

Dear Speakers: things that interfere with getting a message across to an audience - sarvesh
http://duncandavidson.com/2009/03/dear-speakers.html

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ojbyrne
I'm not sure on the pacing thing. I love the Clifford Stoll talk from TED and
he's flying all over the place the whole talk. Admittedly its not actually
pacing.

For those who do want to get better at public speaking (including me), I'd
highly recommend the book "Presentation Zen."

~~~
mixmax
There are exceptions to every rule, and Clifford Stoll is definitely an
exception: his power and madness make it work.

You can see Jessica Livingston pacing back and forth here:
[http://blog.businessofsoftware.org/2008/12/jessica-
livingsto...](http://blog.businessofsoftware.org/2008/12/jessica-livingston-
on-founders-at-work.html) It is annoying, and she seems nervous.

Note: This is not meant to pick on JL, very few people get it right, and I
could just as easily have picked another example.

~~~
ojbyrne
I see your point, but when I hear "exceptions to every rule" I want to explore
the boundaries of those exceptions. I think that presentations are creative
performances, essentially, so it's likely that the number of exceptions are
going to be large.

~~~
mixmax
absolutely right...

It's just like every other artform - the rules are there to give people a
framework they can work from, but the best performers break the rules.
Clifford Stoll is a great example of this.

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boredguy8
Additional advice:

1) Video tape yourself giving your talk. Tape off a section of your floor, set
the camera up on a tripod, and give your talk (complete with powerpoint or
whatever you're using). Then watch it. Ask yourself, "Would I want to listen
to this person?" Probably the answer is "no". Figure out why, and fix it.

2) Just like you should walk with purpose, your hand should communicate with
purpose, too. Too often speakers flail their arms wildly about, rather than
using them as a tool of communication.

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bjclark
Very timely. I'm presenting at Rails Conf this year and the last time I gave a
presentation was, uh, high school. :\

~~~
jrockway
I don't think you need to be too nervous at technical speaking engagements. In
my experience, most people just show up to hear you say the name of the talk,
and then they tune out and start using their laptop. So if you pace around the
stage, they won't notice, 'cause they're off in some other world.

(You could say, "Well, that's because all your talks are _so boring_.". Maybe,
but this happens at even the most interesting speaker's talks as well.)

