tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817425618078186784.post7592205094575567739..comments2023-07-28T03:04:08.277-05:00Comments on The Singular Scientist: How (not) to ask questions at seminars, etc...DrDoyennehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01923421604660796579noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817425618078186784.post-76764649342001028082009-03-22T17:50:00.000-05:002009-03-22T17:50:00.000-05:00Anon. Welcome to the blog!I think that you should ...Anon. <BR/><BR/>Welcome to the blog!<BR/><BR/>I think that you should use gestures as they reflect your natural personality and enthusiasm--most definitely. <BR/><BR/>If you try to fake it, people know immediately.DrDoyennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01923421604660796579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817425618078186784.post-30992807087897952972009-03-21T11:22:00.000-05:002009-03-21T11:22:00.000-05:00As an aquatic ecologist and I'm so excited to have...As an aquatic ecologist and I'm so excited to have found this blog! My two cents on giving talks. I do use my hands a lot when giving a talk - not too much roaming but I gesture. The truth is that's me - that's how I talk in my everyday life and I think it usually conveys my excitement about the work. I've gotten lots of praise for my conference/interview/seminar talks so I don't think it has counted negatively against me. I think one key for women may be to show people that you're enthusiastic and excited about your work (within the context of a well organized seminar delivered at a reasonable volume and pace), too formal or stiff makes you look nervous too. This may be especially the case in field sciences where there is a degree of greater informality in the conferences than (from what i can tell) in biomedical settings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817425618078186784.post-34540407012658057282009-03-15T21:07:00.000-05:002009-03-15T21:07:00.000-05:00Re laser pointer, the best advice I ever heard was...Re laser pointer, the best advice I ever heard was that if your hands are shaky, use both hands to hold the laser pointer rather than one. Two benefits: the shaking cancels out and your dot is steady; because it takes two hands you remember to turn the damn thing off and not keep circling it aimlessly around....Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hydehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07005652406299754952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817425618078186784.post-35858230188017608652009-03-14T12:29:00.000-05:002009-03-14T12:29:00.000-05:00DrWetland: I've never seen that done before--walki...DrWetland: I've never seen that done before--walking past where a questioner is sitting to avoid further questions. Doesn't sound like a good idea, especially if you lose control of the audience.<BR/><BR/>I have seen speakers walk toward a questioner (I do this myself--mainly because I usually can't hear them well otherwise). Maybe some people might interpret this as an effort at intimidation--hovering over a questioner??<BR/><BR/>As I said in the previous post, women should strive to have a commanding presence without resorting to contrived strategies. I think this means that each person needs to "perform" in a way that reflects their personality and natural abilities (without the nervous tics), i.e., what works for me may not work for you. <BR/><BR/>The audience will pick up on any phony attempts to manipulate them and turn off (or worse, may heckle).DrDoyennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01923421604660796579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817425618078186784.post-52259007444630135422009-03-14T11:59:00.000-05:002009-03-14T11:59:00.000-05:00DrJ&MrsH,Yes, I think the goal to shoot for is...DrJ&MrsH,<BR/><BR/>Yes, I think the goal to shoot for is to have such a commanding presence (and message) that you do not have to resort to exaggerated physical movements to project confidence and/or your superiority when speaking to audiences.<BR/><BR/>I typically try to stand out in front of the podium (closer to the audience with no barriers between us), but do not move around much because it's distracting to the audience and I have enough trouble juggling the remote control and laser pointer and remembering what I need to say... <BR/><BR/>I do use some hand/arm movements, but not excessively and only to emphasize important points. There's a fine balance in this...yes, definitely takes practice. But as a mentor once told me, "It's not practice makes perfect. It's perfect practice that makes perfect."<BR/><BR/>Speaking of rocking, I saw a presentation recently during which the speaker (female) paced forward two steps and backward two steps throughout the entire talk. I had to stop watching because I was getting seasick... <BR/><BR/>Another nervous giveaway is shaky hands, a motion that becomes obvious to the audience whenever you use a laser pointer. This can be extremely distracting, with the audience often wondering whether you are suffering from some terminal nerve illness instead of listening to your message. People who suffer from this should not use pointers--there are other options. <BR/><BR/>Interestingly, men seem to suffer shaky hands more than women (at least that's my observation). They also tend to use "self-comforting" gestures such as jingling change in their pockets.<BR/><BR/>One trick I've learned is to always keep my body (and especially my hands) warm before I get up to speak. Feeling chilly temperature-wise enhances nervousness, and since most conference rooms are so cold you could store beef in them, it's a good idea to always have a sweater with you (you can take it off just before you get up to speak). I keep my hands tucked in pockets or under my legs until time to speak.<BR/><BR/>Eliminating all these nervous tics makes you look at ease, and if you seem to be at ease, so will your audience. I think people who are good at controlling their body language are especially successful speakers.DrDoyennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01923421604660796579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817425618078186784.post-76665287805256321962009-03-14T11:42:00.000-05:002009-03-14T11:42:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Dr Wetlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02504988491981628903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817425618078186784.post-74111460342538826272009-03-14T11:30:00.000-05:002009-03-14T11:30:00.000-05:00I'm looking for pointers on how a woman fills the ...I'm looking for pointers on how a woman fills the speaker space without waving hands and pacing back and forth in front of the room (as men do). I engage the audience by asking questions of the audience during my talk. I never stand behind the podium but I don't wave my hands around or pace when I am giving presentations. I find these behaviors in speakers to be distracting when I am in the audience. <BR/>There a a number of things that men do to put others (especially women) in their place during seminars. I recently asked a question at a seminar that challenged the speaker. After my question, he walked to the middle of room just behind where I was sitting, clearly as a way to be certain that I couldn't ask any more questions. (He wouldn't have seen my hand up if I attempted to ask another question because he was standing beside me). <BR/>Women could use this technique to avoid subsequent questions from members of the audience, so I was fascinated that the speaker had used this approach on me! At the same time, the people in the front of the room lost contact with the speaker and began to talk. So, as a speaking technique to avoid unpleasant members of the audience, standing next to the unwanted questioner would only work if the unwanted questioner were toward the front of the room.<BR/>Has anyone else experienced such behavior in speakers. Also, do you have any good speaking tactics to share?Dr Wetlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02504988491981628903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817425618078186784.post-4959959569157754302009-03-13T23:28:00.000-05:002009-03-13T23:28:00.000-05:00The comparison to fiddler crabs is a riot. Though ...The comparison to fiddler crabs is a riot. Though I think there's a distinction between huddling behind the podium <I>looking</I> nervous versus just standing there, looking relaxed. I've seen many a high-ranking male PI give a fantastic seminar without trotting around, but just looking at ease regardless of where they stand.<BR/><BR/>That's the killer, I think. I have to stop myself from rocking back and forth, so I'm sure I look a bit tense ("Don't rock, don't rock, don't rock....")<BR/><BR/>Really the only thing that helps is practice, in front of real audiences. And in the end I think some women don't seek out those opportunities (or aren't given them) as readily as men. That just compounds the problem that we don't tend to just fake it with bravado the way men do. Urgh.<BR/><BR/>Sadly, the reason I know that our competition is real is that we had a colleague alert us that he had just reviewed a manuscript similar to ours. Probably unethical (didn't feel like getting into that en blog) but the threat in this case, at least, is real. Unless they get rejected, which you can bet we're hoping on :)Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hydehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07005652406299754952noreply@blogger.com