996005 Academic English: Oral Presentation (S) (SoSe 2013)

This workshop has a double purpose, one academic, the second concerning more general social and language skills.

The academic part is about making talks or presentations at meetings or conferences. This involves, for example, delivery technique as well as using a clear structure; introducing and ending a topic and moving on to the next; evaluating and referring to research; giving examples; finding an arresting beginning and conclusion; the ability to contribute to scholarly discussions (also in a panel discussion, if time permits), and to chair a question and answer session; listening and note taking.

These aspects will be dealt with both in theory and practice: most if not all participants will be given the chance to deliver a presentation of their own and to receive feedback from the course leaders and the other members of the workshop.

Conferences do not consist only of academic discussions – the social, more informal conversations and discussions outside the official lectures and other events are no less important – perhaps even more so - for networking and making contacts than the narrowly academic programme. Also, this presents often more difficulties to non-native speakers than the official events and it is the express purpose of this workshop to practice and discuss this aspect in some detail, over a coffee, and during two joint lunches. Topics might well include such things as what to talk about; politeness (e.g. agreeing and disagreeing; asking for help, or a favour; expressing thanks) and the general rules of informal spontaneous talk (“small talk”) in English.

If there are vacancies, doctoral researchers from other departments may participate in this course. However, preference will be given to BGHS-members.