When you have important research to share, speaking at a conference is one of the best ways to network, create connections, and make your voice heard—but with so many people competing for attention, sometimes it can feel more like a drop in a bucket. In times like this, you need a secret weapon—something that makes your presentation stand out and ensures that audience members will remember it enough to take action. Check out our conference listings

When thinking about conferences, we most often discuss academic conferences. However, throughout the twentieth century, the conference was an important meeting format for politicians and diplomats as well as academics. Some of the most important historical events of the century involved conference meetings which had a huge impact on national and international policy. One such key conference was the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, which was the first human rights conference since the end of the Cold War and which was instrumental in specifying universal human rights.

Conferences have been a force for development and diplomacy on the international stage throughout the twentieth century. Here are five of the most famous conferences which have shaped our modern world. Download the Conference Monkey Directory - 6 Month Conference List

Attending a conference requires more than just expertise in your field – it also requires soft skills like social skills and communication. You'll want to have something to talk about at a conference other than just your research topic. You can't work all the time! One way to get better at interesting small talk is to broaden your knowledge so that you know a little bit about all sorts of topics, and can carry on a conversation about them, and a great way to do that is to listen to podcasts on diverse topics.

Everyone knows that it's important for the development of your research to attend conferences, and, if you are feeling up to it, to also present your work. Presenting at a conference, scary as it can be, allows other people in your field to comment on your work, often prompting discussion that can help you review your research's weaker parts while crystallising its stronger aspects.

Conferences can range in size from less than fifty attendees to tens of thousands of attendees. But which is better to attend for your career: a larger or a smaller conference? Download the Conference Monkey Directory - 6 Month Conference List

As an academic, in order to promote your own work and to learn about the work being done by others in your field, it's essential that you attend conferences. This is especially true of disciplines like history which can be performed individually rather than as part of a research group. You need contact with other researchers in order to motivate yourself and to understand the broader context of debates currently being held in your field.