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... 

: 08 Oct 2007 13:05 |  Tags: Thoughts |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem