We’re all used to chatting with friends - whether face to face, online, or on the move. Many of our conversations take place online via instant messaging services such as WhatsApp, or Facebook Messenger. Today there seems to be nowhere where we can't talk to friends, colleagues, acquaintances and even total strangers about pretty much anything we like. Developing conversational skills and the confidence to use them is an important part of our social development and it is something that your university courses are designed to support and enhance.
Of course, an academic seminar has some significant differences to a general group chat with friends. Like university essays, they need thought and preparation. The RiRo rule applies: rubbish in, rubbish out.
Your seminar checklist:
- Prepare early: This is pretty much a no-brainer, unless you actually prepare a seminar then it will be very difficult to be involved in a meaningful way. Without preparation, you’ll either stay silent or risk sounding uninformed. Remember, in academia there are no 'alternative facts', you have either studied the relevant information, or you haven't. Your tutors will invariably set you preparatory reading and research to do prior to the seminar, make sure you read this well before the event.
- Give it time: As a general rule, preparation works best when you give it enough time to sink in and for you to become comfortable with it. Effective preparation is not merely a last-minute memory test. The point of seminar preparation is for you to feel comfortable with the data you have researched and to feel that you have some sort of control over it. For most of us preparing to go out for the night involves a considerable amount of advanced planning. Rushing into a shop and grabbing an outfit off the rack and some new shoes 30 mins before you are due to meet your friends is a recipe for showing up in trousers that don't fit, a top that rides up and shoes that give you blisters within the first 10 minutes of putting them on. You want to feel comfortable and relaxed in your clothes so that you are hardly aware of them and can enjoy socialising. In the same way you want to be relaxed enough with the material that you can focus on ideas, not just remembering facts.
- Go further: Don’t stop at the recommended reading. Explore beyond it. The more you discover, the more confident and informed you’ll feel. The equation is a simple one here and needs little elaboration. Think of it like building with bricks, not straw - solid preparation leads to stronger contributions. Yes, your tutor will probably suggest a piece of reading to do prior to a seminar, but that doesn't mean that this is the only reading or research you can do. The more research you do, the more informed you are and the more confident you will become in discussion as you will start to feel comfortable and secure in your subject knowledge.
- Practice together: Of course one of the best ways to prepare for anything is to practice doing it before you have to do it for real. Athletes practice running races, designers and engineers produce prototypes, manufacturers pilot new products before rolling them out, actors have dress-rehearsals and musicians have sound-checks. Testing your understanding and ability to communicate your ideas and point of view by discussing with your peers is an excellent way to prepare for a seminar. Seminars are social. Meet with peers, discuss your ideas, and test your understanding. You’ll feel more at ease on the day and more able to contribute meaningfully.
Final Comments:
There are very few professions and careers that allow you to operate in effective isolation. Most careers require teamwork and clear communication. Turning up to meetings unprepared doesn’t just look unprofessional - it limits your impact.
Making sure that you have looked over the agenda for the meeting and done some preparatory research, will allow you to speak with confidence amongst your colleagues and make informed and authoritative contributions to team discussions. Preparing for seminars builds the skills employers value: confidence, clarity and collaboration. Seminar work set within your course of study is intended to help develop these skills, as well as enhance your subject specific knowledge.
