About the time that I became an associate professor, I was asked to give a research talk at a pretty good school with a renowned faculty.
I recall being incredibly nervous. I had not given a one-hour presentation to an academic audience in more than seven years - since I was on the job market.
I went, visited the school, enjoyed meeting everyone, made some mistakes (poor management of nerves), & left with good feedback on my work.
Where job market presentations were stressful bc of what was at stake, I was pleased to learn that giving academic talks was fun, but there was still much at stake - my ego & my reputation.
Since then, I have given invited talks in person and online, in several countries, and at different schools.
While I am still nervous before each talk, I’ve developed a series of steps that help me prepare, cope with uncertainty, manage my nerves, & deliver a fun presentation.
What steps do I take?
First, I treat every visit as if it were a job talk.
That means I take time to review the website for the school, the faculty, & the place that I will visit.
When I receive a schedule for the day, I take a little time to look people up and see what they are working on now.
I take this seriously bc it helps me feel more comfortable with the people and understand my audience.
Second, I offer my host a couple of options for a presentation.
Some of the uncertainty with giving a talk is knowing whether a school will be interested in your work.
I gave a talk at a top school where the fit between my paper & their Interests didn’t exist.
It was greeted with polite silence.
Since then, I usually offer a couple of abstracts & ask what would they find interesting?
I hear less polite silence.
Third, I rest before the trip.
It may sound strange - I used to stay up late the days before working or getting ready for the talk - I’m not a great scheduler of my time.
If I am rested, I find the trip a lot less stressful & I second guess myself less.
Fourth, I practice & focus.
I try to finish the slide deck days before the talk. I then rehearse & fine-tune it several times. I even do it in front of a mirror.
I keep refining until I’m sure the narrative is comfortable for me.
On the day of the talk, I only think about that paper. When I wake up in the morning & work on some other project, the talk usually doesn’t go well. If my head is clear and mind focused, the talk goes smoothly.
Finally, while I prepare as if it is a #jobtalk, I remind myself that visiting a campus & presenting my research is as much about having fun and sharing my ideas, as it is about providing the perfect #presentation.
I go into the talk with a positive attitude, a willingness to take feedback, & knowing that some questions’ll stump me.
Knowing that saying ‘I don’t know’ is ok makes the experience a lot more fun.
I hope this helps - people going on the #jobmarket & people sharing their work.
Best of luck.
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