GOGSoc Episode VI: The GoG, the Bad and the Ugly

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What I do—and I'm not necessarily recommending this, just putting it out there in case it's a useful point of comparison—is rehearse by reading, and then don't read at all when delivering. So my eyes will reach the top of a paragraph, and I'll think 'Ah, this is the bit where I say...' and then I'll stop looking at the paper and start looking at the audience, and say what the paragraph says but with natural variation and pauses. Then I look at the next paragraph. I've no idea whether to classify this as reading or performance or something else: I'm not reading it, but I never feel like I'm performing a script, either. This has worked well for me so far but I'm aware that every speaker is different. And of course it requires early completion of the paper—and who knows how long I'll be able to keep that up.

I suppose also the danger of reading varies on how you've written the paper. I know a couple of academics have told me they read straight, but write their papers fairly carefully for oral delivery, and therefore quite differently to how they'd write the same argument in prose. In practice they come across quite well (in my judgement).

Thankyou! This sounds like what I do. I tried something like your approach the first time I presented and found it really stressful. But I think I should try and shift more in that direction.

On the other hand, since your audiences find you 'insane and intense' then maybe not :wink:

Reply 7721

ice_cube

Original post by Kitty Pimms

Your new one sounds great!

Posted from TSR Mobile

I'm staying with the old one. She text me at 1am last night to infer (it had to go through a staff change official thing before I was officially told).

I'm so ****ing happy. The new part of her portfolio, while officially not mine, is going to be really interesting to oversee.

On the other hand, I had my appraisal today, and it was terrible. But, my minister made a special request for me, went out of her way to say she trusts me implicitly, and sends me hysterical texts at 1am. So, could be worse.

Reply 7722

Ethereal

Original post by ice_cube

Terrible appraisal = standard under the current system

Reply 7723

madamemerle

Original post by QHF

I suppose also the danger of reading varies on how you've written the paper. I know a couple of academics have told me they read straight, but write their papers fairly carefully for oral delivery, and therefore quite differently to how they'd write the same argument in prose. In practice they come across quite well (in my judgement).

Yeah, this is the method I've settled on. I even write out the informal asides and stuff. It makes me feel silly writing it but it helps so much with delivery. I do the same for lectures. I hope I'll get to the point where I can speak from just bullet points one day, but I get repetitive and ramble when I try to do that now.

Reply 7724

QHF

Original post by Craghyrax

On the other hand, since your audiences find you 'insane and intense' then maybe not :wink:

I think that was more to do with my very large manuscript surveys than my delivery! (But who knows...)

Reply 7725

sunflowerprint

Yes! First draft handed into supervisor of chapter 1 of my thesis..... all of my non-PhD friends just look at me like this :confused:

when I say anything about my PhD so I had to share it somewhere! It's definitely the little milestones that keep me going now-days :smile:

How are you guys structuring your thesis? I'm doing the traditional chapter by chapter way but are any of you going for papers bounded together and then adding to it?

Reply 7726

Craghyrax

Original post by madamemerle

Very relieved to hear it isn't just me! Yes, that's how I see it too... I also hope I'll eventually be able to move on.

Original post by QHF

I think that was more to do with my very large manuscript surveys than my delivery! (But who knows...)

Original post by sunflowerprint

Yes! First draft handed into supervisor of chapter 1 of my thesis..... all of my non-PhD friends just look at me like this :confused:

when I say anything about my PhD so I had to share it somewhere! It's definitely the little milestones that keep me going now-days :smile:

How are you guys structuring your thesis? I'm doing the traditional chapter by chapter way but are any of you going for papers bounded together and then adding to it?

Well done! I also sent in my first chapter draft this week :five:

I think PhDs via publication are very uncommon in Humanities and Social Sciences. Are you a science PhD? I'm aiming for 8 chapters, and am trying to get a rough draft written up by the end of summer (yeh right :flute:

)

Are there not other PhDs in your department that you can talk to about it?

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 7727

llacerta

Original post by sunflowerprint

Yes! First draft handed into supervisor of chapter 1 of my thesis..... all of my non-PhD friends just look at me like this :confused:

when I say anything about my PhD so I had to share it somewhere! It's definitely the little milestones that keep me going now-days :smile:

How are you guys structuring your thesis? I'm doing the traditional chapter by chapter way but are any of you going for papers bounded together and then adding to it?

Congrats, how exciting! :biggrin:

Like Craggy said, it depends which field you're in. I already know that my PhD thesis will be a series of experiments that are linked under a common theme, but that's because I'm doing cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, whilst I know of other psychologists on the more social side of things who are just writing it chapter by chapter, rather than as papers.

Haha, I haven't even technically started my PhD yet and I can already anticipate my non-PhD friends not quite 'getting' what things like the submission of a chapter means...But that's what GOGSoc is for! :biggrin:

Reply 7728

Kitty Pimms

Original post by ice_cube

Woo! That is good news indeed (and new portfolio will be worth sinking teeth into). Well done love :smile:

(edited 10 years ago)

(edited 9 years ago)

Original post by ice_cube

Stuff that I'm not sure you'll leave so I won't quote it.

You're like, my personal romance novelist these days. I feel like I need to go and kick that guy's arse so he comes to his senses and you get married and have a happily ever after, but for now I'll just settle for a massive hug for you in the hope that either he does something to make it ok, or that he leaves you alone for good and stop bothering you, whether willingly or not, entirely.

And as long as it takes and as difficult as it can be, I hope you get to move on nicely and get over it gently if needs be! :hugs:

Reply 7731

apotoftea

Original post by ice_cube

work stuff

Fingers crossed new stuff works out. As for the boy - he needs shooting having had the same issue a few weeks back :mad:

Reply 7732

$Avatar for {the_violinist}$

{the_violinist}

Hi all - i've been lurking here a while so I thought i'd say hi.

I'm starting a PhD in October and have found so much of what you've said has been really reassuring.

so thanks :smile:

Reply 7733

Jantaculum

Original post by {the_violinist}

Hi all - i've been lurking here a while so I thought i'd say hi.

I'm starting a PhD in October and have found so much of what you've said has been really reassuring.

so thanks :smile:

hello - new(ish) in this thread myself but I agree it's the most useful (and most sensible!) TSR thread by a long way

What's your area of study?

Reply 7734

$Avatar for {the_violinist}$

{the_violinist}

Original post by Jantaculum

hello - new(ish) in this thread myself but I agree it's the most useful (and most sensible!) TSR thread by a long way

What's your area of study?

Yes - it definitely puts a lot more of perspective on things then lots of the other threads I've seen.

Physical/Theoretical Chemistry (hopefully anyway ;P )

Yourself?

Reply 7735

Jantaculum

Original post by {the_violinist}

Yes - it definitely puts a lot more of perspective on things then lots of the other threads I've seen.

Physical/Theoretical Chemistry (hopefully anyway ;P )

Yourself?

Completely the opposite! - starting an Educational Doctorate in October, researching school governance. It's my reward to myself after a rather-too-long teaching career.

Reply 7736

$Avatar for {the_violinist}$

{the_violinist}

Original post by Jantaculum

Completely the opposite! - starting an Educational Doctorate in October, researching school governance. It's my reward to myself after a rather-too-long teaching career.

Wow! That's a nice (if not stressful reward) :smile:

Reply 7737

Anatheme

Has anyone got any recommendation for a good guide/book/link/anything on how to tackle an MA dissertation?

Also, I'm now looking at PhDs (Craggy, I blame you entirely! :p:

), but I realise I haven't really tried to get published in any shape or form, would it really be a problem if I were to apply for PhD programmes? And how important are your BA grades?

(Oh my god, I feel like a GCSE student asking about how to get into Oxbridge…)

Reply 7738

QHF

Original post by Anatheme

Has anyone got any recommendation for a good guide/book/link/anything on how to tackle an MA dissertation?

My top writing book at present is Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks by Laura Belcher, which sounds from its title like snake oil but isn't. There're whole sections of it which are of no use to me and I've not tried using the programmatic system it suggests, but some of the early chapters contain what I think are the most useful summaries of research on writing practices I've read. It has (if you ask me) some good brass-tacks practical advice about argument and topic, too. If this sounds useful then, since not all of the book will necessarily be useful, you might want to try tracking down a library copy, or something.

Original post by Anatheme

Also, I'm now looking at PhDs (Craggy, I blame you entirely! :p:

), but I realise I haven't really tried to get published in any shape or form, would it really be a problem if I were to apply for PhD programmes? And how important are your BA grades?

I've forgotten which discipline you're in (sorry!) but in English it's not usually a problem for PhD applications if you've not published anything peer-reviewed, and most new PhD students haven't.

I don't know how important BA grades are, although going on the 'only as good as your last qualification/position' rule of thumb I imagine they're not as significant as masters performance. Certainly when I did my masters there was quite a lot of explicit emphasis from our conveners on 'this kind of mark on masters assignments certifies that you're able to produce doctoral-style work'.

Obviously having firsts in everything in your BA and three articles already published in Speculum [for which read: major, crusty journal in your field] would be nice, though.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 7739

Couldxbe

Original post by {the_violinist}

Yes - it definitely puts a lot more of perspective on things then lots of the other threads I've seen.

Physical/Theoretical Chemistry (hopefully anyway ;P )

Yourself?

Wahey! I'm a computational chemist :smile:

Also just submitted my first paper (... worried about the referees already) and been invited to a conference in California in August, so PhD is pretty good at the minute. Let's see how long it lasts :tongue: