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Abstract： This paper， based on the author’s personal experiences， discusses popular formats of international academic meetings in countries such as USA， Ireland， and China. The structures and processes of keynote speeches， individual papers， posters，roundtable discussions， colloquia， panels， workshops， and field trips are introduced briefly. An initial comparison is given to invite discussions about how they may be more effectively applied in China. The author believes that such discussion will help clarify confusions about conference structure and process， and therefore benefit the cultural，educational， and academic exchanges between Chinese and international scholars.
Keywords： Conference structure； conference format； international educational exchange； international academic exchange
International academic conferences are important opportunities for scholars around the world to exchange， and debate on， their views and discoveries on widely concerned matters in different fields. Every year， there are hundreds of thousands of such meetings organized and hosted by institutions in different countries. The purposes are similar；however， their structures and formats turn to be somewhat different under the influences of the cultural traditions in the host countries and what the meeting organizers and hosts believe to be the most appropriate.
Comparatively， Western countries such as the United States， France， Germany，Britain， and Ireland have longer， if not more， experiences hosting international academic meetings. In the 21 century， China is quickly becoming a major player in world arena for political， economic， cultural， educational， and academic exchanges. Quite a big portion of these exchanges has been conducted through international academic meetings in different academic fields， including， but not limited to， mathematics， civil engineering， computer science， computing technology， applied linguistics， intercultural communication， just to name a few.
Based on the author’ s personal experiences both as a conferee and a conference organizer in some Western countries and China， there are similarities and differences between the ways how conferences are organized and processed. Each has merits and limits in regard to conveniences for conferees to stay， communicate， and exchange ideas. Almost all conferences， wherever they are held， have keynote speeches and topic－ concentrated or birds-of-a-feather sessions with alternative structures and arrangements for presentation and discussion. Most academic meeting organizers and hosts in Western countries count on conference registration fees and donations to cover site，equipment， conference program copies， and other related expenditures. They offer negotiated bargain hotel information， however， they seldom help the conferees to book hotels， nor help with catering. Chinese organizers and hosts， often backed up with funds from their authorities， usually provide quality accommodations， small gifts， and very nice catering， though they often have limited time for the conferees to present and discuss in the sessions. In comparison， conferences in China tend to be smaller in size，and have fewer formats except keynote speeches， panels， and paper presentations.
This paper focuses on the discussion of popular formats of international academic meetings， including the structures and processes of keynote speech， individual paper，poster， roundtable discussion， colloquium， panel， workshop， and field trip. The purpose of it is to enrich our knowledge about how academic exchanges may be processed through various meeting formats. An initial comparison is given to invite comments on their merits and limits， and about their applicability in China. The author believes that such discussion will help clarify confusions about conference structure and process， and therefore benefit the cultural， educational， and academic exchanges between Chinese and international scholars.
Popular International Academic Meeting Formats常见国际学术会议形式
In the international arena， popular academic meeting formats are keynote speech，individual paper， poster， roundtable， colloquium， panel， workshop， and field trip. Each kind carries special features. In the following， each of them is introduced briefly.
Keynote speech主旨发言
At academic conferences， the keynote address or keynote speech is delivered to set the underlying tone and summarize the core message or most important revelation of the event （ AHD ， 2000）. Very often seen at conferences there is only one keynote address for the whole program， though theoretically there may be more. In China， keynoters at one conference are often more than two， sometimes running beyond eight， sounding incredible to Western ears.
Usually， a keynote address runs from 45 to 60 minutes， plus a few-minute introduction and 10-15minute questions and answers. Keynote speeches are usually delivered by accomplished academics or celebrities invited by the conference organizing committees. Such speakers are carefully chosen to raise interest in a particular event and draw attention to that program. Selecting a keynote speaker who is well known for his or her expertise in a particular field， or whose name is widely recognized due to his or her accomplishments， will probably raise enthusiasm among prospective participants in a conference. For this reason， keynoters are often paid with honorariums.
Individual paper论文宣读
Paper presentations are the most widely used conference format. Annual， biennial，or triennial conferences held by organizations such as AERA-American Educational Research Association， AAAL-the American Association for Applied Linguistics，EAIE-the European Association for International Education， IAPS-the International Association for Political Science， or ISPP-International Society of Political Psychology offer formal paper presentations on original research by one or more authors within a thirty-minute period， including time for discussion. Paper presentations are usually organized into sessions of 2-4 papers that discuss similar topics， lasting 1-2 hours. Presenters within a session are responsible for chairing the session together. The presenters may decide to co-chair the entire session together or otherwise coordinate who will chair each particular presentation within a session.
Paper sessions are also popular in China. Basically， it follows the procedures applied by the international peers. The only problem is： conferees are often limited to 10-minutes presentation each， which often cuts their airtime to less than 8 minutes to allow a few questions and answers.
Poster壁报交流
Posters are for one-on-one discussion of research. Posters are especially effective for presenting results of empirical research if data can be presented visually （e. g.charts， graphs， tables）. A block of time is designated when presenters are all available to discuss or visit the posters. Posters provide opportunities to include more presenters and topics in the program and for extended discussion with other researchers across disciplines （AAAL， 2013）.
Posters are also popular with many Western organizations as named above. However， they have been less seen in China as proper academic conference presentation measures. Perhaps， along with the advancement of technologies such as large-size printing and led display， posters will be introduced with cheap and easy accesses to demonstration.
Roundtable圆桌讨论
Roundtable sessions are a comparatively new format in recent decades. They present an opportunity for informal， more in-depth discussions between presenters and attendees on a specific topic. They are particularly good for works-in-progress. Roundtable sessions are about one-hour long. They may be held in a large room with several sessions taking place simultaneously at different tables. Each table may be organized by strand. Two to three presenters will be assigned to a table and each table may seat up to twelve attendees. Each roundtable presenter will spend no longer than 8 minutes speaking on his/her topic. The purpose is to address a topic in such a way as to engender whole group discussion.
Presenters deliver their talks in turn， after which they engage in extended discussion with the other attendees at the table. The advantage of roundtable sessions is that they allow for stimulating conversations and networking opportunities among participants on shared research interests. There will be no roundtable session chairs. Presenters at a table will be responsible for facilitating the session together （AAAL， 2013）.
Colloquium深度讨论
Colloquium allows for extended discussion on a particular topic. Usually， colloquia are presented in two different blocks of time： 1 hour and 30 minutes or 3 hours. Colloquium organizers must designate the specific time block for the proposed colloquium. Because the purpose of this format is to foster dialogue among attendees，time should be allocated for extended audience discussion of the papers presented. Colloquium organizers serve as the liaison between participants in the colloquium and the program committee， and are therefore responsible for communication among these participants （AAAL， 2013）. For these good reasons， the size of a colloquium is better limited under 20.
Panel专题讨论
Panel sessions are very often seen at conferences. Usually， it involves up to five panelists to comment on a specific topic. They may challenge each other in a discussion moderated by a session chair. Since they are more open and interactive than a papers session， they are especially good for a problem-oriented approach to a topic that encourages panelists to take different perspectives， offer different solutions and generally open out the topic .”（RGS）
It is important for a panel to have a tight focus or value proposition so that the audience can follow and get something out of it. The ideal length for a panel discussion is 45 minutes to one hour without slide show. The ideal number of participants is 4-5，plus a moderator. However， longer time， about 90 minutes， is necessary if there are six people with slide shows. Everyone on the panel would become anxious about getting enough time to air their views if there be too many panelists.
A successful panel needs a strong moderator whose role is very different from that of a panelist. The moderator must have a sense of how to structure his or her questions and juggle the different points of view because his/her duty is to guide the conversation， not being the star. S /he must have a good sense of pacing： how long each panelist should talk， how long she should dedicate to each topic before moving on， and how to approach questions from the audience. An outstanding moderator is one who talks sufficiently while avoiding talking too much.
Workshop工作坊
Workshops are different from paper presentations. A workshop is mostly a demonstration or performance to show how to do something. For instance， in a Total Physical Response teaching method workshop， a leader will demonstrate how to help learners understand something by using body movements， facial expressions， or gestures. Other participants may observe， imitate， and give comments and suggestions. A writing workshop may analyze samples of poor or good writings， and suggest ways of organizing ideas， making outlines， and presenting details.
Symposium专题讨论
A symposium is an educational gathering where people get together to discuss thoughts and exchange ideas， rather than to be lectured. It is meant not simply as a chance to present finished work， but more importantly as an opportunity for scholars to share work in progress with other scholars and with an engaged audience （ GWU，2007）. Participants see how other scholars working on similar or parallel questions，construct their objects of study， handle evidence and interpretation， and make arguments about the significance of their work. They should seek substantial feedback from others about the persuasiveness of their work， as well as suggestions about other ways of understanding it. Presenters should feel free to solicit help from the audience who should feel empowered by offering their scholarly responses to the work they hear. Both sides are welcome to disagree， to explore unanticipated connections between their work， to consider the nuances or significance of the work presented， or engage in any other kind of free and frank discussion.
A symposium needs a moderator who should be an established scholar in the field. The moderator must be able to help identify and consolidate interesting results of the discussion.
Field trip实地考察
A field trip is an expedition， as by a group of students or research workers， to study something at first hand to gain firsthand knowledge. There are many kinds of field trips， such as visiting a research lab， a factory， touring around a village of some indigenous people， visiting a museum or a historical site， etc. Some field trips tend to be casual and relaxed， while others are well-organized with specific duties for participants. Many academic meeting organizers today add culture tours to their conference agendas to invite participation.
Other formats其他形式
There are some less formal conference formats， such as welcome reception， books promotion or new book launching parties， breakfast get-together， luncheons， and graduate student exchange events. They are usually offered with snacks and soft drinks by conference organizers， sponsors， or hosts， some charging a fee. Welcome receptions are of course provided by the conference organizers and sponsors. The second one may be sponsored by publishing houses， universities， or any institutions that have special interest to promote new publications. Breakfast get-together may be sponsored by special interest groups to offer opportunities to make friends or renew friendship. Graduate student get-togethers are informal yet extremely active sessions for young scholars to share their feelings， concerns， and thoughts. These formats are gradually introduced to China along with the developments of the economics. At the 2009 China Association for Intercultural Communication Biennial Conference， there appeared the first New Books Introduction session.
The Applications of these Formats in China
The conference organizations and structures are somewhat different in China as the social-cultural setting is different. Keynote speech is one of the regular formats seen in all Chinese academic conferences， which follows addresses by high-rank government officers. The other popular one is paper presentation. Almost all conference organizers follow this pattern. While having a single keynoter is often the case in many international conferences， there may be six， or even eight， keynoters for a Chinese conference，each of whom would just talk for about 20 minutes with a few minutes for questions and answers. While it is courteous of the host to invite more keynote speakers， such arrangement is difficult for any speaker to elaborate his or her thoughts on an important topic concerned by the audience. As a keynote session cannot go beyond two hours， the time for the audience to ask questions and get feedback is very limited if there are a number of keynote speakers scheduled in the same session.
As the most widely used format， paper presentation is popular with Chinese scholars. Many conference organizers have tried to insure that presenters have 10-15 minutes each to introduce their studies and invite feedbacks. However， in many cases as experienced by the author， the time for each was reduced to 7-10 minutes because the presenters were“packed like sardines” into sections. The problems are caused by limited room availability for concurrent section presentations and perhaps tight schedules to save time and money.
Poster and round-table discussion formats in China are not popular yet. Perhaps，individual presenters did not want to make posters because it cost money while it would not be weighed as valuable. With the help of computers， it will be easier and more economic to arrange poster sessions. Round-table discussions are easy to arrange，however， it does not sound as authoritative as paper presentations. In fact round-tables are useful for graduate students and scholars to get help for their on-going works from fellows in the same field.
Colloquium is still a less familiar thing to Chinese conferees. It is good for in-depth discussion on a topic that involves issues to be addressed from different perspectives. In social sciences， it is valuable to stimulate new ideas about lasting and emerging issues.
Panel is a word often misused interchangeably with paper presentation by Chinese conferees. One can often find a chair-like person to hold a panel in a Chinese conference who judges on the speakers （which s/he should not do） while they present their papers！ The commentator is “missing”.
Comments评价
In China， well-organized， formal and gorgeous opening sessions are of non-exemption for any academic conferences. Closing sessions are always followed with heart-warmed banquets. They are heavily loaded with talks by government officers or VIPS from sponsor and host agencies. Usually， such recognition activities occupy about one eighths of the conference time. Such arrangements are typically socio-cultural， and will have to be respected if the Chinese academic associations continue counting on outside supports for their academic meetings.
There have been few book promotions， new book launches， breakfast get-together， luncheons， and events exclusively designed for graduate student exchanges. These activities are highly effective for bird-of-a-feather communication and thought probing； they can be scheduled flexibly in light of conferees’ schedules， and will not cause much extra expenditures.
Suggestions建议
In light of the above comments， the author humbly make the following suggests. It is out of the goodwill that we Chinese in the academia will have more and better-organized conferences to share the fruits of our intellectual labors.
1. Have one or two keynote speeches only for each conference.
2. Set up more concurrent paper presentation sections so that the participants can have more time to share their thoughts.
3. Introduce posters with the convenience of computers. Offer more round-table discussion opportunities for participants to share their ideas.
4. Hold panels with both moderators and commentators. Let the speakers air their views on a topic， and invite questions and comments from the audience.
5. Experiment with colloquiums and symposiums.
6. Have new book promotions， breakfast get⁃together， luncheons， and other events exclusively designed for birds⁃of⁃a⁃feather scholars and graduate students. They are highly cost-effective if they are organized well.
It is true that any conference format has its special usage. The author believes it is a good time for Chinese academic people to create and apply more meeting formats in addition to officer talks， keynote addresses， and paper presentations. The author is glad to see that some new formats， such as senior scholars’ forums， workshops， and new book promotions， are to be offered in the 10th CAFIC-China Association for Intercultural Communication International Conference sponsored by Hainan University and Hainan Translators Association on November 21-24. For the first time， this organization invites and organizes special sessions for participants who would use a language other than Chinese or English. It marks an ideological change about how such academic meetings could be better organized to match the ever changing needs in the academia.
Sometimes we might complain that the translations of particular terms could not convey the original meanings properly， which would cause misapplication. Better Chinese translation of the above English terms on conference format may appear later，the authors of this paper believe， when more sholars are involved in this discussion. It will lead to more creative and better conference formats for use.
RGS-Royal Geographical Society. Suggested conference session formats： Panel sessions. http://www. rgs. org/NR/rdonlyres/9974DE9E-CBAD-4884-948C-EF9AACCE85E7/0 /SuggestedFormat＿PanelSessions. pdf.
AHD － American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language （2000）. Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company.
AAAL-the American Association for Applied Linguistics （2013 ）. AAAL 2014 Call for Proposals . http://www. aaal. org/displaycommon. cfm？ an ＝ 1＆subarticlenbr＝ 120.
Random House Dictionary. Random House， Inc. 2013.
GWU-George Washington University. （2007）. University Writing Program. http：／／www. gwu. edu/～ capstone /symposium/presentation＿styles. htm.
冯源， Ph. D. （ the University of Washington）， Professor of Applied Linguistics and Intercultural Communication， Hainan University； Executive vice chair of the 10th CAFIC International Conference （ Haikou， China， Nov. 21-24，2013 ）. Email：feng1989＠ hotmail. com
侯嘉睿， graduate student in the program of Foreign Language Studies and Applied Linguistics in Hainan University Tourism College. Email： loveericforever＠ qq. com