Wednesday, February 10, 2010
How to do your paper ...
My friend Liz Gloyn from Rutgers has written a piece on presenting a paper at a conference. It's well worth reading, even if you're not a graduate student (the intended audience). I particularly like the emphasis on the conference paper as a performance. This is something that gets forgotten about by many, but something I try to remember; these days I think of the papers I give as first and foremost entertainments.
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These go around. My friend Danuta Shanzer when at Cornell (now at Illinois) posted one for her graduate students when they went to a first conference; this was an inspiration to myself and Farah Mendlesohn, who published one at SF Review, although it can now be found here.
I disagree with the 'not reading aloud' advice, EJ. Reading aloud several times helps to make sure you have it timed right, and also that you feel comfortable enough with what you've written that you *can* connect better with the audience, because you are looking at *them* and not simply reading. Done well, it's akin to practicing a soliloquy, and allows for getting a feel for where to emphasize the guideposts embedded in the talk. It also helps the person giving the paper to hear where sentences might be difficult or unclear.
I think it's interesting having the different approaches - I also don't have a problem with reading the paper alound, though these days I tend not to do it that often.
Thanks, Edward.
At the end of the day we need to add something of ourself, and my worry (fear) is that I just don't connect deep enough.
See my 52:52? I sometimes think absorption will educate me.
Any tips for the breakthrough?
ahoj
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