Metaprogramming in D tonight at the NWCPP

[Georg Wrede]

Sean Kelly wrote:
> Georg Wrede wrote:
>>
>> That's certainly true with non-techie audiences. I wish we had had 
>> speaking classes when I went to school. The first time I gave a 
>> lecture at the university, my hands trembled visibly on the OH.
> 
> I'm fine if I can just sit down and talk, but if I have to stand in 
> front of people I still get nervous and scattered.  I was told my talk 
> at the D conference actually went reasonably well, but I forgot or 
> missed about half the points I'd meant to cover out of sheer terror :-)
> 
> During a public speaking course in high school one of our lectures was 
> supposed to be a published work of some sort, so I did the part of a 
> evangelical preacher in a Steven King novel.  It was a breeze to do and 
> I had a lot of fun with it, playing with pace and tone.  Something about 
> the fact that I was "acting" instead of simply speaking as myself made 
> all the difference in the world.  If I had to give talks regularly I'd 
> probably prepare them pretty much word for word just to feel more like I 
> was doing this, at least until I got more comfortable with speaking.

Some people choose to consider their on-stage persona as a role they 
play when in public. Whether that's good or not, I dont know. Many of 
those who've made themselves into a brand name, seem to do this.

I was always terrible at memorization. I couldn't learn my lines in 
school plays, and once I starred in an educational movie. The director 
was pulling his hair because I couldn't remember 15 secs of lines at a 
time. If I make a presentation, I simply have to get familiar with the 
subject, and then have the slides, like, be my cheat sheet. I always 
envied the guys (often sales reps, or evangelists), who did the same 
thing word-for-word, even if I saw them again after six months.

When I had to give the same lecture several times over (like for 1st 
year students, who were too many to fit the auditorium), the first 
lecture went always well, the second was awful, the third reasonable, 
and the fourth was the best. Funny pattern.

Somebody told me to rehearse by lecturing to a teddy bear, but I felt 
stupid even imagining doing it. Still, finishing on time never was a 
challenge for me.