Post on 18-Dec-2015
Panels & Roundtables
Student Research Conference 2013 Workshop
Connie K. Chungconnie@mail.harvard.edu
Agenda
What is the purpose of a panel? Of a roundtable?
What is the best way to prepare?
What should presenters expect about engaging with other participants and with the audience?
What is something I wish I’d known before I did my first panel or roundtable?
Purpose & Format: PanelsPurpose:
To share your research findings with interested audience members, receive feedback and handle questions.
Format:
Present with 2-3 other presenters whose work is on a related topic (usually using powerpoint).
Each person has 10-15 minutes to present work, followed by a Q and A with the audience.
Purpose & Format: Roundtables
Purpose:
To share ongoing work with colleagues and receive feedback.
Format:
Present with 2-5 other presenters whose work is on a related topic. (Usually using handouts)
Each person has 5-10 minutes to present work; then the roundtable members talk together and provide feedback to each other. Often, the presenter poses a question to the group.
Prepare: Structuring the Content of Your Presentations
From Kosslyn, S. (2007). Clear and to the point:
8 Psychological principles for compelling Powerpoint presentations.
Oxford University Press.
What are the goals of your presentation?
1. Connect with your audienceWhat are the goals, interests, and levels of
knowledge of your audience?
2. Direct and hold attention: Be selectiveWhat is important in your presentation?
3. Promote understanding and memoryMake your presentation easy to follow,
digest, and remember.
Select and Simplify
Relevance (What do you say? And how much?)NOT to flood audience with informationAbe LincolnGoldilocks
Appropriate Knowledge (How do you say it?)Language – avoid jargonDisplays – use visualsConcepts – explain key terms and ideas
Use Visuals to Illustrate Points: Photos
A Match on Dry Grass: Community Organizing as a Catalyst for Education Reform Education
8
One LA – IAF
Use Visuals to Show Concepts: Diagrams 9
How Community Organizing Works
Use visuals to illustrate points: Maps
Context of Study
Increasingly isolated microcosms of people living divided along socioeconomic, ethnic, political, and religious lines. (Bishop & Cushing, 2008)
In more diverse communities, people trust their neighbors less, and “the central challenge for modern, diversifying societies is to create a new, broader sense of ‘we’” (Putnam, 2007, p.148).
Census, 2005-9. NYTimes Map, 2010.
Use powerpoint as an aid, not a crutch
Limit the content on a slide:
Each slide ~ 1 minuteHaving a lot of content & speaking fast does not
equal a good presentation
Simplify graphics & info
Limit words
Use readable font
Blah blah
• Blah blah• Blah blah• Blah blah
• Blah blah
Prepare: Introduction, Body & Conclusion
Tips on Introductions
Define the topic & set the stage (frame)Consider emotional stage (graphics)Consider concrete examples
Why should they pay attention to what you say?Tap into what you know about your audienceWhat should they conclude after hearing your
presentation?
Provide a road map
Tips on BodyTell a story
Think outline
Define key terms
Provide concrete, specific evidence
Conclude subpart with a summary (esp in long presentation)
Signal beginning of next subpart
Tips on Conclusion
1. Remind audience of key points
2. Can re-use graphics
3. “Set up a snappy ending”
Possible order of presentation
Context (location, concepts, terms, background)
Research questions
Research methods, including participant demographics
Lit review
Findings (specific data, quotes, etc)
Conclusion
Involve other people in your preparation
Practice and get feedbackAnticipate questions
Encourage your friends and classmates to come
Talk “to” your audience, not “at” them
Have fun!
Other Points
What should presenters expect about engaging with other participants and with the audience?Connect w/ previous presenters’ content, if possible
What is something I wish I’d known before I did my first panel or roundtable? It’s more fun than you think!
Q&A
connie@mail.harvard.edu