What is an Academic Presenter?

The concept of an academic presenter is one that has yet to be clearly defined for many of us; we often recognize a good presenter but are unsure how to turn ourselves into one. Presenting in a second language, or in any context, is an experience that few approach with confidence. Often, the lack of presenting skills in general is compounded by the difficulty of presenting in a second language to group of strangers. To address these difficulties, the concept of an Academic Persona has been used in Academic Presentations class to help students deal with the pressure of presenting in a second language. An Academic Persona refers to the image or impression of themselves and their research that an academic presents to an audience. This involves identifying a Niche (a research area, for instance) and then occupying this area (introducing specific research). From this starting point, the academic can then proceed to tell their ‘academic story.’

Academic presenters and their presentations come in a variety of forms: the graduate student defending their thesis; the post-grad researcher lecturing to under-grad students; the academic presenting at a conference. Underlying all of these kinds of presenters and their situations is the realization that presenting is the opportunity to connect and communicate. These two components are really what make a presentation a meaningful and rewarding experience for all those involved.

Academics have been researching and creating, summarizing and synthesizing information. The next logical step for them is to then communicate this work to a wider audience. In order to do this successfully they need to connect intellectually and emotionally with the audience. For some, creating this connection, and using it in the most effective and productive way is the hardest part of presenting.

Creating and improving this connection is the main purpose of this collection of resources at Academic Persona. The resources here will assist presenters in organizing, constructing and presenting their research and work to an academic audience. Through sharing this knowledge I hope that we can all improve as academic story-tellers.