i have to give a tour on thursday to a bunch of bitchy sorority-type co-workers and am dreading it. how to fill 20 minutes when the only thing i'll get back is the vapid look on their faces?
― jergins, Wednesday, 3 December 2008 01:16 (fifteen years ago) link
two months into this job I got sent to teach a week-long class on how to do this job to a bunch of our nato buddymen. I ran out of prepared slides on day two. I ruled. It was a blast.
― El Tomboto, Wednesday, 3 December 2008 01:28 (fifteen years ago) link
stop being such a sourpuss and HAVE FUN
― :) Mrs Edward Cullen XD (max), Wednesday, 3 December 2008 01:29 (fifteen years ago) link
slide one MY NAME IS THISslide two THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO TELL YOUslide three through eight THIS IS WHAT I'M TELLING YOUslide nine THIS IS WHAT I JUST TOLD YOUslide ten ANY QUESTIONS? MY E-MAIL IS THIS
― El Tomboto, Wednesday, 3 December 2008 01:30 (fifteen years ago) link
really the hardest part of a good presentation/demo is streamlining everything
― El Tomboto, Wednesday, 3 December 2008 01:31 (fifteen years ago) link
ok max
― jergins, Wednesday, 3 December 2008 01:32 (fifteen years ago) link
This video is fantastic:
http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58703/winston1.html
― polyphonic, Wednesday, 3 December 2008 01:56 (fifteen years ago) link
Ha! I gave a competent talk after 90 minutes sleep! ZING.
thanks for that link, btw polyphonic. I actually used a couple of those tips (including starting with a promise)
― caek, Thursday, 4 December 2008 14:00 (fifteen years ago) link
i had to give a presentation to two people in an interview recently. Shat my pants for hours beforehand but in the minutes before I had to go on I felt really good and confident. Half way through and things were rocking, it was going well.
And suddenly they started asking questions from the floor and it threw me completely, and basically my arse went for rest of the show.
I didn't get the job.
― Ant Attack.. (Ste), Thursday, 4 December 2008 14:06 (fifteen years ago) link
Unexpected questions during talks really knock the wind out of my sails too, but in this one I was told to present a 45 minute talk in a one hour slot and expect questions during the talk (people are encouraged to stop you when they don't understand something rather than wait until the end). Apparently I held them rapt:
Excellent talk! You're in the august company of $famous_astronomer, the only other speaker I know of to have had no questions during his talk.
: )
― caek, Thursday, 4 December 2008 14:52 (fifteen years ago) link
slide one THIS IS THE NAME OF THE PRESENTATIONslide two THIS IS THE NAME OF THE COMPANY FROM WHICH THE PERSON PRESENTING HAILSslide three MY NAME IS THISslide four MY TITLE IS THISslide five through seven THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO TELL YOUslide eight through eleven THIS IS WHAT I'M TELLING YOUslide twelve through fifteen THIS IS WHAT I JUST TOLD YOUside sixteen LOOK A PRETTY PICTURE THAT SUMS IT ALL UPslide seventeen ANY QUESTIONS? MY E-MAIL IS THISslide eighteen THE END
― very quotatious (tehresa), Thursday, 4 December 2008 14:57 (fifteen years ago) link
I dunno, my talk had 55 slides
― caek, Thursday, 4 December 2008 15:02 (fifteen years ago) link
slides eight through eleven can be expanded.
― very quotatious (tehresa), Thursday, 4 December 2008 15:04 (fifteen years ago) link
I have to give a presentation on Friday, and the best title I have come up with so far is "Who are these people?"
The handouts have to be printed tomorrow. Could I possibly just go with this title and hope that people think it's funny?
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 04:58 (twelve years ago) link
dooo it dooo it
― oneohtrix and park (m bison), Wednesday, 11 January 2012 05:05 (twelve years ago) link
That is the answer I needed, thank you most sincerely!
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 05:05 (twelve years ago) link
This is totally under control now. Staying with "Who are these people?" because it p much sums up my purpose for giving this presentation. It's only an hour, not worth sweating whatsoever.
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 19:26 (twelve years ago) link
IMO, the worst sin you can commit in a presentation is to fill up your slides with text that says exactly the same thing you are saying aloud. Instead, put that pure textual shit in a handout. A slide is only useful to illustrate your point. If there is no useful visual information in it, leave it out.
Then concentrate on making the words useful to your audience. Connect what you are saying to a problem they recognize as a problem and explain why and how the info you're showing and telling them will assist them in solving it. If the group is small enough,consider allowing questions during the presentation, so you can clarify at each step of the way. Ask," is that clear", before moving on.
If the answer to any question is "I don't know, but I can find out", then say that and move on. If you're given 20 minutes but can do it in 10, avoid the temptation to pad it, or stretch it out. Be clear. Be brief. Say 'thank you' and get the hell out.
― Aimless, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 19:58 (twelve years ago) link
I guess you don't need to take my speech class ;)
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:01 (twelve years ago) link
Sorry, La Lechera. That wasn't specifically directed at you, but more of a general venting/advice on the general thread topic.
"Who are these people?" sounds fine for a title.
― Aimless, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:01 (twelve years ago) link
Seen dozens of presenters who ignored the one about pure textual slides. Deadening. Utterly wretched experience each and every time.
― Aimless, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:03 (twelve years ago) link
I know! I was just kidding!! You are so right, and that's why I teach that very same concept to my students. I want this presentation to be more of an outline for the brainstorming/workshop part of what I want to do. And I also want to avoid giving away all my best stuff in the ppt so people who don't attend the presentation will wish they had attended.
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:03 (twelve years ago) link
Either way, it's only an hour. Not a big deal.
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:04 (twelve years ago) link
I sat through a presentation last year about "student engagement" that had a FULL HOUR of ice breaker out of a 3 hour presentation. WTF.
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:05 (twelve years ago) link
I was not engaged.
Your presentation will be marvelously received if you hand out ice cream.
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:05 (twelve years ago) link
IMO, the worst sin you can commit in a presentation is to fill up your slides with text that says exactly the same thing you are saying aloud.
yeah, this. My boss and I always remark on it. You'd think it was the old people with a dim understanding of Powerpoint who consistently screw this up but no.
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:06 (twelve years ago) link
The guy who had the 60 minute ice breaker also gave away a stuffed dog as a "prize" and showed a motivational sports video.
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:08 (twelve years ago) link
I learned more about holding an audience as a drama student than I ever learned in a speech class. For public speaking it is all about timing and pace. And rehearsal!
― Aimless, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:09 (twelve years ago) link
My most significant tip is KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE and show them that you know them in one way or another.
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:09 (twelve years ago) link
Damn straight. protip.
― Aimless, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:11 (twelve years ago) link
I tell new teachers/instructors that our profession is really just acting.
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:13 (twelve years ago) link
...except when it's really just applied psychology.
― Aimless, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:14 (twelve years ago) link
xp - True in part, but imo it's also connecting with people in a real and genuine way, esp. if your classes are not in a content area but are more skill-based. It's not a The Teacher Show, it's a collaboration.
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:17 (twelve years ago) link
does skill based have a hyphen? i don't know. i don't even care, really.
Has anyone here used prezi? I'm tempted to use it for some presentations I have to do this semester but I'm a bit intimidated by the possibility of not using powerpoint, oddly.
― salsa shark, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 20:30 (twelve years ago) link
I have to give an hour-long presentation in St Petersburg to about eighty university heads, teachers and government officials with variable levels of English. I don't really have anything to tell them. I can't really bring myself to be nervous about it but i have no idea how it's going to go.
― Mohombi Khush Hua (ShariVari), Wednesday, 11 January 2012 22:01 (twelve years ago) link
^^^This is one case where the "minimal text on your slides" approach is to be avoided ime. When I was lecturing in China this summer the main advice I got from more experienced hands was not to say anything that's not on the slide because if you do, many of the students won't be able to follow.
― questino (seandalai), Wednesday, 11 January 2012 23:03 (twelve years ago) link
True in part, but imo it's also connecting with people in a real and genuine way, esp. if your classes are not in a content area but are more skill-based. It's not a The Teacher Show, it's a collaboration.
sure but good acting is too!
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 11 January 2012 23:05 (twelve years ago) link
^^^This is one case where the "minimal text on your slides" approach is to be avoided ime. When I was lecturing in China this summer the main advice I got from more experienced hands was not to say anything that's not on the slide because if you do, many of the students won't be able to follow.Good example of "know your audience".
Also I don't know the first thing about acting, so I will take your word for it Alfred. I always imagine myself tap dancing up there when I'm just kinda trying to get/keep their attention.
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 23:12 (twelve years ago) link
look at this adorable picture of gene kelly!
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/30632449.jpg
― La Lechera, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 23:14 (twelve years ago) link
I give presentations at work. My powerpoints are awesome.
― Jeff, Thursday, 12 January 2012 02:00 (twelve years ago) link
I like prezi, and have always had a positive response when I've used it. It's more visually engaging than powerpoint, and keeps you from being overly reliant on text.
― Nicole, Thursday, 12 January 2012 02:18 (twelve years ago) link
I once took a whole college economimcs class til the final presentation (=final exam) and then ditched the exam b/c of stage fright!
― Ed Love (rip van wanko), Thursday, 12 January 2012 03:23 (twelve years ago) link
Oh god, studio reps give presentations most Thurs/Fri at work and 99.5% of them just read off the powerpoint. Half of them TRAVEL to us to give them, and it's like they're seeing the slides for the first time when they give the presentation, it's maddening.
My favorite reps put up the powerpoint and then actually tell you cool stuff about the movies, or tell us their honest opinion of the movies. It's so much more pleasant when that happens.
The worst is when the quarterly presentations come out with charts and statistics and zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
― Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 12 January 2012 03:36 (twelve years ago) link
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh done! It went well, we ran out of chairs because so many people showed up, it was definitely the beginning of a conversation rather than the beginning and end of an informative session. Good class! I'm competent. Yaay.
― La Lechera, Friday, 13 January 2012 22:12 (twelve years ago) link
I wish all of my classes were only an hour long though, geez.
My presentation went relatively well, i think. There was lots of nodding and laughing in the appropriate places. That said, i spent the rest of the day nodding and laughing at presentations in Russian i only understood about 20% of, so that's not necessarily a great guide.
I wasn't nervous in the slightest, which surprised me. This may have had something to do with drinking a concoction that was equal parts double espresso and Moldovan cognac at 9:30am to prepare myself.
The chief presenter referred to me as her 'young and very handsome' colleague three times, which was over-egging the pudding rather.
Everything was going swimmingly until it turned out that they hadn't paid for the conference hall, the filming or lunch and i was expected to come up with roughly US$1000 in cash, which is not particularly easy to do at short notice in the middle of St Petersburg.
― Mohombi Khush Hua (ShariVari), Saturday, 28 January 2012 13:19 (twelve years ago) link