I recently shared on the PhD for Mature Learners LinkedIn group about attending and presenting at conferences because, let’s face it, conferences are a big part of the PhD journey.
They are also a big part of life when you’re returning to academia later in life.
So, I asked the community:
“What’s one thing you wish someone had told you before your first conference presentation?”
I got the following response and it really struck a chord with me.
A fellow mature learner said:
“I wish someone had told me to go prepared, but be myself as I can — not to think I am an expert already. When I started, I used to overprepare and in doing so, I made a lot of mistakes. Also, the thought of me speaking all the big academic and research words that some I can’t even pronounce was really sickening. I had to learn to break down the words and interpret them in a way I can speak them in an academic environment and still have contextual sense. I wish someone had told me that in that room, I am not the only one with imposter syndrome, stage fright or who thinks they don’t know what they will say. I just like how growth follows due process!”
I couldn’t agree more.
That reflection captures what so many of us experience but rarely voice; the tension between wanting to sound “academic enough” and wanting to sound like ourselves.
That exchange inspired me to expand the conversation into this blog post. Because the truth is, learning to present and learning to attend conferences meaningfully is not just a PhD skill. It’s a process of growth, belonging, and self-understanding.
My Own Journey: From Overpreparation to Connection
When I first returned to academia, the thought of presenting at a conference terrified me.
Present my research? In front of an audience? What do I know? How do I answer the questions? The fear was real.
To ease my fear, I joined several training sessions, both at my university and through the Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA). They helped me understand structure, engagement, and delivery, and little by little, my confidence grew.
But still, I made one classic mistake in my first-ever presentation: I overprepared.
I rehearsed every word, timed every slide, and left no room to breathe. When I finally stood before the audience, you would think it was going to be a breeze! No! My nerves took over. My voice trembled, and the lines I’d memorised vanished. To date, I still wonder how I managed to receive applause at the end of it.
But that day taught me something vital, and that is, the goal isn’t perfection. It’s clarity, connection, and conversation.
The Q&A is, in fact, not an exam; it’s a dialogue. And the audience, even the most intimidating ones, are usually just as curious and often just as nervous as you are. Many are quietly rehearsing their own presentations in their heads while listening to yours, hoping they’ll remember their key points when it’s their turn.
Since then, I’ve learned to focus less on performing and more on sharing. Now, I speak with authenticity, not rehearsed precision, and I try to use language that feels natural and easily understandable to non-specialist audience. That shift changed everything.
Now, after attending quite a number of conferences, especially during the first two years of my study, I can say that each one has shaped not only my research but also my perspective, bringing new knowledge, new networks, and new courage.
Why Academic Conferences Matter
Conferences are more than professional obligations. They’re spaces of growth.
But when you’re a mature learner juggling research, family, and work, the idea of attending conferences can feel like an added burden with time away from home, travel costs, registration fees, socialising outside your comfort zone.
But here’s why it’s worth it:
Academic conferences are one of the key engines of intellectual progress. They’re where ideas get their first real stress test. From a scholarly perspective, there are several reasons they matter deeply. I have put together ten of these for you:
1. Research validation and visibility
Presenting at a recognised conference validates your research as a contribution to the wider field. It’s one of the earliest ways doctoral researchers begin to enter the academic discourse community. It builds a public record of engagement and contribution that bolsters academic reputation.
2. Peer feedback in real time
Journals take a while and are usually formal; conferences are immediate and conversational. Presenting work to a live audience of specialists exposes gaps, reveals assumptions, and often produces sharper insights than months of solitary editing.
3. Knowledge circulation and synthesis
Conferences function as the bloodstream of academic communication. They move ideas quickly between labs, institutions, and disciplines. Scholarly identity formation Conferences are where scholars practice “being” academics, engaging with the language, norms, and expectations of their discipline.
4. Field definition and agenda-setting
The topics that dominate a conference often signal what a field considers important. Keynotes and symposia shape what counts as “the next big question.”
5. Enhancing communication skills
Delivering research clearly and engagingly to an audience helps scholars refine their academic voice. The process of presenting complex ideas concisely builds confidence, improves public speaking, and strengthens the ability to adapt messages to diverse audiences.
6. Professional formation and community
Conferences create social and professional infrastructure, mentorships, collaborations, and sometimes entire research teams. For early-career scholars, this visibility and connection-building can be crucial for career progression.
7. Tacit knowledge transfer
Not all knowledge fits neatly into a paper. Methods, intuitions, failures, and unpublishable results are often discussed informally in hallways, over coffee, or during poster sessions. This “invisible college” layer of communication sustains the craft of research itself.
8. Staying current in the field
Attending conferences exposes researchers to emerging trends, new methodologies, and evolving theoretical debates. It allows participants to benchmark their work against current scholarship and identify gaps for further exploration.
9. Contributing to the knowledge economy
Presenting research contributes to the collective knowledge-building process of academia, a key part of doctoral education.
10. Scholarly identity formation
Conferences are where scholars practice “being” academics, engaging with the language, norms, and expectations of their discipline.
For mature learners, conferences are crucial because they help rebuild academic identity. Many of us step into doctoral study after careers in other sectors, raising families, or managing long absences from formal education. Conferences become the bridge between experience and academia, between what we know and how we now need to communicate it.
Practical Tips for Navigating Conferences as a Mature Learner
If you’re just starting, here are a few lessons that helped me along the way:
✅ Start local or online. Many conferences now offer hybrid options, saving costs and time.
✅ Apply for bursaries. Universities and academic bodies often have funding schemes for doctoral researchers.
✅ Plan care and responsibilities early. Tell your family or workplace in advance and make arrangements where possible.
✅ Be selective. Choose events that truly add value and where you can present, learn, and connect meaningfully.
✅ Engage meaningfully. Listen, ask questions, and follow up. Networking doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Rather, it can be as simple as saying, “I really enjoyed your paper; can we connect?”
✅ Let go of perfection. Speak clearly, not complexly. People remember your passion more than your jargon.
Growth Follows Process
That last line from the commenter, “I just like how growth follows due process” , teaches something impactful.
Because that’s exactly what this journey is: a process.
You grow into your confidence one presentation at a time. You find your rhythm one conference at a time. And you realise that showing up, imperfectly, authentically, bravely, is already success.
So to anyone preparing for their first (or next) academic conference:
Prepare, but don’t overprepare.
Plan, but stay flexible.
Speak, but also listen.
And above all, show up as yourself.
Because your voice matters, your story matters, and your research has a place in the conversation.
Always rooting for you.
Your mature PhD supporter,
Adeola Eze
P.S. If you’re navigating your own academic journey as a mature learner, balancing research, responsibilities, and real life, I’d love to invite you to join our growing community. You can connect with other mature and non-traditional PhD researchers on LinkedIn at PhD for Mature Learners or join our Signal group for more informal chats, encouragement, and shared experiences.
Just because the journey feels lighter and richer when we walk it together.
