Anybody done university talks?
ngon master
I'm doing my first one tomorrow, a guest talk. Anybody got any tips or advice other than "don't say stupid stuff"?
i've got my presentation ready, i guess i'm just nervous.
i've got my presentation ready, i guess i'm just nervous.
Replies
Once you're up there, stand up, relax, you can walk around the place and talk at the same time, point at the image, move your arms.
Get to know your audience a little, ask them questions, have you ever played a game? did you guys play this game? etc etc. Maybe you'll learn something about them that makes it easier to explain stuff.
Never fear taking your time getting the things you want to say right. Even a paus of 5 seconds won't feel that long to them.
Most of all , have fun!
A few things I would recommend are:
1. Look for your audience within the audience. When I had to talk in front a thousand or two people this really helped me keep me nerves in check. In your audience there's always going to be someone who agrees with you most. People show it with their faces: nodding, smiling. You can even go ask a friend to do that. Concentrate on that person. Obviously constantly look around the room but just as you are about to reveal a new point that you think someone might not understand go right back to that person for a new dose of reassurance
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2. Naughty words. Seriously. I don't think that many of the people organizing my talks approve of this but I find that it's a great way to ease the tension and help everyone unwind. I'm not saying you should start cussing from the first minute, but about 5,10,20 minutes in, when it's appropriate and done a bit comically you can call something "shit" because it shows you care
Or you can just tell a joke, but that's too simple
Be organized (have a simple checklist). Be yourself. If there is Q & A and you do not know the answer (or are unsure)--reply by saying "I'm not sure about that, but I'll check into it and get back to you if you leave me your card." (or similar response). Don't "BS" people.
Do you know the background of the audience (age, focus)? Avoid being too technical if the audience is more "general." Avoid "four letter words" and jokes (unless you poke fun at yourself.)
A good rule is to not saying anything that you do not want to end up in print.
When you take the podium, thank everyone for inviting you, thank them for attending, and then tell them something interesting about yourself/your background to break the ice.
Good luck!
You're work is awesome man! You'll do great.
On a more serious note:
Practice your presentation at least two times (preferably a few days apart); once to get the serious glitches out, and once to get comfortable with the 'final draft' of it. The first one is good for things like timing checks, seeing if the audience (grab some friends for this) understands it, etcetera. I know that's not much help now, but it will be the next time.
Like monster says, leave room and time inbetween 'paragraphs' for questions. You don't have to explicitly state "any questions" every time, though. Just a simple "ok" and/or a look around the room will do once they get your pattern. Even just walking back to the center spot and leaving a few seconds of silence is a good cue.
It's quite important (for confidence and calm) that you remember most people will not be interested in everything you say, and some not interested in anything you say. After all, school classes aren't generally the most motivated listeners. Just find a couple of people that do seem genuinely curious around the room and kind of focus on them. This might even trick the subconscious in to thinking you're presenting to a smaller audience or something, I dunno.
AND DON'T FORGET TO PLUG POLYCOUNT.
Too much sugar coating in our schools in my opinion.
There is nothing more annoying than watching lecturers just facing the screen and reading every single word directly from the slides.
Face the class and be clear and don't fidget. I would recommend taking a bottle of water in with you as well as dry mouth is a killer
You will be fine, just imagine it is a large Hangout but without the fart noises lol
You'll probably do just fine!
nah you'll be great dude, you know your stuff!
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But seriously you will do fine. You know what you're talking about.
thanks for all the support, i had a killer time, had to give a four hour talk (split into two, two hour sessions) and then go round and give feedback to people, see what they were working on etc, give pointers.
was an awesome experience, i'd love to do it again!
thanks to the Derby University for having me!