Re: Extro Idea

GBurch1@aol.com
Sat, 2 Oct 1999 13:44:28 EDT

In a message dated 99-09-29 18:39:14 EDT, lcrocker@mercury.colossus.net (Lee Daniel Crocker) wrote: 

> Here's the setup: The speaker, instead of being required to

> create a 60- or 90-minute presentation, creates both a 10-minute
> presentation and a more detailed but unconstrained paper with
> more details on the same topic. This is published before the
> conference on the web where all attendees can see it, mail the
> author comments and questions, etc. At the conference proper,
> the speaker hands out the latest copy of this paper (or perhaps
> it is part of a for-sale program), gives eir 10-minute overview,
> and spends the rest of the allotted time on Q&A or otherwise
> interacting with the audience. This is the great value of most
> speakers anyway: most are experts in a field, not orators, so
> why waste their valuable time on oration and short-change the
> always popular audience Q&A? If it's a topic that organizers
> fear won't generate an hour of audience Q&A (I've never seen a
> topic like that but I suppose we should plan for it) they can
> designate someone ahead of time who has read the paper and who
> has interest in the topic to ask questions and stimulate
> discussion after the short presentation.

This is very much like an idea some of us have been discussing for sessions at EXTRO5, blending it with the so-called "birds of a feather sessions". There's been a pretty solid consensus of feedback that more discussion and Q&A would be a good thing. The idea would be to have papers available well in advance of the conference and also on paper at the conference, and then have combinations of panel discussions, formal Q&A and open discussion groups. Whether this should be multi-tracked or not is another question, as many folks would be torn between being in simultaneous sessions. 

      Greg Burch     <GBurch1@aol.com>----<gburch@lockeliddell.com>
     Attorney  :::  Vice President, Extropy Institute  :::  Wilderness Guide
      http://users.aol.com/gburch1   -or-   http://members.aol.com/gburch1
                         "Civilization is protest against nature; 


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                                           Thomas Huxley