[zeromq-dev] 0mq in Moscow

[Pieter Hintjens]

On Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 4:49 PM, gonzalo diethelm <gdiethelm at dcv.cl> wrote:

> Just curious: how do you guys handle presentations then?
>
> Disclaimer: I am part of the big corporate world... But I am also
> interested in improving the way I present material to an audience.

Personally, I just walk around and talk to the audience.  No slides,
and keeping the lights on.  If you are in a meeting room, sit next to
the whiteboard and draw diagrams.  Usually it's far easier to get into
questions like that, and some presentations can end up mostly Q&A,
which is ideal.

One approach is to learn to build a structure that matches the time
you have and stick to it, while pulling in stuff from people who
presented before you, from questions, etc. So a 5-minute talk is "say
what you will say, then say it, then recapitulate" whereas in a
15-minute talk you can cover three main points.

In general, less is more, stick to your key points and repeat them
using suitable body language (stand, don't sit), expression (smile),
gestures (hands), whatever emphasis helps.

Groups like Toastmasters are very helpful for improving your public
speaking skills.

That's my experience, anyhow.

-Pieter