Research symposia- when a talkfest is good!

By Kim Brown

I recently took part in a two-day research symposium with fellow postgrads, researchers and academics and spent the whole time talking. Yes, two whole days talking! To be fair there were periods when I listened or ate something, but the majority of the time was spent engaged in discussion, problem solving and debate. It was great. I am six months into my PhD, not long enough to know differently, yet already I would describe a distinct managerial tone to the doctoral process. By managerial I mean an emphasis on productivity measured in units of time and incremental research outputs: “set milestones working backwards from anticipated hand-in date”, “write daily for X number of minutes’, “publish publish publish” (so firmly established as a research mantra that the verb now exists in triplicate), “attend conferences”, and so on. Of course, this is all sound advice intended to support prompt completion of the PhD and an academic trajectory, but it feels like the nasty tasting medicine that is supposed to do you good. In such a managerial environment of study, the prospect of two days simply talking and listening may fill some with horror. Fear not, I will endeavour to explain why attending a peer talkfest is time well spent.

For the symposium I attended, each participant had an allocated 20-minute slot, with a maximum of seven minutes talking to the group, PowerPoint presentations were banned and timings strictly enforced. Participants tended to give a brief overview of their research and then presented a research issue, conundrum or dilemma to the whole group. Most participants asked their peers to respond to the given question/issue in smaller groupings, taking feedback in various ways. Participants regularly moved to a new seat around a large table arrangement, enabling (or forcing) people to meet and work with others. The format of the day included generous breaks and good food – both conducive to productive and amiable conversation. If the absence of PowerPoint presentations has not already sold you on the idea of this type of symposium, let me expand upon the benefits.

I was unsure of what to expect so had not prepared for my slot, I did, nevertheless, have a few gnarly research issues plaguing my research design that I could share. I am studying peer learning practices amongst doctoral students, and despite a successful pilot study, I couldn’t quite nail the crux of my overarching research question. And then it came to me, sitting in a room of collective expertise, confusion and collaboration. What I am really interested in is how doctoral students cultivate collegiality in an academic environment. Not quite a eureka moment, but very confirming in terms of locating my research. When my turn came, I was able to ask people to describe what characterises collegiality in a scholarly community. Enough about me however! We got to hear about other people’s research as it was happening in down-to-earth terms.

 

The symposium offered the means for all members of the department equally to seek ideas, insight and feedback. In our time regulated everyday environments, snatched conversations at sites of productive encounters (that’s the water cooler/heater) can be very helpful. The colloquium environment supported breadth and critical engagement with diverse responses. Creativity is often paired with critical thinking in the doctoral toolbox; Vygotsky proposed that creativity is a process by which individuals learn to face conflicts and contradictions, and to focus on future objects or trajectories. Drawing on collective creativity we can rework and process these issues, illuminating and elevating everyday experience. In other words, it was fun, useful and supportive!  

Research symposia take many forms. I have attended formal symposia that involved conventional presentations with the associated pressure to perform. To describe this symposium as informal is perhaps a disservice, since I would be comparing a developmental and collegial environment to a rarefied, and some would say competitive, academic forum. A developmental research symposium is time-well spent because it is demanding of thought and effort, it’s a talkfest where responses are immediate and there’s nothing wrong with a little instant gratification.

We are in the process of organising a postgrad developmental research symposium in the second department I’m associated with, look out for the follow-up blogpost.