Putting Together a National Conference Program
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Transcript Putting Together a National Conference Program
Steve McMaster, CFM
ASFPM Standing Conference Program Chair
Ideation, Inc.
Conference Timeline
Initial Site Visit
Call for Presenters
Deadline for Abstracts
Initial Program
Registration Begins
Conference
August
September
October 31
December 31
Early February
Mid-May to Early June
August Meeting
Meet conference team members
Reconnaissance for everything
Facility
Restaurants, area attractions
Assess room layout
Discuss session tracks, what’s new
Call for Presenters
Abstract Deadline
350
300
321
290
250
200
168
170
150
100
Submitted
Accepted
58%
53%
50
0
Oklahoma City
Louisville
# of Submissions
Louisville Abstracts Submitted
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
71
56
44
41
21
1
27 24
2
3
50
36
27
4
21
5
24
24
6
7
Concurrent Session Track
24
8
Accepted
Total
Abstract Review Process
Program Chair reviews all five non-mapping
abstracts
Program Chair uses judgment to move abstracts to
different tracks
Where do these abstracts belong?
“Using ICC to Fund Elevation Projects: A
Community Success Story”
“Mitigating Flood Damage through LiDAR
and 2-D Modeling”
Abstract Review Process
Mapping abstracts to Mapping & Engineering
Standards Committee Co-Chairs
Coastal abstracts are reviewed with assistance from
NOAA
Once all abstracts are reviewed and
recommendations sent to Program Chair, the
Abstract Selection Committee reviews and makes
final determinations
Putting Together the Program
Know the number of Showcase sessions
No similar content competing with Showcases
Double-up on sessions, especially tracks which
had the most abstracts
Put sponsors before Committee
sessions
Attempt to achieve
“political balance”
Program Changes!
Happen every year!
Disaster Deployments
Government Shutdowns
Travel Denials
Personal/Family Issues
Job Changes
Solution: Have alternate speakers
and a waiting list of helpers!
Advice for Abstracts
Be current – the Program Chair and Selection
Committee know what is happening
Be clear – reviewers have to understand!
Be confident – tell your story, even if it is in front
of floodplain management experts
Be cutting-edge – many people attend the
conference to see what’s new
Be concise – if you can’t sell your abstract in one
page, your idea is too broad, assume the reviewers
know about your subject
Be certified – CFMs receive priority treatment
Things to Avoid
Abstracts
Don’t ask for longer than 30 minutes, especially in
popular tracks
Pictures or other multimedia – say it in words
Edits to squeeze content to one page
Biographies
Do not include a resume - you will be asked to redo!
Use third-person voice
Moderators: Don’t say “Put me anywhere”
General Speaking Guidance
Personal practice for timing
Professional practice for content and questions
Speaking gets better and easier with experience
Consider joining Toastmasters or similar group
Avoid speaking from PowerPoint slides
Tell stories, make it interesting
Use pictures or multimedia to enhance points
Example:
The Mississippi River at Vicksburg continued to rise
on May 14th
It is projected to rise to 57.5 feet by May 18th
57.5 feet would be 1.3 feet higher than the flood of
record set in 1927
This level would be about 5 feet below the top of the
floodwall protecting Vicksburg
Unprotected buildings in downtown Vicksburg are
currently experiencing significant flood damage
Learn PowerPoint Capabilities
Avoid “Death by PowerPoint”
Try to make your point without words – use pictures and
graphs
Aids in speaking off of content instead of from content
Allows you to face audience – audio and eye contact
Know your speaking room (28 font)
Appropriate, readable font size from all seats (26 font)
If you don’t know, default to larger font
Can you project or need a microphone (tied to podium)
Font size may dictate content, presentation
Other Speaking Advice
Be organized
Introduction: Tell us what you will say
Body: Say it
Conclusion: Tell us what you told us
Vocal variety
Move around
Gestures
Cite your sources in PowerPoint presentations
Earn a reputation as a good speaker
Watch presenters and copy their strong points