>I don't know about you, but public speaking is one of the hardest skills >I've had to learn. > >I've noticed that there are lots of 'fear-enhancing' factors that can >become involved; they can vary from person to person - some speakers >completely lose it when handling a difficult audience-member, or trying >out new material, or typing/demoing while speaking. For myself, it >seems having a video-camera in the room will completely trip me up. I >can't tell you the number of times I've presented material well (good >survey results and everything), only to #@%$& it up completely when >having to record it for a Video-on-demand session. Urg. Makes me wish >that they'd just use a handheld camera and not tell me it's in the room. >:-( > I hear you, Frank. One of the few really useful academic things for me was taking a dramatics minor in high school. It's not all gloom -- there are groups such as Toastmasters, which often have reasonably accessible breakfast or lunch meetings, that help a lot.
Two things tend to be a problem for me when teaching. I'm deaf in one ear, so my physical position vis-a-vis the students is important, as well as the amount of machine noise in the room. Second, I often supplement the course materials, to the point that my time management may suffer. I also try to do the course as stand-up comedy, which doesn't appeal to everyone. Mind you, there was only one time I awakened someone, because he was snoring so badly that nobody could hear. He had me worried, as his sleep apnea was VERY obvious. Interesting side effect, I've noticed, of certification. Before there was any large push to certification, people really wanted the extra material. Increasingly, when I was teaching on a regular basis, students would complain, sometimes to my bosses, that I dared give them information that didn't strictly pertain to certifications -- such as the major changes in access list processing between IOS 10.2 and 10.3. Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=62845&t=62826 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
