Ian F. C. Smith

Chairing a Seminar

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Disclaimer

This is mostly opinion.

Suggestions are incomplete.

There are other methods.

Why Chair a Seminar?Examples of reasons for chairing a seminar are• You have a visitor who is in your field and you want

to share knowledge• You have a colleague and you want to understand

his/her research• You want to form a foundation for

collaboration/funding• Your group/lab/department needs to know better

who is doing what• Funding people need to learn of results from the

people who they are funding• Your boss isn’t around … 3

Typical conditions

Seminars have particular characteristics. Some of them are• There may be an important external person who is

present• The speaker sometimes goes on too long• Questions may be either scarce or too lengthy• They can be too informal for people from outside

the group• Rather than attending through interest, some

people may feel obliged to attend• There may be many non-native English speakers• People will come and go

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Preparing the seminar (1)

The success of a seminar is often related to what you do (or forget to do) before. Suggestions are• Contact the speaker one month before for a title,

abstract and 6-10 line bio. Ensure abstract contains conclusions. Confirm date, time and place.

• Avoid periods when many people are absent.• Advertise title, abstract and bio on relevant email

lists, include location information.• Ask speaker if he/she wishes to invite people who are

not on your lists.

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Preparing the seminar (2)

• Contact the speaker one week before to confirm timing (20-35 min) Giving more time at this stage often leads to talks of over 60 min.

• Explain to the speaker that many people are not native speakers – they will not be able to follow a longer talk.

• Confirm with speaker who will supply the computer

• Remind people on the day of the seminar, especially those in the field.

• If many people are absent, more effort is needed to encourage people who are left to attend

Preparing the seminar (3)

• Ensure room is available, • Verify that the projector works plus other things

(computer, projection connector, power-plug adaptor, pointer …)

• Air out room if it has been used before the seminar

• Speakers typically speak longer than has been arranged. Decide with speaker regarding timing of warning (5 min before?) and how to signal.

Opening the seminar-1

It is best to be more formal than not enough. The following steps are worth following:• Do final check of equipment and number of chairs.• Welcome people, especially external people.• Introduce yourself in one sentence. • Avoid long introductions of the activities of your

research group unless many people are from the outside

• If you plan to give an introduction of more than a minute or so, inform the speaker and explain why. This avoids the impression that he/she is being used as an alibi to obtain more visibility amongst local organizations.

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Opening the seminar-2

• Introduce speaker emphasizing background, connections with local people, research topics, previous collaboration common associations, etc. Do not assume that “this speaker needs no introduction”

• Confirm with the speaker how long the talk and the question period will be so that the audience can plan. Some, for example, may choose to sit closer to the door for a discreet exit when they need to.

During the seminar

Ensure that lighting is appropriateNoise sources should be avoided (windows, fans, doors) Note timePrepare 1-2 questions to ask in order to get discussion goingIntermediate questions may be allowed. They are not usual in most contexts – but ok, especially for clarificationDo not forget the warning signal If time extension is more that 5 min, ask audience if that is ok and if so, eventually give people a chance to leave.

After applause ask audience if they have any questions. Wait 5 seconds for a response. If no response, you ask one.Questions are three types: clarification, content, generalizationRepeat important (content) questions, especially if questioner is at the front of the roomDo not allow multiple questions.Long discussions between speaker and questioners can take place afterwards – move discussion on.Link back to previous questionsWhen time is up, announce “last-question” to the person you (or the speaker) choose to ask a question.

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Questions

After the seminar

Thank speaker Summarize points that have resonated with the audienceSay what could follow (collaboration, communication links, funding requests, visits, contact with others, etc.)Thank audience for thoughtful questions (if true only!)Advertise next seminar very brieflyGive details of aperitif if there is one – where and for how longFollow up with email thanks to speaker, eventually also to distinguished guestsSend links to relevant papers

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Conclusions

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A good chairing exercise increases the reputation of the research group.People appreciate it when things run smoothly and when they know what to expect.A well run seminar helps avoid the risk of embarrassing incidents such as frustrated speakers, an aggressive audience, technical failures and misunderstandings.Things may go wrong. You will be judged more on how quickly you solve it than the problem itself.