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I\u2019ve been on a few committees that look through submitted abstracts for presentations and posters that are given at cosmetic science symposiums. It\u2019s interesting to see what people submit, but I\u2019m always struck by how few submissions we actually get. There are many reasons why people don\u2019t submit papers. But as far as your career is concerned, there are lots of reasons why you should.<\/p>\n
If you are uncertain whether you qualify to be a speaker, let’s review which job functions would be in the best position to give good talks.<\/p>\n
Cosmetic chemists who are actually working on projects have great material for giving presentations. You probably know more about your particular area of formulating than most other people in the industry. Your knowledge can provide the basis for a niche talk that could be beneficial to other cosmetic formulators. The challenge you might face is that your boss or company could frown on the idea. But once you present all the benefits to giving a presentation (see below), they just might change their minds.<\/p>\n
A scientific talk is a great opportunity to introduce your new raw material and demonstrate how and why it is superior to other materials out there. This is exactly the kind of thing that audiences want to see. Every supplier should be submitting at least one abstract per each relevant symposium. Of course, you\u2019ll need to be educational and avoid too much promotion, but giving talks is a great way to establish yourself as an expert.<\/p>\n
If you are a cosmetic chemist consultant, you absolutely should be offering to talk. There is no better way to demonstrate your expertise and impress potential clients. Done right, this is free publicity that can lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in new-client business.<\/p>\n
Cosmetic chemists crave new developments in science and rarely get to hear from academics. You’ll have an attentive audience and will also get the opportunity to see how your work can have practical applications. Anyone doing research in surfactants, skin, hair, emulsions, polymers or other personal-care technologies should consider submitting a paper.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve covered who should be giving a talk; now let\u2019s go over why you would want to. \u00a0Here are ten direct benefits you can get from presenting at a scientific conference.<\/p>\n
Nothing will build your reputation as an cosmetic science expert better than giving a talk at a scientific symposium. For consultants, it quickly establishes credibility. And for new formulators, it makes the rest of the industry take notice.<\/p>\n
When you present your talk, you will invariably get questions that could help spur new areas of research in your subject. Getting fresh minds and ideas about your project can only help make it better.<\/p>\n
Another benefit is that you will likely get people who give constructive criticism about your work. Some of this will be grandstanding, but you may also discover areas of research that you hadn’t considered. This will also help improve your research.<\/p>\n
An important benefit to giving a talk is that you will see how your research stacks up to the other papers given on the topic. You can determine whether you are treading through research areas that are already well-traveled or whether you are blazing new trails. You should always strive for new trails.<\/p>\n
For a scientific organization to thrive, our industry needs good, dynamic speakers who give interesting talks about relevant subjects. When you do a talk, you gain useful experience that will help you in future talks at other symposiums, or perhaps more importantly, for talks within your company. Corporations value people who can give good presentations more highly than people who can’t.<\/p>\n
When you do a presentation, you get a spotlight that makes people more inclined to introduce themselves. These connections can be useful in the future for generating new business, getting other speaking opportunities and even landing a new job.<\/p>\n