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comment by am_Unition
am_Unition  ·  2977 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Presidential Debate Thread

Thanks for sharing, that was interesting.

I attended my first conference a couple weeks ago at UCLA, and I wish that I could have just observed, but of course you don't get flown out to those things to simply watch. My presentation was an absolute train wreck. Voice audibly wavering in pitch, I kept walking off from the microphone to get a better view of the screen, laser pointer dot amplifying the tremors of my hands. First time I'd spoken into a mic since a birthday party in 2nd grade, I think. Finished my 15 minute presentation in about 8 minutes, and no one dared asked this poor grad student any questions, likely out of pity. Sigh





b_b  ·  2977 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Being your first, it was probably bad, but probably not as bad as you think it was. The thing is, most people forget everything they saw in a talk by the time the next one is finished. They might, however, remember your face, name or topic, and that's the best you can hope for. Next time you submit a funding application, you hope that one of the reviewers has heard of you. The more talks you give, the more likely it is. You'll get better at it.