RESPONDING TO PRESENTERS
Below, are some basic guidelines for preparing a written
response to a presenter at the Symposium.
While You're
There
- Take notes during
the sessions so that you will be able to
recall what you found provocative, puzzling, informative, and/or
memorable.
- Be sure to record the
full name of the presenter so that
you will be able to find her/his e-mail address through the Symposium
program or GW's online
directory.
- If at all possible, ask
the presenter a question during the
Q & A. Again, take notes regarding his/her response.
When You Send
an E-mail
- Introduce yourself. Some
presenters may be surprised to
receive an e-mail from an address/person they do not recognize. For
this and the following suggestions, see our sample
letter.
- If you are cc'ing your instructor, it will be useful to indicate your UW20 section
so that the presenter is not
surprised to see another name listed on the e-mail.
- Explain why you are
responding to this presenter. Were you
intrigued by the student's paper title? Did you go to hear another
paper and find you were captivated by this student's work? Do you have
a personal investment in the topic?
- Congratulate the presenter on something she/he did well.
What did you find particularly impressive or intriguing? Let the
presenter know what you learned
(and personally gained) from attending
the presentation.
- If you asked the presenter a question during the Q and A, remind him/her that you were
the one who asked "x," and perhaps discuss any
further thoughts that came to mind after hearing his/her response.
- If you find there are some points of clarification or
counter-arguments that the presenter might want to consider, or sources
you think might interest them, then you might want to offer those
points in terms of querying whether or not the presenter might
plan to
return to this topic to conduct more research.
- Close by thanking
the presenter for submitting a proposal
to the Symposium and going public with her/his writing.
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