A Guide to Speaking
I have yet to take my general exam (a.k.a. qualifying exam), which is what I need to pass in order to get to the next stage of my Ph.D. studies. Up until now, I’m basically a masters’ student, doing some research, taking classes, attending seminars, and basically learning my way around being a research scientist. After generals (assuming I pass…), my department expects us to teach and focus on completing my thesis.
I know some schools don’t do this, but in my department, the general exam is basically an oral exam — we present our thesis proposal, as well as one paper that is on a related (but different) field. The prospect of it frightens me to no end, but it’s still about a year away.
Of course, the main thing that I’ll be judged on is my science, but humans are humans, and since the exam is quite subjective, I’ve got to use every edge I’ve got, including improving my speaking skills.
At MIT, there’s a famous annual lecture given by Prof. Patrick Winston called “How to Speak.” This year, a blogger managed to take some notes from the lecture, for those less fortunate of us who don’t have a chance to see it. There are even some tips on speaking specifically for oral exams. I like this one:
3. Practice. Ask your friends to listen to your talk. Tell them to try to make you cry.
