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Talks...
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Requirement
There
is no requirement that you present a
talk. Moreover, regardless of the number
of participants, we prefer to limit
talks to around 15 hours. Sometimes
several participants will co-present
work on which they are collaborating.
Additionally, one or two people
generally decline to give any
presentation (and are officially listed
on the program as "discussants.") We do
encourage new participants to present
talks, so that others become familiar
with their research. But giving a talk
is not a requirement for attending or
for being invited back to future
conferences.
Setting
Duck
talks are generally pretty informal.
Imagine yourself sitting on a stool in
front of an audience of about 20-24
people who are sitting, standing,
lounging, or lying on and amidst the
sofas, chairs and tables distributed
around a very large living /dining
/kitchen room. Members of the audience
are typically dressed in T-shirts,
shorts and sandals, drinking everything
from Diet Coke to Mike's Hard Lemonade,
snacking on cookies or cheese doodles,
and multi-tasking (looking longingly at
the ocean, making origami, doodling,
playing solitaire on a laptop, and/or
listening to your talk). Audience
members will periodically get up during
talks to raid the refrigerator, visit
the restroom, stretch their legs, or
point out a school of dolphins they have
sighted while gazing out the massive
windows at the ocean. Although Duckees
may seem lost in reverie, and make only
occasional furtive glances at your
slides (which we hope to project on the
television set, but might instead
project onto a wrinkly sheet hanging on
the wall) they are likely to regularly
interrupt with questions that suggest
they may actually be attending to what
you say.
Length
Because
of the considerable discussion which
sometimes develops, and because the
attention of ADD's (Attention Deficit
Duckees) tends to wander after a period
of time, we suggest that most talks
should involve no more than about 15-20
minutes of planned content, with a total
elapsed time of no more than one-half
hour. A total of about three hours is
scheduled each day, and when the sun and
beach beckon, that is more than enough.
Topic
Well,
this is supposed to be a conference on
social cognition, so it would be nice if
your talk related in some way to such
interests. On the other hand, we try to
define social cognition broadly, which
means that most of what you do probably
qualifies. Nonetheless, if you are
uncertain whether your topic is
appropriate, please feel free to ask me.
Content
The
prototypical talk probably involves some
background work which may be published
and some work in progress. Focusing
entirely on published work may diminish
the value of the extensive feedback you
should receive over the course of the
week. You can present studies in
progress, for which you do not yet have
data, but most people do present some
data, even if it didn't turn out
entirely as expected. (It helps to hold
people's interest). Theory talks and
reviews are also permissible.
Level
Everyone
attending Duck knows social cognition,
speaks social cognition, and does some
form of social cognition. You may assume
levels of expertise higher than
ordinarily seen in more diverse
audiences at APA, yet not so high that
people can figure out exactly what you
did if you forget to tell them. And
remember that there will be a range of
ages, backgrounds and interests
represented.
It
is possible that some participants,
particularly those of a younger ilk, may
over-prepare in an attempt to knock
people's socks off. But the more jaded
among us (who at this very moment are
still trying to decide what to talk
about) have long since given up on this,
recognizing that few in the audience
will even have socks on. Of course you
should take your presentation seriously
-- but not too seriously. We are already
impressed or you wouldn't have been
invited. And if you let worries about
your talk interfere with your enjoyment
of the week, then you will have missed
the most valuable part of the Camp Duck
experience. So just relax and try to
learn something, which is what the
audience will be doing, too.
Interruptions
Expect
to be interrupted with questions or
comments. These are generally an
important part of the sessions, which
are more interactive than they might be
at a more formal conference.
Nonetheless, you should feel free to
defer tangential issues to the end,
particularly if you become aware that
you are running out of time.
Audio-visual
Recently
we have connected a computer to a large
screen TV to provide the clearest
(though not necessarily the largest)
displays we can. It is very
helpful if people bring all the
different kinds of connecting cables we
might need to do this. If you
still use transparencies, you will have
to hold them up the window for people to
try to view.
Scheduling
The
scheduling of talks at Duck Conferences
has always been somewhat informal,
flexible and voluntary. However, to give
us some organization, I do generate a
tentative schedule with the following
considerations in mind: 1) I attempt to
schedule people to give talks on days
that they will actually be at the
conference. 2) The newer or more junior
participants are generally scheduled
towards the middle of the week (so that
they have the opportunity to hear some
other talks before presenting, while at
the same time having some opportunity
after their talks to gather comments and
suggestions from other participants.) 3)
Thematically related talks are scheduled
for the same day, or at least they might
be if I am able to detect any thematic
relations. 4) I try to accommodate
requests. So, you will have an
opportunity to let me know your
preferences (and your topics) before the
conference.
Time
of day
The
timing for the sessions can be varied to
suit those attending. On hot days, the
best time is usually after lunch, when
the sun is too direct and hot for people
to be outside anyway. On cold or
overcast days, the best time is usually
in the morning, in the hopes that things
will warm up or clear up by afternoon.
Because the weather is often not
determinable until morning, people are
generally encouraged to show up at the
main house for breakfast, or by 9:00
A.M., to discuss the day's schedule.
Trading
places
The
advance schedule is only intended as a
starting point, and participants may
exchange speaking times with others by
mutual agreement. Additionally, spur of
the moment decisions may be made (with
the consent of speakers, of course) to
move talks up in the schedule when bad
weather interferes with other
activities, or to delay talks so as to
take better advantage of good weather.
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