12/29/2016

1

1

Talking About Your Research

Effectively!

Joseph Barber, Ph.D.Associate Director – Career Services

barberjo@upenn.edu215-898-7530

Workshop Agenda

• Why talk about your research?

• 90 seconds of your research….

• When you will talk about your research

– And who you might be talking to

• How to talk about your research

– Informal 2 minute discussion

– Job talks at job interviews

• Other resources available to you

2

Why talk about your research?

• It’s what you do!

– Let’s people know about your interests, skills and accomplishments

• It is also part of who you are from a social perspective

– The reasons you chose your field of research may help to explain/define who you are as a person

– The “burning question” that drives you

• It is a critical component of all job applications

– For academic, industry and even non-research positions

– Why?

3

12/29/2016

2

Let’s talk about your research

• Talk about your research for 90 seconds by answering this question: “Tell me about your research”

– Find a partner and take turns

4

Initial thoughts

• As speakers, how did you find this?

5

Initial thoughts

• As speakers, how did you find this?

• As listeners, how was the experience?

– Who thought their partner did a good job, and why?

– What were the types of questions that popped into your head as you were listening?

– What else did you want to know?

6

12/29/2016

3

Did you answer these questions?

• Why is my research important?

• Why is my research relevant?

• Why is my research fundable?

• Why is my research publishable?

7

Let’s answer them now…

• Why is my research important?

– What makes research important?

– What makes it important to you, and to me?

• Why is my research relevant?

– What is “relevant” research?

– How can you make your research relevant to me?

• Why is my research fundable?

– What type of research gets funded? Why?

• Why is my research publishable?

– Why would your research get published as a book

– Why would a journal publish your research?8

9

Academic job searching

• Conferences

– Networking

– Conference interviews

• Phone interviews

• On campus interviews

– Search committees (departmental faculty)

– Faculty from other departments

– Deans

– Students, administrative staff

– Job talks

When will you be asked to talk about your research during the academic job search?

12/29/2016

4

10

When else?

11

When else will you talk about your research

• Potentially during any non-faculty job interview

• To funding body agencies or journal/book editors

• When seated around a table at a social function

• Every time you go home, and even in your sleep

Many of these situations will involve you talking to people who

may not understand (the intricacies of) your research…

…or why on earth you are doing it

12

WHAT you do WHY you do it

WHY you do it WHAT you do it

OR

12/29/2016

5

13

Benefits to talking about your research

• Networking – people will know you, and what you do

– Professional networking is a critical part of academia

• Presents you as a competent and interesting researcher

– People like working with competent and interesting people

• Educates people about what you do

– Talking about your research is not the same as teaching a course on it – but the same general principles apply

– People should come away with more knowledge, and be excited by the subject and by your energy

– They should be able to pass on information about your research

How to talk about your research

• In reply to “tell me about your research”, your answer should be:

– Clear

– Crisp

– Accurate

– Interesting

– Informative

– Confident

– Friendly

– Optimistic

– Articulate

– Succinct14

How to talk about your research

• In reply to “tell me about your research”, your answer should be:

– Clear

– Crisp

– Accurate

– Interesting

– Informative

– Confident

– Friendly

– Optimistic

– Articulate

– Succinct15

12/29/2016

6

16

Words and phrases to avoid:

seekhope

trywish

believeis worthy of study

deserves studymerits study

my research has allowed me

17

Tell me about your research

• The answer to this question is all about your work

– BUT…, the answer must be relevant to the person who asked the question

– The best answer will promote further discussion about the topic from whomever you talk to

• General subjects to address:

– Why you are doing the research

– What you do, and how (unique approaches, methods)

– Why what you do is relevant (to your field/the world/to the job you are applying to)

– Why the person listening should care

18

How to talk about your research

• Specific issues to address when talking about research:

– What is the intriguing puzzle/question that inspires you to do what you do?

– What has been most challenging or unexpected?

– What have you discovered/concluded?

– Why is what you do interesting/important/exciting?

• Your “research story” should have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

– A discrete package of information

– Not a long, convoluted, endless monologue

– Know how to stop talking, errr, umm, confidently

12/29/2016

7

Answer these questions now

• What is the intriguing puzzle/question that lead you to do what you do?

• What has been most challenging or unexpected?

• What have you discovered/concluded?

• Why is what you do interesting/important/exciting?

• Why should the person you are talking to care?

– Pretty tricky to answer without context

19

You’re a scholar – look/act the part

• Eye contact is important. Look everyone in the eye

• Look pleased to be asked about your research

– Let your posture change naturally to reflect this – e.g., no slouching

• Don’t say too much or ramble on

– Tell your complete story, and then offer to elaborate

• Sound interested in your own research

– If you don’t, they certainly won’t be

• Sound like a potential colleague

– Show that you are a scholar/a researcher, not a student

– Be confident in your research accomplishments

20

21

Second attempt

• Find someone new to speak with

• Use the answers to some of the questions we have been considering to “tell me about your research”

• Swap, so that the speaker becomes the listener

12/29/2016

8

Second attempt

• How was your new and improved summary?

• What challenges did you still face?

• As listeners, what general part of the summaries you heard still need more work?

22

The Job Talk

The “job talk”

• A 30-60 minute presentation on your research

– What you have done AND where you will go next

• Given to the search committee…, but also to:

– Other interested members of the faculty

– Students

– And people who might know little about your subject

• A great opportunity to showcase your skills, research, and teaching abilities

– AND to connect your research with faculty and students at the institution – making it relevant

24

12/29/2016

9

Job talks in academic interviews

• Your goal is to answer the “so what?” question about your research, not to give a lecture

– Be succinct and encourage people to ask you questions

• See how others do it; sit in on department interviews

• Think about teaching approaches you can use to get information across in an interesting and lively way

– You’re an expert on your research and need to help people learn about what you do, and care about how/why you do it – BE CONFIDENT

• Conclude by summarizing why your findings & future research are significant to your field and the institution

25

The research talk hour-glass

26

• Start broad/general

• Make your research relevant to those who may not have expertise in your subject area

• Provide some context for your research

• Talk about the “burning question” that drives you

THE BEGINNING

One-paragraph introduction

27

• Presents the topic and sketches the basic plan of the talk

Hum/SS"Thank you for having me. Today I'll be speaking about XX. In the talk, I'll be exploring XX from the perspective of XXX and will be relating it to XXX. I will show that XX is XXX, and ultimately argue that XXX can be understood as XXX.”

STEM“Thank you for having me. Today I’ll be speaking about YY. In my talk, I will explain how I have been answering the question of YYYusing the YYYY techniques. I will show that YYY is essential for understanding the mechanism for YY, and will argue that next steps in this field of research should involve ZZ”

12/29/2016

10

Introduction

28

• Explain your topic clearly for first-time listeners

• Think “undergrad lecture” for (only) this small introductory section

• Basic. Simple. Clear. Just the facts

• No theory, no disputes, no rhetoric

The research talk hour-glass

29

• Focus in on your specific research questions

• Use the general foundation that you started with to explain why your research questions are important

• Mention findings

• Illustrate your findings as much as you can

THE MIDDLE

The research talk hour-glass

30

• End on a broader note

• Talk about some of these topics:• Why your research is important

to the discipline as a whole • How it will make you a better

teacher• How you can foresee

collaborations with other faculty

• You must talk about future research– research you know would be possible at that institution

THE END

12/29/2016

11

31

Finish strong. Assertively. With a clear falling tone in the final words, then a pause, and then a confident gaze with half-smile taking in the whole audience, and a strong and gracious

“Thank You.”

Then another pause for applause, and then: “I’d be happy to take questions”

Short and long-term research goals

• Describe your next research project?

• What are your long-term research goals?

32

Short-term research goals

• Describe your next research project?

– What is the question you want to answer?

– How does this build on your previous research?

– How does this differ from previous research (including advisor’s or PI’s research)?

– How does this make use of new resources available to you at different institutions?

– Why are you excited about taking on this research?

– Who will fund it and why?

33

12/29/2016

12

Long-term research goals

• What are your long-term research goals?

– What do all of your specific research projects have in common – is there a consistent theme?

– How will you be able to involve students in your research, whether through research or teaching?

– What types of collaborations do you hope to pursue?

– What new technologies might help you with your research?

– How will your research cross disciplines?

34

Some final reminders

• Be interested in your own research to get people to ask you about it in more detail

• Never talk for longer than the time allotted

– Leave time for (challenging or adversarial) questions

• Link your research to the place you are interviewing at –help them to imagine you working there

• Talk about future research plans

– People will be more excited by what you plan to do next

– Hiring decisions at academic institutions are likely to be based more on future research than past research

– Is it fundable and publishable?

35

If there is time: one final exercise

• What would be the one key aspect of your current or future research that you would want someone to take away with them after hearing you speak?

– One key point about your current research

or

– One key point about your future research plans

36

12/29/2016

13

37

Some homework for you...

• In your own time, you should prepare a brief (1-2 minute) description of your research that would be comprehensible to:

– Anyone outside of academia who is allergic to long, unnecessarily complicated words (e.g., epistemology)

– A student who's just taken a college introductory course in your field, and who shows interest in pursuing the subject further

– A college major in your field

– A grad student in your field

– A faculty member in a related department

– An authority in your subfield

Resources

• To further practice talking about your research, you can set up a mock interview with a career advisor: 215-898-7530

• Academic Job Searching: visit our website

• Read more about this topic on the Chronicle of Higher Education http://chronicle.com/article/What-to-Do-When-They-Say/46433

• Maximize your contacts and practice speaking with them. Resources for networking include:

– Online networks such as LinkedIn and QuakerNet (Penn Alumni)

– Your professors; current and former graduate students

– Professional association memberships; conferences

www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/careerfields/academicfaculty.php

38