Comments on: Prep time http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/ ... the online home of a librarian in Perth, Western Australia Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:36:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: isaak http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1415 isaak Tue, 08 Aug 2006 03:19:48 +0000 http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1415 Oh, definitely! My wife and I (plus baby Matthew) am looking forward to that as well if we do get to go to Perth. And maybe we can all go to Jaws to have lunch. :P Oh, definitely! My wife and I (plus baby Matthew) am looking forward to that as well if we do get to go to Perth. And maybe we can all go to Jaws to have lunch. :P

]]> By: CW http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1414 CW Sun, 06 Aug 2006 23:07:17 +0000 http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1414 Wow Isaak! If you do manage to come to Perth in September, we'll <i>have</i> to catch up! :) Wow Isaak! If you do manage to come to Perth in September, we’ll have to catch up! :)

]]> By: isaak http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1413 isaak Thu, 03 Aug 2006 02:21:27 +0000 http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1413 Don't need to panic, CW. I'm sure you'll do just fine.<br/><br/>My wife and I are actually planning if we can get leave to go to Perth for her to attend the Click06 conference as well as get a chance to hear you speak.<br/><br/>And also visit Jaws! :P Don’t need to panic, CW. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.

My wife and I are actually planning if we can get leave to go to Perth for her to attend the Click06 conference as well as get a chance to hear you speak.

And also visit Jaws! :P

]]> By: CW http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1412 CW Wed, 02 Aug 2006 23:32:14 +0000 http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1412 Quantum superpositions as Mars bars, huh? Thanks MR, I think I might have to go and see if I can find some of Dr Conway's talks online... I note that he is speaking at Online in Sydney early next year! (Now I wish I was going) Quantum superpositions as Mars bars, huh? Thanks MR, I think I might have to go and see if I can find some of Dr Conway’s talks online… I note that he is speaking at Online in Sydney early next year! (Now I wish I was going)

]]> By: MR http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1411 MR Wed, 02 Aug 2006 02:21:11 +0000 http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1411 Having seen Damian Conway talk on a number of occassions I can believe that he spends a considerable amount of time in preparation. I wouldn't be surprised if he expends more than 20 hours per hour of presentation.<br/><br/>His explanation of quantum superpositions defined in terms of kingsize, regular and mini Mars bars was particularly good. Having seen Damian Conway talk on a number of occassions I can believe that he spends a considerable amount of time in preparation. I wouldn’t be surprised if he expends more than 20 hours per hour of presentation.

His explanation of quantum superpositions defined in terms of kingsize, regular and mini Mars bars was particularly good.

]]> By: CW http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1410 CW Tue, 01 Aug 2006 23:25:20 +0000 http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1410 Thanks Fiona - I think I had better take the 20 hour prep advice. It would be too embarrassing to be less-than-well-prepared in front of a national audience. And that point about time is good for me to remember, too. The danger for me is getting carried away and talking too much (seriously!). My enthusiasm gets me starting to improvise and it's then all too easy to get off track. But if I am well prepared hopefully this means I stick to time.<br/><br/>Thanks for the vote of confidence, Alison :) I don't mind talking without notes (strangely enough) but I might have to use Fiona's tip about notecards to keep me in line a bit. I am going to have the interesting situation of doing two talks, one after another, and having to be sure I keep within the set limits. Thankfully they are on quite different topics! Thanks Fiona - I think I had better take the 20 hour prep advice. It would be too embarrassing to be less-than-well-prepared in front of a national audience. And that point about time is good for me to remember, too. The danger for me is getting carried away and talking too much (seriously!). My enthusiasm gets me starting to improvise and it’s then all too easy to get off track. But if I am well prepared hopefully this means I stick to time.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Alison :) I don’t mind talking without notes (strangely enough) but I might have to use Fiona’s tip about notecards to keep me in line a bit. I am going to have the interesting situation of doing two talks, one after another, and having to be sure I keep within the set limits. Thankfully they are on quite different topics!

]]> By: Alison Williams http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1409 Alison Williams Tue, 01 Aug 2006 06:25:03 +0000 http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1409 You'll be fine! I did my first conference presentation (thankfully I was co-presenter rather than up there on my own!) in July and only started panicking seriously about it in June. It was an adaptation of presentations that we had done before to in-house groups so not entirely new material, and I'd guess you're in a similar position.<br/><br/>I've always clung to notes for presentations, and insisted on far too many rehearsals with them! But, with my co-presenter's encouragment, when it came to the real thing I agreed to have them there in case I dried up, but try to do without them. It went much better. <br/><br/>You certainly have the enthusiasm for your subject, and I think that's what makes any presentation appealing.<br/><br/>I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes. You’ll be fine! I did my first conference presentation (thankfully I was co-presenter rather than up there on my own!) in July and only started panicking seriously about it in June. It was an adaptation of presentations that we had done before to in-house groups so not entirely new material, and I’d guess you’re in a similar position.

I’ve always clung to notes for presentations, and insisted on far too many rehearsals with them! But, with my co-presenter’s encouragment, when it came to the real thing I agreed to have them there in case I dried up, but try to do without them. It went much better.

You certainly have the enthusiasm for your subject, and I think that’s what makes any presentation appealing.

I’m looking forward to hearing how it goes.

]]> By: Fiona http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1408 Fiona Tue, 01 Aug 2006 04:23:05 +0000 http://blog.flexnib.com/2006/07/31/prep-time/#comment-1408 Sierra's comments sound about right. I would say I spent about 20 hours preparing and then practicing my presentation for ALIA04. <br/><br/>I did not prepare a script, just some very basic notecards in the style I did when I was a school debater. <br/><br/>I heeded all the advice about making PowerPoint minimal.<br/><br/>I stuck to time. Nothing worse than being flustered by the ringing bell. <br/><br/>I was still really nervous despite all the preparation, but the preparation meant that I could lose my notes, forget everything else and still deliver my presentation from memory. <br/><br/>I was pleased with how it went, and that was the main thing.<br/><br/>btw... I was pretty sick of my topic by the end of it. It kind of became a passing fad too which in a way was good! Sierra’s comments sound about right. I would say I spent about 20 hours preparing and then practicing my presentation for ALIA04.

I did not prepare a script, just some very basic notecards in the style I did when I was a school debater.

I heeded all the advice about making PowerPoint minimal.

I stuck to time. Nothing worse than being flustered by the ringing bell.

I was still really nervous despite all the preparation, but the preparation meant that I could lose my notes, forget everything else and still deliver my presentation from memory.

I was pleased with how it went, and that was the main thing.

btw… I was pretty sick of my topic by the end of it. It kind of became a passing fad too which in a way was good!

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