As an employee in a company or organization, there will be instances when you will be tasked to attend a seminar, training, conference, etc. Usually those conventions are closely related to what the company organization does on a daily or how the company or organization can improve on other aspects. These conventions are important since new information, techniques, or strategies will be taught and discussed helping the company grow even more. Sometimes, it can also be required by the law that a representative of a company is sent to attend conventions.
With that in mind, if you are the chosen representative of the company to attend these conventions, you will have to report back to the company regarding what has been discussed during the formal forums. Doing so will inform executives in the company or even the other employees about new information and other topics that was discussed in the convention.
What Is a Conference Report?
By definition, a conference is “a meeting of two or more persons for discussing matters of common concern, a usually formal interchange of views, or a meeting of members of the two branches of a legislature to adjust differences.” With this, a conference is usually a gathering attended by a group of people with relative similarities in profession, culture, industry, etc., to discuss specific topics in order to disseminate information, discuss new information, settle conflicts, and so on.
In this case, a conference report is a document made by an attendee of the conference intended to spread the learned information from said conference to colleagues or executive officers. It puts into writing what the entire conference is about, what has been discussed, who were the key speakers, how the new information can be applied to the company or organization, and others. The main purpose of a conference report is to give the people who were not present during the conference a comprehensive idea on what has transpired during such event.
Basically, the conference report summarizes the entirety of the conference. It explains the main idea of what the speaker has discussed and basically all the other activities that occurred on the said conference. It is usually required to submit a conference report almost immediately after the attendee reports back to work in order to preserve the information he/she was able to learn. In addition to that, it is also distributed to other employees especially when there is a need for immediate action to what has been discussed in the conference.
To sum it up, a conference report is basically a feedback report an attendee makes in order to inform others of what important information was taught and discussed during the conference. It keeps the others updated and informed especially if it is somehow concerned with some of the company’s employed processes and procedures.
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Things to Consider When Writing Conference Report
When making a conference report you need to remember what was discussed and what you have learned through it. You need to be able to present relevant and significant information regarding the conference so that it will be easier for your reader/s to understand. Remember that providing context will help them relate and comprehend what is written in your report. With that, here are some things you should consider when writing a conference report:
- What organization/committee/section conducted or was in charge of the conference?
- What was the theme employed in the conference?
- How many were the attendees of the conference?
- Where was it held? Specify the city not the venue itself.
- Was the conference opened by anyone special? For example, a government minister, organization president, a life member of the section, etc. Who was it?
- Who were the main speakers for the conference? Make sure that you use correct spelling of names; if unsure, check with the speaker himself/herself. What positions did the key speakers hold? What sector are they from i.e. hospital, university, research institute, polytechnic? What were the topics focused on in their papers/speeches?
- If the papers/speeches of the key speakers had major importance, highlight it in your conference report.
- Available photos from the conference should be attached in the report.
- It is important to include report writers name and contact phone numbers, email address or fax numbers so he/se can be contacted efficiently should there be any queries.
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How to Write a Conference Report
With complexity of the topics as well as the number of discussions during a conference making a conference report can be a tedious task . However, it can be made easier if you have patiently jotted down important notes and made conscious lists of important details you can include while still being in the conference. In this part of the article, a simple guide to writing a conference report is written below:
1. Take into account all the speakers
The speakers, from where they belong and the positions they hold will give more emphasis on the significance and accuracy of the discussion during the conference. Therefore, it is important that you start your report by presenting the identities of these speakers along with some of the wise words they have shared. Including the names of the speakers on your report will help recognize the authority they hold in discussing their topics.
2. Include the main objective of the conference
The conference is conducted to achieve a certain goal or objective. With this in mind, include the main and original goal or the objective. This will give the reader/s an idea why there was a need to conduct the conference in the first place. In addition, you can use these goals or objective as a guide on how it has influenced or how it can influence your company or organization. For an instance, you have attended the conference with the goal of acquiring new information that can help you company grow, use the main objective of the conference as your guide to know if you will be able to achieve what you came in for.
3. Write down the highlight/s
With the various discussions during the conference, you could have speakers you remember most because of the way they speak, what they said, how they made you feel, etc. In this case, take note of the highlights of each discussions of every speaker. Take note of the important points that they make especially if you know that it can be applied and used positively for your company or organization. If you are attending a conference to learn something new about the trends, what the speakers share will most likely help you achieve your goal. Therefore, it is important that you list those important and useful information.
4. Include the lessons you have learned
The information that has been shared, taught, and discussed during the conference may be just a review or new to you. In actuality, a conference is conducted with the aim of teaching attendees something. With this is mind, you can include the lessons you have learned in the conference, be it new information that you think will highly affect the growth of your company, or a refresher or clarifications of old information you may have known and used. Although this is based on a personal account, this may also teach colleagues or even the executive management something about a certain topic.
5. Include personal notes and expectations
Providing personal notes and expectations for the event will help the reader/s understand how the conference was in overall perspective. Writing what was good during the conference will let the reader/s know of the situation during said conference and including the things to improve on will let them know you were really paying attention. This may also be used as a basis if the company may send another representative if the same organizer conducts another conference. You can even send a copy of the report to the organizer to let them know what you learned and what your opinions are with regards to the conference as a whole; it basically serves as a feedback.
6. Complete the report within 2–3 days
Completing the report within 2–3 days ensures that all the information you have included in the report are all accurate and fresh. Although the report writing process may be tedious, it is completely acceptable to complete within 2–3 days especially if you have actively taken notes and actually listened to the discussions. Writing the report any later than that decreases the accuracy of some of the information and at the same time decreases the significance of the conference.
7. Proofread and edit
Just like any writing requirement, it is important to proofread your output. It is important to publish the report without any mistakes not only with the spellings, grammar, etc., but most especially with the facts and information that you include in the report. If there are areas where you feel like you need clarifications, keeping in touch with the speaker or asking the speaker after his/her talk will surely help. Submitting a polished conference report will help you convey the information smoothly and you can be sure that your reader/s will easily understand it.
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Conclusion
A conference report is a useful document in informing non-attendees of what transpired during the event. It helps you inform them in a more comprehensive manner. Since it includes basically all of the important and relevant information, the company may use it to improve management of the company.
In addition, although there is no set standard format when writing a conference report, some companies or organizations may require you to follow a certain format. It is always better to ask your immediate head with regards to this matter. We hope you learned valuable information about conference reports and how to write it though this article.
