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...