I couple of things annoyed me about papers I heard yesterday. It had nothing to do with content. What bothered me was some of the mechanics of the presentation. So, in the spirit of helping my readers, here is a guide to a few things not to do when delivering a paper at a conference.

  • Don’t say “i.e.” or “e.g.” or “cf.” These are not words; they are abbreviations. We don’t say “e t c” when we find the abbreviation etc. in a text. You should either say “id est” or “exempli gratia” (which would make you look a bit odd) or say “that is” or “for example.”
  • Don’t make “air quotes” with your fingers. Using gestures is a great way to illustrate what you are saying and make the paper more lively, but this one makes me want to rush the stage and break your fingers.
  • Don’t read long passages out of the Bible. If we, your listeners, need to be reminded of the text, include it in a handout. This is especially important if you are arguing about a particular reading or a fine point of interpretation. Many of us bring Bible’s with us (I have a new one on my phone), but not everyone does. And for pete’s sake, include the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. Everyone in your audience can read it and most will want to see it.
  • And while I am on the subject of handouts, please make sure that your handouts make sense. I got one handout yesterday that had two biblical texts next to one another. The text had a series of lines drawn from one text to the other and from one text to another point in the same text. Even after listening to the paper, I had no idea what the lines meant.
  • Don’t make a big deal out of the fact that this paper is a part of a larger research project. This is the case for just about every paper. Don’t tell us that if we want a fuller argument we can wait for the paper to be published. If your paper is so broad that further arguments are needed, narrow the focus of the paper. The time to mention the fact that you have more to say is when someone asks for more info in the Q&A session.
  • Only read the original languages when the argument depends on it. There are some papers where people rattle of strings of Hebrew at a remarkable rate. We are all pleased that you can speak Hebrew, but not all of your audience can. We can read it, but that doesn’t mean we understand it when it is spoken. (If you give a paper in Israel, this doesn’t apply. Go nuts with the Hebrew!) This rule is relaxed somewhat if you provide the Hebrew on the handout.

And most important is my final bit of advice. It should be obvious, but after hearing some papers yesterday it apparently needs to be said.

  • Make sure your paper has a point to it.
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