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

2. 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.

3. 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.

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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!

8. 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

9. 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!

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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…

15. 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!