Metaprogramming in D tonight at the NWCPP

[Sean Kelly]

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.