easy.
4. @cwhowden: For oral presentations – practice, practice, practice – and DO NOT exceed your time allocation.
5. @pelicanhere: Test your presentation at the DDW speakers room. If possible practise at the podium with an audience.

Content/Slides

1. @drlauriekeefer: Skip disease definitions/criteria/prevalence for GI diseases. Go right to your unique piece of the puzzle!
2. @LindaNguyenMD: When present study results, be brief about background. Focus on the study, results and discussion … the clock is ticking.
3. @DCharabaty: 1) Slides: need to be clear with key talking points; images are worth a 1000 words – when it’s not too busy . 2) Don’t read off the slides; tell a story, walk the audience to key points you want to make 3) engage the audience w a clinical case and some humor.
4. @DrTiffTaft: If presenting a clinical case, try to incorporate cultural influences (race, ethnicity, gender, even geography) to give fuller picture of patient.
5. @moss_md:
   1. Why did we do this?
   2. Images, not words.
   3. What are the implications?
   4. For Q&A, you are the only expert in the room on your data!
6. @mchiorean4:
   1. Limited background slides using words not figures (the why part).
   2. Don’t overcrowd the slides
   3. Simple, non-distracting background
   4. Images and graphs for results, if possible
   5. Don’t overstate conclusions. Summarize don’t repeat results
   6. Don’t go over time
7. @cwhowden: Never be in a position of having to apologize for a “busy slide.” Don’t use “busy” slides; simplify them!
8. @gastromom: Try not to look at your slides. Engage with the audience instead.
9. @DrTiffTaft: If you have to say “I know this figure is small” then don’t put it on the slide in that form. Recreate as easy to follow/see.
10. @kellivd: 1) Arrive early and introduce yourself to the session moderators if you haven’t met. 2) One key piece of data per slide sized large. 3) Include rigor/reproducibility #s and stats on data slides.
11. @yvonnenyavor:
    1. Determine what you want listeners to take away from your presentation. Ideally, one main idea.
    2. Set up your slides so they tell a story, with what the question was you wanted to answer, why that question needs an answer and then answer.
    3. Relax, be confident and have fun!