Zoom honoraria?

[fourhats]

I have a different take on this.

I've been asked to give a number of Zoom talks since the spring, often at very well-known universities and organizations. Normally this would include travel, sometimes quite far. All of those expenses would be covered. Usually the funds for this are from endowed funds, and they include quite large audiences.

However, each talk or keynote I give requires sometimes a week or more to write. They do not want a canned talk that I've given elsewhere, or what I would say to an advanced class. It's a lot of research, work, practice and presentation. It often involves developing a slideshow of material I've gathered myself and put together. I'm a known scholar in my field and do not need to add another line to my CV.

I expect, for the most part, to get paid for this work.

[polly_mer]

As I've tried to explain above, the normal scholar-visit is 4 days and includes a ton of activities.  And what we are considering is something ENTIRELY DIFFERENT:  a Zoom talk.   So I don't see your point.

My points include:

* Distinguished people who have a canned speech ready do much less work for giving any one instance of the talk than people who do interesting work and this is the only seminar they will give this year.

* What's the benefit to the scholar doing interesting work to give one Zoom seminar when traditionally they would get several days interacting with rising scholars and established people?  You're paying virtually nothing at this point for a much less useful and less enjoyable experience.

* Coming from some of the discussion regarding adjunct treatment to here, one plausible scenario is you might be thinking of having adjuncts employed elsewhere prepare a one-off talk for a fairly small amount on a per prep hour basis that doesn't even give them real exposure in the field.

[bento]

As I've tried to explain above, the normal scholar-visit is 4 days and includes a ton of activities.  And what we are considering is something ENTIRELY DIFFERENT:  a Zoom talk.   So I don't see your point.

My points include:

* Distinguished people who have a canned speech ready do much less work for giving any one instance of the talk than people who do interesting work and this is the only seminar they will give this year.

* What's the benefit to the scholar doing interesting work to give one Zoom seminar when traditionally they would get several days interacting with rising scholars and established people? You're paying virtually nothing at this point for a much less useful and less enjoyable experience.

* Coming from some of the discussion regarding adjunct treatment to here, one plausible scenario is you might be thinking of having adjuncts employed elsewhere prepare a one-off talk for a fairly small amount on a per prep hour basis that doesn't even give them real exposure in the field.

This is all lurid speculation based on nothing I've written, and contradicting most of it.  I admit defeat at the hands of your dark imaginings.

I posted asking for ideas about a Zoom talk honorarium.  It somehow got turned into a villainous plan to exploit underpaid workers.  So let's just leave it at this: yes, I am a blood-sucking tick who wants to exploit vulnerable people in my field, just because I can.   I will offer them 25 cents and hope they are desperate enough.  Off to drink the blood of my most recent victims.

[Aster]

Between $200-500

[fizzycist]

Wtf, is this field specific or am I living in a cave?

I've never taken nor been offered an honorarium for giving a colloquium or seminar.

And when I was organizing our colloquia, I never offered an honorarium, not even to Nobel Prize winners, and never had one solicited from me. We are at a non-elite state school--maybe ppl felt bad asking?

I consider giving these talks service work. I say yes enough to feel like I am giving back. I can't travel much so I've turn down a healthy amount, but for zoom I say yes most of the time. Granted I mostly just give one of two canned talks with small updates from time to time. I suppose if someone wanted me to speak on some new topic that required me to do a bunch of prep I would just say no, but that rarely comes up.

[nonsensical]

I expect, for the most part, to get paid for this work.

I am asking this question sincerely, though I realize it may come across sarcastically in text: What does your salary cover? I think of presenting my research as part of my regular job duties for which my own university pays me, in part because my university benefits when I go out and look fancy and highlight the work that's being done here. But I also think that reviewing for journals is part of my regular job duties, the same way other types of service are, and I think others disagree. For you, does your salary cover only work done at your institution? Only teaching, with anything research-related needing to be paid separately? Something else entirely?

[Ruralguy]

It's pretty common in the sciences at a variety of schools. Although,I was never myself offered one.

[Vkw10]

OP is asking a scholar who does interesting work to spend 30-45 minutes talking about work he loves to a group of students and scholars who are likely to listen, then spend 15 minutes asking intelligent questions. He can offer the scholar a small token of appreciation for talking about a topic that the scholar is passionate about with an interested audience passionate about similar topics.

Offer $250 - $500 for 60-90 minutes. Less than $250 isn't worth the time spent doing paperwork together check cut. More then $500 is excessive given that you've been giving similar scholars $2000 to spend four days doing similar work.

Many of us like talking about our work with other scholars. That's what OP is offering, the chance to spend an enjoyable hour talking to and with people who share our interests. The money is lagniappe in this circumstance.

FYI, if the money were the key inducement, I'd want at least $4000 to compensate me for the prep time. Maybe more, since I'm stuck in front of my computer for another hour without the opportunity to explore OP's charming city and enjoy the admiration of his respectful graduate students.

[Ruralguy]

"Honorarium" really, to me, suggests that this is meant as a (very modest) token of appreciation, not a market driven or labor cost driven calculation. That being said, yes, "just a talk" to me speaks to "less than 1K". All that other stuff starts driving towards  5K or more, even outside of a speakers' bureau.

[Cheerful]

"Honorarium" really, to me, suggests that this is meant as a (very modest) token of appreciation, not a market driven or labor cost driven calculation.

+1  $500

[fourhats]

I am asking this question sincerely, though I realize it may come across sarcastically in text: What does your salary cover? I think of presenting my research as part of my regular job duties for which my own university pays me, in part because my university benefits when I go out and look fancy and highlight the work that's being done here. But I also think that reviewing for journals is part of my regular job duties, the same way other types of service are, and I think others disagree. For you, does your salary cover only work done at your institution? Only teaching, with anything research-related needing to be paid separately? Something else entirely?

Yes, of course my salary covers the normal things that faculty do. I write and review for journals, do tenure and promotion reviews, and so forth. However, we also have endowed funds to bring in the heavy hitters. The honorarium can be up to a few thousand dollars or more for them. Lately I've been getting around $500, but I've been offered more in the past, and I've also done some for free.

[mahagonny]

Interesting because I was recently asked to do a brief presentation, recorded (not interactive) and I was offered an amount that worked out to $150/hour, maybe more. Prep time was virtually zero and meant mostly that I made sure the lighting in the room was OK and I wasn't wearing a wrinkled dress shirt. In my income bracket I thought this was pretty good money, generous even. The guy said he didn't know how much would be appropriate and threw the figure out. I took it thinking 'if they're going to treat me nicely, I'm really going to put my heart into this little task." Frankly I might not even have asked for that much. Well, he's an old acquaintance and he's always been quite generous with money, given what he has available.
I did put my heart into it, and they were ecstatic about the results. So I think treating people as you would like to be treated is the way to go for you. And you should consider prep time.
It makes a difference when people working for you feel appreciated.
Of course the amount I mentioned is not fancy money, not for a person with a big big reputation in the field. But for them it might be just another gig. I did a better job.
William F. Buckley was asked how he ran the National Review on such a small budget compared with Time, Newsweek, et al. He answered 'I search high and low and I find dedicated people.'
So what's the dollar amount you should pay? As much as you can afford, but don't give to just anybody. Give it someone who's really happy to get the offer.

[lightning]

Interesting because I was recently asked to do a brief presentation, recorded (not interactive) and I was offered an amount that worked out to $150/hour, maybe more. Prep time was virtually zero and meant mostly that I made sure the lighting in the room was OK and I wasn't wearing a wrinkled dress shirt. In my income bracket I thought this was pretty good money, generous even. The guy said he didn't know how much would be appropriate and threw the figure out. I took it thinking 'if they're going to treat me nicely, I'm really going to put my heart into this little task." Frankly I might not even have asked for that much. Well, he's an old acquaintance and he's always been quite generous with money, given what he has available.
(I did put my heart into it, and they were ecstatic about the results). So I think treating people as you would like to be treated is the way to go for you. And you should consider prep time.
It makes a difference when people working for you feel appreciated.
Of course the amount I mentioned is not fancy money, not for a person with a big big reputation in the field. But for them it might be just another gig. I did a better job.
William F. Buckley was asked how he ran the National Review on such a small budget compared with Time, Newsweek, et al. He answered 'I search high and low and I find dedicated people.'
So what's the dollar amount you should pay? As much as you can afford, but don't give to just anybody. Give it someone who's really happy to get the offer.

This is good advice.

[arty_]

I'm in the visual arts at Rural Land Grant U. Outside artists/historians/experts who deliver Zoom lectures in people's classes are paid  from 0-$250, usually about 100-150 (classes range from 50 minutes to 3 hours, the zooms usually run 1-1.5 hours). 60-90 minute Webinar-style zooms for larger interdisc lectures by more well established individuals we are paying $250-$500.

[Hegemony]

I've done two Zoom talks this year, and was not paid for either of them. But they were for nice institutions that look dandy on my CV. I also did a extra-fancy Zoom presentation with elaborate PowerPoint, for a public library, and was paid $100.

Meanwhile, we've invited two scholars — graduates of our program who have moved on to good positions — for informal Zoom chats of an hour apiece that required no preparation. I just talk to them about their scholarly career, how they found their special subjects, etc. We pay $100 per chat, which is all we can afford. Both scholars volunteered to forgo the $100, but we pressed it on them anyway. It's not like anyone in our field is so magnificently paid that an extra $100 is not warranted.  If we were asking them to do a more elaborate presentation, we'd pay them more, but we'd also have to invite fewer because we're poor. E.g. we'd invite one person and pay her $200.