Submit the Best Abstract Possible—a webinar hosted by EKO

Key takeaways from the second session

• Use narrative writing—abstracts provide only a small amount of space to share your research, process, findings, experiences, etc. Narrative writing helps string all the pieces together in a more cohesive and coherent manner.
• Use plain language—the EKO Spring Symposium Working Group, tasked with reviewing and selecting abstracts, is multi-disciplinary. Avoid overly technical or clinical jargon, to make sure they can all understand what you're trying to convey. This strengthens your presentation as well; the conference brings together professionals and interest holders from across the sector, if everyone in attendance can understand and explain what they've learned, your work and message will be adopted more broadly.
• Lean in to the "problem-solving sector"—don't hesitate to explicitly state the problem your work is aiming to solve and craft your abstract to answer: What the program/initiative/practice is, why it matters and why we need to learn more.
• Connect with the audience—position your presentation or poster in ways that best connect with a diverse group of people. Tell the story of what changed, not just what happened; the strongest abstracts identify mistakes and lessons that were learned along the way.
• Take chances—Don't let the fear of perfection keep you from engaging people as part of your presentation. The best sessions involve two-way communication, sharing and learning.