By Robert Harry, NACAC member and associate director of college counseling at Kent School (CT)

Aug. 26, 2026 – As I sat down at my computer after returning from lunch, I saw the email: accepted! And that's when the realization hit me: now I need to create and present an education session at the NACAC conference.

If you're reading this, you're likely in the same situation. Congratulations! You have your topic but now comes the hard part: distilling your idea into an actionable, impactful presentation for our peers to use in their own practice.

Earlier this year, I shared tips on how to create a strong education session proposal. Now, based on my experience presenting at NACAC Conference 2025, here are tips for you as you create your presentation.

  • Tip #1: Use your foundational questions as a guide to distill your topic into manageable chunks of content.
  • Tip #2: Share the workload by dividing the slides between all team members.
  • Tip #3: Find an opportunity to present in front of colleagues prior to conference and be open to feedback.
  • Tip #4: At the conference, check out your room, think about the space, and take time to center yourself before you begin. 
  • Tip #5: Don't forget to celebrate with your team and revel in the joy of contributing to the conversation — you did it! 

While it can be difficult to cut and reshape ideas, what my co-presenters and I ultimately found to be helpful was to focus on our foundational questions, which guided us throughout the presentation. We knew we had to center our session around contextual-based evidence as well as practical guidance for our peers to take back to their respective offices. Once we had the foundation set, we divided up the sections and began to fill in the content with our research, personal experiences, and dialogue with campus partners.

For my co-presenters and I, our trial run was at our regional ACAC conference, which was a fantastic way to experiment with our structure, framework, and most importantly, an opportunity to receive feedback. As is often the case, the questions our audience raised in response to our slides informed us of areas to tweak and areas that needed more support. We also trimmed slides that weren't as impactful.

In our editing process, we were intentional about looking inward and outward. What I mean by that is we had to balance the needs of our own institutions with the needs of NACAC attendees. We could talk about our institutions all day long, but we had to be sure our material could help the broader NACAC audience better understand the challenges of our profession and leave with practical tips and takeaways, too.

As we readied ourselves for the big presentation, we found it critical to meet beforehand, check the technology, and get comfortable with the layout of the room. The physical space was just as important as the content of our slides, so we allowed ourselves a few minutes to take in the view and find a sense of calm.

Lastly, the moments immediately following your presentation might seem like an afterthought, but don't forget to celebrate! We recognized our individual and collective efforts, embraced our new-found professional friendships, and took in the laudatory comments from our peers. After all, presenting at a conference and elevating the discourse of our profession is a monumental feat!

I look forward to attending many powerful sessions at NACAC Conference 2026 in Minneapolis!