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This document was originally from the Japanese textbook “NIG Method for Scientific English Presentation by Tatsumi Hirata, Todd Gorman and Yash Hiromi (dZERO Press, ISBN 978-4-907623-17-3)
Key issues one should think about while listening a talk in order to come up with good questions.
- What is the key question of this research?
- Predict what will come next; what kind of discussion, experiment, data, slide, etc. will follow?
- Think about the data you are given and try to develop your own conclusions. Then compare them to the presenter’s conclusions. Are they the same? If not, then why?
- What is the most important data in this research? Is it solid? (Are there any holes in it?)
- Do the experimental results have a direct and meaningful connection with the key question?
- Can you think of any other ways to interpret or explain the data and experimental results?
- Is there some important point no one seems to be picking up on or some missing explanations or data you feel are necessary?
- Do any of the data or conclusions contradict each other?
- Do the presenter’s results or interpretations contradict what you know to be fact?
- Recall what the presenter provided as the perspective frame in the introduction.
- Is there any common ground between this research and your own personal interests or work?
- Can you find any interesting point in any data to which the presenter seemed to pay little attention?
- If you were doing this study, what would be your plans for continued or future research?
