Reading the Room
Before joining a scholarly debate, learn its history, participants, and current disagreements. This context helps you understand what a claim adds and whether earlier work has already addressed it.
THE IDEA
Why We Call This “Reading the Room”
“Read the room!” is the common rebuke to someone who jumps into a conversation without understanding its history or participants. It’s also good advice when wandering into scholarly debates.
Why? Expert agreement and disagreement change over time. Scholarly conversations have a history. New issues arise, and experts propose a variety of explanations. In their field, they are expected to argue for those ideas in ways that allow others to review and challenge their work. Over time, experts come to various conclusions. A question might initially provoke uncertainty among experts, then competing theories. Certain approaches win out. What starts out as a competing theory might become consensus, or a majority theory. Likewise, from the fringe, people may make claims but not engage in the conversation in ways that abide by scholarly norms. Trying to figure this out can be a challenge. When you first wander into a new issue, you may think you are responding to a paper or a claim. In fact, you are wandering into an ongoing conversation.
The phrase “reading the expert room?” draws on a familiar situation: you arrive late to a party or dinner to find everyone deep in vigorous conversation. Asking a friend what’s going on, you find out that the discussion has been in progress for hours.
Do you just jump in with your opinion? Or do you take a few minutes to understand what that conversation has covered until now, who the participants are, and the positions these people hold? You’re trying to figure out what issues are resolved (the things that will elicit a communal groan if you drag the conversation back to them) and the things that are of current interest. If you follow the same practices when entering a scholarly conversation, you’ll benefit richly from the room’s expertise.
When to use it
Before writing a literature review, familiarize yourself with the historical development and current debates in the topic.
In a conference Q&A session, listen to the discussion first to avoid asking already-answered questions.
When starting a new research project, identify the major theoretical camps and their arguments to position your work properly.
When joining an online academic forum, read previous posts and threads to understand the community's norms and active discussions.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Party Metaphor
You arrive late to a party or dinner to find everyone deep in vigorous conversation. Asking a friend what’s going on, you find out that the discussion has been in progress for hours. Instead of jumping in with your opinion, you take a few minutes to understand what has been covered so far and who the participants are.
Entering a New Academic Field
When starting a new research project, read key review papers and recent literature to understand the main debates and settled questions before offering your own contribution.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
How can you assess whether an issue is settled or still debated in a scholarly field?
What strategies can you use to quickly catch up on a conversation's history before contributing?
When have you experienced 'reading the room' in an academic setting, and how did it affect your participation?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Verified How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online (Mike Caulfield, Sam Wineburg)