Presentation - I don't want to be arsey

[ImJustMadAboutSaffron]

I'm working on a presentation I'm delivering at a symposium in about three weeks' time. This is a joint presentation with a colleague. The colleague doesn't have a PhD. Would you put on the front intro slide:

Jim Brown (job title) and Saffron MellowYellow (job title) or
Mr Jim Brown (job title) and Dr Saffron MellowYellow (job title) ??

It's assumed I have a doctorate anyway but I don't want to look like "pulling rank" especially as Jim has done the majority of the work and came up with the topic. The order of names is alphabetical.

Thanks.

I’d use Dr personally.

I’d ask him.

Something struck me - maybe I'm only bloody questioning this because I am a woman! I bet a man wouldn't.

@CindersAgain good point thanks.

Personally I dislike the use of honorifics/titles in most workplace (and quite a lot of personal!) circumstances. It's just very formal, stuffy and unnecessary to me. So I'd do job titles myself, unless you have particularly vague or meaningless job titles this will do the job you need it to of explaining to the audience who you both are and your relationship to each other, and like you say everyone knows or assumes you have a doctorate anyway so no need to push it down people's throats.

@maxelly I like that idea and agree with you. I think I will suggest job titles. Thank you.

Job titles are good but absolutely use your Dr title - it gives credibility assuming relevant to your presentation

Is a symposium a smaller discussion like event rather than a large conference? Are you all quite familiar is that why it’s assumed they know you have a phd? If so I wouldn’t bother with titles.

However if it’s the norm on these occasions to have titles then absolutely use Dr. Will Jim get the credit for the work?

You have worked bloody hard to earn that title. Use it!

You are Dr Saffron so why can't you call yourself Dr Saffron? If he's done most of the work then I'd absolutely put his name first. All this 'is it because I'm a woman' bollocks is, quite frankly, bollocks. You haven't even spoken to him about it but now you're automatically assuming he's going to have a problem with it. You're creating tension and problems where there are none.
If you're that worried let him do the presentation slides and let's see what he comes up with or if he discusses it with you. Don't just naturally call misogyny and sexism without even letting him be misogynistic or sexist ffs

@Lndnmummy totally agree! This wouldn’t be a question if you were a man!

You bloody well use your Dr title!!!!!

You worked hard for that, it IS who you are in a professional capacity. Most (not all) men wouldn't even think twice about this if the situation was reversed.

You are not taking anything away from your colleague to have yourself addressed appropriately on the presentation.

Please please do not diminish yourself.

I think your first option is fine. Jim Brown (job title) and Saffron MellowYellow (job title), but if you're main author/presenter or will be speaking most, I'd expect your name to be first.

I go to a lot of conferences where the participants are generally professionally qualified often with multiple certifications and probably around 30-50% have PhDs. I don't think people generally use titles but will say what certifications they have because that's what is relevant. Most of the PhDs aren't directly related to their current work.

Yes Jim will get the credit for the work, I am introducing the presentation and he is delivering most of the rest.

Mr and Dr. Speaking from personal experience, if you're a woman, chances are most people will drop the Dr from your name anyway! Let them do it themselves afterwards, you don't have to do it for them lol

I wouldn’t use titles and if it’s a joint presentation and they’ve done the work they should go first. Sex is irrelevant here. No-one looks good taking credit for a junior colleagues work. If you insist on using your title and putting them second, I do hope that you are clear in your presentation that the ideas / work were not yours.

Perhaps putting 'name Ph.D' is an alternative. I'm LP9 D.Phil on my external email signature and presentations. Maybe it's my own personal view but I find people tend to use Dr when they are more junior and move to PhD when they become some senior in my industry.

Surely you’ve submitted a bio with your credentials? Scientific presentations and papers don’t usually include honorifics

From Oxford?

Not quite, we completed a form to put in the proposal and had to put our details on there rather than a full bio. This is the actual presentation we are delivering, that we are putting together ourselves. I'm adding my slides before we meet to discuss. My colleague has done the intro slide and put Jim Brown and Dr Saffron on it.

Yeah, kinda gives it away! But the number of people who've told me I'm not qualified for something because I don't have a PhD 😂

Is it important for the audience to know you have a PhD? If not just put your names.

I agree, I used Dr when younger and now use Breadbin Ph.D.
I’m not a medical doctor so using the suffix avoids that confusion that still occurs for some people when using the term Dr.

@Friendlybreadbin Yes, having to explain that you can't sort out their bad back!

Ask Jim, I do think his name should go first as doing the majority of the work.

Mr Jim Brown (job title) and Dr Saffron MellowYellow (job title

No doubt. Why wouldn't you use your Dr title?!

You can bet your bottom dollar a man wouldn't think twice about this.