Mindset tips for presenting your work
Presenting science requires a different mindset than doing science.
Doing good scientific work does not prepare you for presenting your work. It might even hinder you. And invisible research is almost like research never done.
If you have never presented at a conference, it's natural to feel anxious. You know your work's limitations, and might expect that people will ask mean questions. While it's important not to oversell, notice that this information is asymmetric.
Most people (read: 99.99%) have neither the time nor the expertise to get all the details—and that is often unnecessary. So most conversations will be high-level. Remember this when you design your slides and posters.
There will be people who are actually looking for you1. They are there because they are interested and want to better understand what you did.
You might still be wondering: how do I reconcile scientific integrity and "selling" my work? Talking prominently about the limitations surely invites attacks, right?
I have a thought experiment for you: what would you think of a friend who is transparent about their work's limitations? If you are like me, you'd admire them, as this takes a lot of courage. Then, you might try doing the same—I promise you'll have at least one person who will tip his hat for you.
Conference planning tools like scholar-inbox.com make this super easy