tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post493578508268342467..comments2023-12-21T06:35:36.624-05:00Comments on Recursivity: Giving a Bad Talk at a Scientific ConferenceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-64891583894367241172009-10-07T13:06:19.694-04:002009-10-07T13:06:19.694-04:00I daydream of centering a sniper scope reticule on...I daydream of centering a sniper scope reticule on the forehead of the guy whose presentation devolves to long quotes or statements on his slides, and who then reads them verbatim.gingerbakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-67974180736768078762009-09-19T08:54:10.259-04:002009-09-19T08:54:10.259-04:00Here are some more ways of giving a bad talk that ...Here are some more ways of giving a bad talk that I've experienced at conferences:<br /><br />1. Cram your every slide with sentences and equations, or 37x20 tables of numbers with 5 decimal places. Speed-talk through these slides.<br /><br />2. Don't even bother preparing slides. Just open your paper (in MSWord or Acrobat) and start reading in a slow, dreary voice. Make sure to linger on those high-quality figures you created in Microsoft Paint.<br /><br />3. Be angry, very, very angry, with someone else in your field, and make your audience think that your life's work is to outdo them and make their research obsolete.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-58471843965912637492009-09-18T13:29:32.173-04:002009-09-18T13:29:32.173-04:00Our professor took his class to York University, T...Our professor took his class to York University, Toronto, for a short symposium. Gosh! We met all those famous scientists--what a treat. Some were excellent speakers. My favorite was the guy who rocked back and forth as he spoke, so that our professor rocked in phase, making the motions of reeling in a big fish. The guy whose co-author prepared the slides, while he prepared the verbiage (which had nothing to do with the slides) was pretty interesting. The last speaker managed to elicit barnyard noises from the audience.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07891989201161664914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-27797591739001603652009-09-18T12:39:01.440-04:002009-09-18T12:39:01.440-04:00Wow, some of these sound truly memorable.
I'v...Wow, some of these sound truly memorable.<br /><br />I've seen the sighing thing before, and it seemed borne from lack of self-confidence. Like, "I know you guys are bored, I'm sorry, this really should've been better", even though we were all perfectly engaged. I agree that it's an awful way to give a talk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-64720622325403933862009-09-18T11:18:18.576-04:002009-09-18T11:18:18.576-04:00Call and response? How did that work? (asked not...Call and response? How did that work? (asked not rhetorically)<br /><br />Is Cab Calloway - The Hi De Ho Man exempt?D. Swartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-26588612562546146452009-09-18T10:32:33.271-04:002009-09-18T10:32:33.271-04:00Put a transparency on the overhead projector. Walk...Put a transparency on the overhead projector. Walk around in front of the projector to your favourite spot, momentarily blocking the projection in the process. Repeat for each transparency. At some point in the talk, drop all of your transparencies on the floor.CrystalCowboynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-11884830817843868592009-09-18T10:13:00.970-04:002009-09-18T10:13:00.970-04:00Well, I can recognize some of these...
I hope you ...Well, I can recognize some of these...<br />I hope you enjoyed the conference anyway!fudohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09004773966721427129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-65814195636726618422009-09-17T23:23:35.376-04:002009-09-17T23:23:35.376-04:00Okay, are we (did we) have a bad day....Okay, are we (did we) have a bad day....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-64546987686991424712009-09-17T15:57:14.857-04:002009-09-17T15:57:14.857-04:00I've been witness to the half hour long, "...I've been witness to the half hour long, "These are all the people who've failed to grasp my genius, and this is why they suck" version of the talk.<br /><br />Of course, Michael Jordan's hall of fame acceptance speech was a variation of this, so it's apparently not just scientists.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00652663811482390681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-61965049250351427882009-09-17T14:41:30.496-04:002009-09-17T14:41:30.496-04:00There's a great sub-genre of awful conference ...There's a great sub-genre of awful conference talks -- talks given by highly respected, yet rather senile experts. Their awfulness derives directly from the enabling of the audience. I once saw such a speaker go a half hour over his 20-minute time slot, much of it spent staring at the blackboard trying to arrange his thoughts. We gave him a standing ovation anyway!Jeffohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06989946392105339862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20067416.post-88575883096604524722009-09-17T14:10:46.184-04:002009-09-17T14:10:46.184-04:00Oh Boy!
If I'm right in assuming these tips co...Oh Boy!<br />If I'm right in assuming these tips come from experience, then you have my deepest sympathy. Some of those examples must have been truly painful experiences.Michael J. Swarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05408240220683534698noreply@blogger.com