As an abstract author, you may volunteer to present a 60-second pitch for your abstract on the day of the conference. The goal of your pitch is to advertise your work, including its potential impact, so more attendees are interested in visiting your poster.
Important Information
- Submit your pitch slide(s) to your session chair by Friday, Jan 19th.
- We will have a highly encouraged pitch office hours with the Comm Lab.
On the day of the conference, we will have all speakers line up and present their pitches in order of abstract number. The audience will be viewing several 60-second pitches back-to-back, so be creative and make yours stand out! Pitches will be judged based on clarity, engagement, and originality for prizes. Some past winning pitches have also incorporated comedy.
Tips for a Successful Pitch
- Your goal is to pique the audience’s interest, not to teach the audience about your work (you don’t have time for that). Highlight the importance of the problem you’re solving and the impact of your solution.
- Target a very broad audience. Make your pitch accessible for someone with some “distance” — outside of your research group, but within the field. You can find trained experts with appropriate “distance” at the EECS Communication Lab.
- The first and last sentences are golden opportunities that are usually wasted. Avoid starting by introducing yourself and reading the title of your entry; instead start strong by telling the audience about a problem they (should) care about. Avoid ending with “come to my poster # XX”; instead, end with a sentence that highlights the impact of your work.