DrLego's Ontological Limbo., University of Warwick

October 08, 2007

The Art of the Seminar…

Right. From first principles, I should be writing important things rather than this but never mind.

I'm genuinely worried. Having always found seminars daunting as a 'student' and fairly imposing as a tutor, the thought of a faculty seminar fills me with fear.

Pros:

I am supposed to be an expert in my field.
The audience should be informed and there voluntarily.
It should focus my thoughts and research output.
It invites critique before submission and the dreaded viva.

Cons:

I am supposed to be an expert in my field.
The audience should be informed and there voluntarily.
The (presenter/participant) power balance isn't integral by merit of my presenting - faculty are likely to 'flex their academic muscle' regardless of interest/necessity. This is intimidating.
I need a title NOW, whereas the seminar isn't until December...

Maybe if the whole 30-40 minutes is presented in the style of Officer Crabtree (Allo Allo) it will emphasize all the important bits with the characters propensity to use very very odd vowel sounds: One can only hope...