It can happen also to you, do not think of being immune. You woke up early in the morning, you faced tiring journeys, you are full of hope. You overcame the risk of missing a connection, and maybe after asking directions once or more times. Finally you get the desk: your registration to the conference was successful.
Perfect. You arrived on time, or nearly so, you can count on a bit of ordinary time tolerance. You got it. You enjoy your comfortable armchair. You are obviously interested in what those MEN (because they are almost always male, and I am not the unique to notice that) on stage are going to say.
After the first half hour, you realize that it is happening again… the usual metamorphosis … you were transformed into a SLIDE VIEWER! A spectator of a slide show … at best, the speaker does its duty, he knows that we are for him, and we are hanging from his lips. He was prepared for this event, he thought to YOU. He wondered what YOU will be expected to listen coming here.
BUT in most cases, HE IS NOT PREPARED, HE DOESN’T know anything about you, and it seems HE DOESN’T CARE SO MUCH.
HE is thinking to himself, he tells you about his boring COMPANY DETAILS, assuming that the history of the last 10 years of the Smith & Wine Inc. is extremely interesting for you, that you are dying to know that from 2003 to 2007 his company has grown from 20 to 50 employees, and that in 2004 his company was certified with the “best site zxrpp” seal.
And in that precise moment, you have the usual bad feeling …. I am in a rut again! It seems that the conference was so interesting … there are big companies/brands in the program, but I was terribly wrong!
If the speaker is an Italian ACADEMIC, he will give you lesson, perhaps he will be even bored, as he was repeating the same things for 20 years to their students. Today he think you never heard them before .. Unfortunately, you are one of his/her student just 20 years ago, maybe also if you live/work in another city now.
If the speaker is an Italian POLITICIAN you will not understand anything, except that he would make so many projects but, unfortunately!, he couldn’t succeed as of lack of resources.
If the speaker is an Italian MARKETING, ACCOUNTING .. he doesn’t not only knowing anything ABOUT he is talking about, but he speaks so much!! and he uses unreadable SLIDES and he is out of tme just he began his speech.
If the speaker is an Italian ENGINEER … the presentation will be at least schematic, he wil respect the TIME but, again, he will fall into one of the earlier cases.
If the speaker is an Italian ENTREPRENEURS … the presentation will be a long-SPOT ADVERTISING and / or a list of heroic acts (I did not say erotic) in which it is obvious that you have the fantastic opportunity to listen to a GENIUS, which is boasting ‘he HAS FAILED with the first 9 STARTUP that he BASED.
If you are in Italy, you will hardly have the opportunity to hear ot people who is younger than 30 years, and they will say things that you already know, and that they were not interested at all in what YOU bring with you after that meeting, besides fatigue and boredom. If the hostess of the reception are rude too, really you won’t have a nice day.
Here are some tips for those who cannot stop:
1) Unless you are one of speaker, don’t go: at least you had a purpose to go up there, and when you will discover that the public is made up principally of the SPEAKERS, you will not feel completely IDIOT;
2) Bring something to read with you, the best is a good book but also a backlog of work will be ok;
3) Make sure you are able to flee in advance;
4) If you can not be among the speakers, ask yourself if it really worth the penalty. At least twice.
5) Only go to a conference, where at least you think that one of the speaker worth the trip and / or the time you will invest. Try to find out more about the speakers. Do everything possible to get in touch personally with the chosen speaker.
6) The topic of SEMINAR IS NOT a sufficient reason to participate.
What are you saying? Do you have to prepare a speech? You must switch on the other side of the table? Then another couple of tips:
1) Do not use slides
2) Read this book: Slide: ology, or at least take a look at the Slide:ology
3) Look some presentations on Slideshare
4) Check your presentation on SlideShare: If you do not read it in the small window, not even people sitting in the last rows of the room will read anything.
5) Take a look at the TED events web site and, for example, do not miss the presentation of Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroscientist who tells about her brain stroke
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