Forums, panels, colloquiums, and symposiums are all different means of group presenting a topic and offering their solutions. They all end with audience interaction, which as we already have learned, is valuable feedback as it can offer alternative views and solutions to the problem at hand, and it also lets the senders know how well their message was interpreted by the receivers.
Forums provide the most open means of problem solving, allowing multiple participants speak in an orderly fashion. Forums can be thought of as large, orderly brainstorming sessions.
Panels are mostly informative, where a group of experts pose different answers and alternative solutions to the same questions. While audience interaction is often limited, forums are often better for audience members who want to learn more about a subject, as opposed to audience members who think they already know the answer.
Colloquiums are generally a discussion between experts with little audience interaction. Similar to a panel, these are often informative in nature.
Symposiums are the most informative of the four, and are essentially technical speeches given by an expert with only questions and audience discussion at the end.
As for which format I would prefer for giving a public presentation, symposium is definitely the most speaker-friendly, that is if the person is a good public speaker. I feel that I am good when I have a prepared speech, and if I am knowledgeable on the topic. If I had a group presentation to do, however, I think I want want a little more relaxed atmosphere, possibly the forum or panel format, where audience interaction was welcome, and I was given more of a chance to explain our ideas and have different views expressed.
Hi Happy waiter,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and I agree with you about doing a presentation in a symposium format. I feel by doing this you become the expert in what your discussing and your able to bring alot more inoformation on the subject than if you had to present the entire project alone. I like that everyone pretty much has the same amount of work and everyone participates in the presenting. I also agree that this form of presenting can be rather stiff and a more relaxed setting would be easier to deal with. Good job!
-Jessica