There were some questions that occurred to me as he talked about it, and I did ask those when they occurred, but still, feels like I should’ve been able to say a lot more.
So, I have a comparative advantage at coming up with things to say, and so I’m not sure this advice will fill the specific potholes you’re getting stuck on, but I hope it’s somewhat useful.
A simple technique that seems to work pretty well is read your mind to them, since they can’t read it themselves. If you’re interested in field X, say that you’re interested in it. If you’re glad that they gave you a talk, tell them you’re glad that they gave you a talk. People like getting feedback, and people like getting compliments, and when your mind is blank and there’s nothing asking to be said, that’s a good place to go looking. (Something like “that was very complete; I’ve got no questions” is nicer than just silence, though you may want to tailor it a bit to whatever they’ve just said.)
So, I have a comparative advantage at coming up with things to say, and so I’m not sure this advice will fill the specific potholes you’re getting stuck on, but I hope it’s somewhat useful.
A simple technique that seems to work pretty well is read your mind to them, since they can’t read it themselves. If you’re interested in field X, say that you’re interested in it. If you’re glad that they gave you a talk, tell them you’re glad that they gave you a talk. People like getting feedback, and people like getting compliments, and when your mind is blank and there’s nothing asking to be said, that’s a good place to go looking. (Something like “that was very complete; I’ve got no questions” is nicer than just silence, though you may want to tailor it a bit to whatever they’ve just said.)
Thanks, that sounds potentially useful.