We’ve learned a lot over the years about professional conferences. We share some of that hard-won knowledge here in hopes that we can each become better communicators and more effective in our work.

Types of Sessions

You’ll see that we utilize many different session formats at the Habitat X Conferences. Our intent is to create a learning environment in which topics are shared in the format that best suits the content. We have had strong sessions in each of these formats, and we’ve learned that longer is not always better!

• Poster Presentations
• 5-Minute Flash Presentations
• 20-70 minute Formal Presentations
• Roundtable Discussions
• Panel Discussions
• Interviews

Start Here: the Session Management Worksheet

This is just an example. Please work directly on your own Worksheet on Google Drive.

If you’re scheduled to present a session at a Habitat X Conference, you’ll be asked to complete a Session Management Worksheet. This one tool defines the Habitat X Conferences in many important ways by defining the way we present information. Plus it saves our staff a lot of time and trouble to have all the information in one place and in the same format.

We’ll share this Worksheet with you by way of a shared Google document. It’ll remain on Google drive so that our faculty and you both have access to it. This will be a living document — please begin filling it in as soon as possible, but don’t hesitate to begin if you don’t have all the information.

Here’s the guidelines for each field on that form:

Session Title

This should be descriptive and to the point. Try to avoid cute phrases or references to popular culture — our people want to know that actual topic on which you’ll present.

Contact Information

This will be shared on our website, in our digital media, and in printed materials at the conference. Insert your first name and last name. A middle name or initial is OK if you use one. Insert the name of your company if you are associated with one.

Extended Contact Information

This will also be shared on our website, in our digital media, and in printed materials at the conference. We consider this information optional, though we do know that most Habitat X participants place high value on their ability to communicate with other attendees. Insert your email, mailing address, or phone numbers if you wish to share them.

Executive summary of presentation

This should be a narrative of your presentation. Consider it an elevator pitch that would make sense to a person who is smart and interested, but knows nothing about your industry. Use complete sentences and make it 50-300 words. And don’t worry if it’s not perfect — just get something on paper and we’ll help you wordsmith it!

Main points of presentation

Give us 3-5 bulleted points that guide the reader towards your conclusion. Use complete sentences — this is not a powerpoint presentation.

The desired outcome of session

Tell us what you hope to accomplish in this session in 25-100 words. If your session is successful, what will change in the mind of the session attendee?

Links to session resources

If you have resources to share, such as a handout, a slide deck, or links to the web, give us a URL here.

Your biography

Go ahead and write up the short bio of your dreams. We’ll have room for 50-75 words, but feel free to send us more and we can trim it and make you look good. This will be shared on our website, in our digital media, and in printed materials at the conference.

Profile photo

Please attach or link to your best photo. Our style is to use a head-and-shoulders shot, so if you send us something bigger, we’ll have to crop it. To meet our graphic standards, a photo of this size needs to be at least 200 KB. See examples of bios and photos here.