How to Lead an Effective Roundtable Discussion 2010 HGSE Student Research Conference

CFP Description Roundtable sessions are designed to allow extensive discussion and feedback for the presenter in a more informal context than panel presentations. This format is especially suited to students who wish to discuss aspects of developing research projects, including their research questions, methodology, sampling, and initial protocols. Roundtables are generally moderated by HGSE faculty members and involve discussion among the presenters and participants around the topic of the roundtable. Authors are encouraged to bring handouts that highlight key points for discussion.

CFP Description Roundtable sessions are designed to allow extensive discussion and feedback for the presenter in a more informal context than panel presentations. This format is especially suited to students who wish to discuss aspects of developing research projects, including their research questions, methodology, sampling, and initial protocols. Roundtables are generally moderated by HGSE faculty members and involve discussion among the presenters and participants around the topic of the roundtable. Authors are encouraged to bring handouts that highlight key points for discussion.

Roundtables at a Glance Informal Work in preparation Emphasis on discussion Audience plays active role

Roundtables vs. Panel Presentations 1 hr 20 min 12-15 min per speaker Presenters share their work with audience Discussant summarizes & fields questions Roundtable Discussion 1 hr 20 min 5-10 min per speaker Presenters provide fodder for discussion Discussant moderates discussion

Effective (and not so effective) roundtables Qualities of effective roundtables: Time managed carefully – plenty of time for discussion Each speaker communicates clear message & solicits specific feedback Discussant moderates discussion that touches on all speakers’ work Qualities of less effective roundtables: Not enough time for discussion Speakers aren’t clear about what feedback they want from audience Discussion focuses on 1 speaker, leaves others out

Group Preparation Meet with fellow participants in advance to discuss the common threads that run through each person’s work Consult w/ fellow participants, including discussant (if possible), about structure & flow of conversation Think about how to arrange the room to support conversation Provide discussant w/ all of your materials well in advance Do as much prep work for your discussant as possible!

Preparing What to Say Structure the talk Emphasize what you found, not what you did Who cares, besides your mother? Keep it brief (TIME YOURSELF) – make 2-3 points max Conclude w/ specific questions for audience Develop a one-page handout

Actual Presentation Make eye contact, take a deep breath and count to three Speak loudly and clearly and slowly Listen and connect Prepare, but improvise Most of all, be yourself!

Suggested Sequence for Presentation 1. Introduction 2. Preview sentence (Tell them what you’re going to tell them) 3. Main ideas and sub-ideas (Tell them) 4. Review sentence (Tell them what you told them) 5. Conclusion – pose questions, ask for specific feedback

Presentation Outline The central question/issue/problem you examined Your findings Your conclusions based on these findings Implications for policy, practice and research Questions for audience members

For a work in progress, you might include Initial findings Challenges or interesting issues encountered (process is interesting to fellow students) Next steps Anticipated results How you hope your work will inform others Request for specific feedback from audience

Practical Preparations Make sure you practice in front of a mirror Time yourself, time yourself, time yourself Check your equipment before your presentation Make sure you have handouts, Powerpoint, and everything else well organized and at your fingertips Make sure you have a good timekeeper

Let’s start preparing! The primary focus of my talk is… The 2-3 points I want to communicate are… I would like to ask the audience for the following feedback… My co-presenters’ topics are… I see the following connections across our work… It might be difficult to make the following connections across our work… I would like our discussant to start the conversation off by… I would like our discussant to moderate the conversation by… I’ll be satisfied if I come away from this experience with… I’ll be disappointed if I come away from this experience with…

Enjoy! You’ll be making many presentations over the course of your career. Make good use of this conference! Use this conference as a safe place to take risks and prepare for the future! Good luck! See you on Friday, March 26!