Discussion Tips and Topics

First-Time Attendees Reception Discussion Tips and Topics

Begin with introductions all around including name, school (student or faculty/employee), business/industry, or government.

Allow plenty of time for questions and discussion from the group, but use these ideas to get some discussion going, or to change topics when discussion lags:

Main Topics

• What prompted you to attend JSM? Encourage people to set one or more goals for the week, such as “talk with at least XX people to enhance my research community,” “visit XX booths/sections/ committees and identify a volunteer activity,” “attend at least one session in a topic unfamiliar to me,” and “ask at least three questions in talks/panels”
• Complete the scavenger hunt.
• What one goal have you set for the week?
• What do you hope to take back with you from your JSM experience?

Additional Topics (if not addressed in previous discussion or scavenger hunt)

• Review the different types of sessions (e.g., invited sessions, topic contributed, contributed, posters, panels, etc.).
• Discuss strategies for selecting sessions.
• Encourage time to visit the exhibit hall, and to have at least one Baltimore activity outside of the conference.
• Encourage first-timers to attend Business Meetings and/or Committee meetings of interest, so long as it is not designated as a closed meeting in the program.
• Ask if there are any other advice that they’d like to have, such as, jobs, careers, grants, research topics, and life outside of statistics.
• Encourage everyone to complete the evaluations of JSM and of particular speakers / sessions when requested, since this feedback is used to improve the next event, and in some cases to evaluate speakers for awards.