Advising with Altitude: Presenting at NACADA’s 35th Annual Conference in Denver

by Jaime Little

In early October, I headed to Denver for the 35^th annual NACADA National Conference along with at least 15 other advisors from various advising offices at UF.  This year was especially significant for me as it also marked my debut as a national conference presenter.  Feeling the need to justify a trip out to Colorado, I decided to step out on a limb and prepare a presentation for NACADA.  I had presented numerous times throughout the years--for regional and state conferences and to local audiences like parents and new students at Preview, my First Year Florida classes, and Girl Scout troops--but presenting to colleagues and peers in the advising profession at the national level seemed like a goal that I had put off for far too long.

            I was excited to have been chosen to present, as NACADA gets a multitude of proposals for presentations.  When the conference presentation schedule became available, though, my nerves heightened.  I realized that my presentation had been scheduled on the last morning of the conference in the dreaded 8am time slot as well as being the 5^th presentation on the conference agenda about Transfer Student Success Programs.  Did I also mention that a NACADA guru and past NACADA president, Jenny Bloom, was presenting at the same time as me three rooms down?

However, I realized this all could work to my advantage.  My strategy included attending the other sessions in my topic area.  I made sure to take notes for use during my session.  I also was able to pitch my presentation at the regional and topical meetings.  I also realized that presenting on the last day would mean a smaller audience size which would not be overwhelming.  And so I discovered that being the last to present on a topic actually did have some pros to it!

I practiced quite a few times in my office before heading out on the plane to Denver.  I checked out a computer from our office, emailed the presentation to myself and saved it onto a jump drive.  Upon arrival in my hotel room, I figured I would run through the presentation while I waited for my “roomies” to arrive from their respective flights.  This is when I realized that I had an older version of PowerPoint on my computer.  Needless to say, I was fortunate that my colleague had her personal computer with updated Microsoft Office.  Moral of this story is to check your equipment BEFORE you leave the office!

            After all was said and done, this experience was incredible.  Although I didn’t realize that I would be scheduled at a less than ideal time, it provided me the opportunity to whet my appetite for presenting in a less intimidating environment.  I have since submitted a proposal to present at the upcoming NACADA Region 4 Conference in March in Miami.  Sharing ideas through a conference presentation is a great way to challenge you to grow professionally and meet some people with interests similar to yours in the advising world!