Go forth and present

So, I have agreed to present my research to my faculty next week. In one way this is a score because it is Easter and a lot of people will be away. In another way I should not be seeing the lack of audience participants as a good thing. I can't help it; beforehand I will be nervous and insecure and afterwards I am bound to wish there had been more people there! 


I have already prepared a couple of slides and seeing as I will only be talking for about 15 minutes it is not going to be too intense. I fully intend to make the best use of the sad ass people (myself included) who are not on their jollies next week and come along. It will be a good opportunity to get feedback from other students and colleagues. It will also be a good opportunity for me to defend my research. This will be invaluable I think. Learning to defend without being defensive. Hard work.


One thing I was concerned about was my methodology. My methodology is not rock solid. However a chat with my supervisor today has sorted this out in my head. It doesn't yet need to be set in stone. I've not collected my data and I will develop a strong methodology as I progress. I have a few ideas of what I don't want to use. COUGH COUGH Grounded Theory COUGH COUGH. I am taken with a discursive approach which suits the qualitative project, so we will see.


Presenting one's research is all the things it is supposed to be; terrifying, exhilarating, exhausting and utterly worthwhile. At worst it is a few minutes of feeling a little vulnerable at best a fantastic opportunity to think about communicating the ideas and processes behind your work to a captive audience, as opposed to having to hide the remote at home just so you can blather on to the cat about your latest chapter. 


I suppose it might be like watching your children in their first school play. You have nurtured and created and developed something that is incredibly important to you and then you introduce it to the world and open it up to criticism and opinion - brave and dangerous. Maybe I should present in front of a nativity scene dressed as a donkey...maybe not.