Being a discussant
I was also asked to act as discussant for another presenter’s paper at this conference, which is tough when you are just entering a field and don’t have particularly good awareness of the whole literature or what is happening in the most recent research. It may not have been the best idea to take this on.
Unfortunately, there had also been a thailand rcs data bit of a mix-up and I hadn’t been sent a draft of the paper beforehand, so I had to improvise. I felt bad for the presenter who didn’t get especially good feedback at that conference as a result.
It was a good experience overall and I was lucky to get thoughtful feedback which I’m sure improved my work. Knowing how to present in the best way requires some trial and error, and getting good advice from people who have done it a lot before. It’s rarely perfect the first time.
If you are interested in an academic career, going to conferences is also a good way to get to know the culture of academia and your disciple outside of your own department – which will necessarily be more limited in its range of experiences.