How to prepare for the paper sessions
The information offered here was partially adapted from the site of the Academy of Management, originally presented in a PDW session, "How to make Academy of Management sessions exciting!", organized by Russell Coff and Jing Zhou, Sunday, August 8, 1999
Many presentations in academic events are unsuccessful in that the audience is not motivated to read the full paper. The following are some ideas for how authors can get the audience engaged and excited about the paper.
Most practices in the “DON’T” column are standard procedure and the suggestions may seem radical. However, the object should be a presentation that covers less but makes a compelling argument that the paper should be read.
These guidelines are not intended to be rigid – some papers contribute through literature reviews or methods, etc. The main point is to sell rather than summarize.
| DESCRIPTION |
DON’T |
DO |
| Purpose of presentation |
Present summaries of all sections of the paper. |
Present enough to tell the audience that the paper is worth a read – tell a good story. |
| Presentation format & timing |
Save the punch line as a sort of surprise ending Plan for 20 minutes in case there is extra time. Use small fonts or too many overheads. Don't focus on theory or methods (unless that is your contribution). |
Consider starting with the conclusion and then explain why you reached it (e.g. methods/results). Provide a 1-page handout summarizing your contribution & key points as a takeaway. Plan for 10 minutes – it is easier to expand on points than it is to cut things out. Use fonts larger than 28 pt & no more than 8 overheads. Do focus on your results |
| Introduction |
Don't focus on why you decided to do the study. Don't be too conceptual |
Do focus on what is interesting and new about what you have learned Do try to start off with a real-world analogy/story |
| Audience Interaction |
Give a monologue describing your research |
Look people in the eye and talk to them (not at them). Identify places for audience input. Ask rhetorical questions at key points and wait for responses. For an empirical paper, ask the audience to vote for alternative explanations of the results. Consider using brief exercises or scenarios that draw on the audience’s personal experiences/knowledge. |
| Theory |
Present a literature review of the area (cites, etc.) Explain every arrow in a complex figure |
State the problem, why it is interesting, and what you will add. Explain what is new in this model over past contributions. |
| Methods |
Describe the sample measures, and validation of instruments |
Provide an overview of why the measures are linked to the theoretical construct. Establish face validity and assure that more rigorous methods were applied. |
| Results |
Present any tables with numbers |
Present what was significant (+ and – signs). Explain what the data tell you – not tests. People will read the paper to get details if the paper seems important. |
| Conclusion |
Review each result and summarize what was significant. |
Answer broadly what we have learned and what needs to be done now. Urge the audience to read the paper for details. |
All rooms programmed for sessions at FGV-EAESP have standard visual equipments: PC, multimedia projector, Internet connection, overhead projector, blackboard, TV and video.
Special needs should be communicate to the organization (Iberoamerican@fgvsp.br) before November 10.
We encourage all participants that decide to use digital media, to bring also conventional transparences as back-ups.
The Role of the Session Chair & Discussant
At IAM Conference the same person will be in charge of coordinating the session and discussing the papers.
The Discussant role
How can discussants integrate the ideas and, at the same time, encourage interaction with the audience?
Chairs are not just timekeepers. How can they organize and facilitate sessions to bring out audience participation?
| In Preparation for the Session |
During the Session |
| DO make sure everyone gets copies of the papers. DO discuss innovations in session structure and time usage with presenters well in advance. At IAM, each session will take 90 minutes, with four papers. Therefore, each presenter will have 15 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions / answers. The session chair / discussant will have 7 to 10 minutes for final remarks by the end of the session. |
DO tell the presenters the “rules” before the session. DO create an informal “first-name” atmosphere in the session to encourage discussion. DO start out with a few words about the subject matter of the session and how each paper will contribute toward exploring that research domain. DO shut down inexperienced or unprepared presenters who do not conform to the prescribed time limits. |
To read more about the discussant role in professional meetings, click here.
At IAM, a large number of papers were assigned to interactive paper sessions.
The interactive papers sessions will take place in round tables with 5 to 10 participants (authors plus audience). The goal is to stimulate informed discussion of the papers.
This format is becoming very popular in international conferences and allows better contact among participants.
The chair of the Interactive Papers Sessions will contact each participant prior to the conference and ask them to exchange papers with each other over email.
The sessions will be organized as follows:
There will be 4 papers presented, so each presenter or team of presenters will have 5-7 minutes to give an overview of their paper.
Each presentation will be followed by questions from the audience.
After all of the papers have been presented and discussed, the Session Chair & Discussant will lead a general discussion of the papers.
We firmly suggest the participants to bring about 10 copies of a one or two pages handout of their papers. We consider that there is no need of visual aids. Special needs should be communicate to both the Session Chair & Discussant and the organization (Iberoamerican@fgvsp.br) before November 10.