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Dear Qual and Quant

November 2003
David Kennedy and Lance Gravlee


This column first appeared in Anthropology News 44(8) and is reprinted here with permission. Do you have a question you'd like to have answered in future columns? Write Qual and Quant at help@qualquant.net.


Dear Qual and Quant,

I am presenting a paper at an upcoming conference and I have a problem. The paper is over 30 pages long and I only have 15 minutes to present it. This means that I have only half a minute or so to read each page. I’m not sure I can do this. Any suggestions?

Not-a-speed-reader

Dear No-Speed,

Your problem is a common one. There are several approaches to presenting a large amount of information in a short amount of time. First, begin to read your paper at a normal pace until the moderator presents you with a “5 minutes” sign. At this point, show everyone how flustered you are that you still have 25 pages to go. Then start to flip quickly through the rest of the pages in the paper while you mutter to yourself, “Sorry . . . I won’t be able to talk about this . . . or this . . .” Do this for the remaining 5 minutes.

A second strategy is to start out reading your paper at a normal speed. As the minutes go by, begin to read the paper faster and faster as you race the clock to the 15- minute finish-line. (Remember, during the final minutes, annunciation is your enemy!)

A third time-tested strategy is to just continue to read for 30 or 40 minutes past your allotted 15-minute time slot until you are forcibly removed from the podium by the moderator.

Of course, these are only guidelines and the most interesting presentations find a way to combine all three strategies

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