I am having trouble asking questions in seminars, conferences, and public talks.
As a graduate math student I often fail to keep up with speaker and more mature members of the audience at events like seminars and conferences. It is very frustrating to lose track of the talk simply because I am not familiar with one key theorem/definition referenced by the speaker.
On the one hand, many people encourage me to raise my hand whenever something is unclear, motivating it by "no such thing as a stupid question" quote. On the other, very often I observe people being annoyed by a student asking an "obvious/elementary" question and wasting everyone else's time.
I have seen several related posts on this website, most of which are asked on behalf of the speaker. However, my question comes for the opposite side of the barricades. I want to know how to find balance between not annoying the speaker and the audience too much on the one hand, and catching up with the talk on the other hand.
More formally, my questions are:
Are there any (semi-, non-) official recommendations on professional etiquette for mathematicians?
I understand that every situation is unique and highly subjective. However, I would be glad if someone gave me advice on when to ask, how to ask, and what to ask at research talks.
How can I tell if my question is "dumb" (i.e. the answer is well-known or searchable), or if it addresses legitimate ambiguity?
- In particular, how can I quickly determine whether a definition/theorem/lemma mentioned by speaker is a part of common knowledge?
All relevant links or examples are appreciated.
Answer
There is no such thing as a dumb question is a good adage for the classroom, where our mission is to teach students, and we have a number of weeks to accomplish the learning objectives. We use this maxim to encourage students to ask questions rather than fall behind.
However, there is such a thing as an annoying question can be an equally true corollary, particularly in a conference setting where someone is trying to cram months worth of research into a 45-minute talk in front of presumed experts in the field. In such cases, it might be preferable to not derail the speaker's presentation.
How can I tell if my question is "dumb" (i.e. the answer is well-known or searchable), or if it addresses legitimate ambiguity?
Really, there's no way to tell for sure during the talk. However, if you venture to ask your question, you can preface it with something like:
"I'm sorry if I'm asking something obvious here, but..."
So far, my answer doesn't really differ from some of the other advice you've gotten in other answers. However, I want to address the professional etiquette part of your question. While you are asking your question, and in the immediate wake of getting the question out of your mouth, pay careful attention to the body language of the audience at large. If you see several heads nodding affirmatively, that might be a good indication that you were brave enough to ask something that was nagging in the minds of everyone else, and the speaker has made some erroneous assumptions about what was presumed to be fundamental or obvious. However, if you notice some sideways glances accompanied by grimaces or eye-rolls, then maybe you've touched on something that would be better left until the end of the session, or until the next break, in which case you can quickly add:
"If you'd rather discuss that with me off-line, that's okay."
In summary, be aware of your environment:
- What is the purpose of the talk?
- Who is the intended audience?
- What are the speaker's time constraints?
Moreover, be cognizant of non-verbal audience reaction to your initial question, and use that as a barometer before venturing to ask follow-on questions. In my experience, people are rather forgiving the first time a presentation is interrupted by an elementary question, but they begin feeling exasperated when that one question transforms into a hijacking of the presentation as a whole.
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