Has anyone ever attended a class where the presenter came off
like a total jerk? Maybe I got the wrong read on the guy, but I don't think so.
Several times!
Yes.
> Has anyone ever attended a class where the presenter came off
> like a total jerk? Maybe I got the wrong read on the guy, but I don't think so.
I bet you can't name him 😛
:whistle:
> Has anyone ever attended a class where the presenter came off
> like a total jerk? Maybe I got the wrong read on the guy, but I don't think so.
Most of the presenters (and students) I have met have been really good people. Hope the presenter you mean wasn't me. I kid around and I suppose it possible not everyone understands the humor intended.
Larry P
Most here for me, too. It wasn't you, You did a great job. The candy was funny and engaging. I was glad I got to meet you in person.
I actually regret the original post after giving it some thought.
I have been thinking that I should have been trying to learn from someone even if I wasn't thrilled with their personality, and maybe they were having an off day.
> Most here for me, too. It wasn't you, You did a great job. The candy was funny and engaging. I was glad I got to meet you in person.
>
> I actually regret the original post after giving it some thought.
>
> I have been thinking that I should have been trying to learn from someone even if I wasn't thrilled with their personality, and maybe they were having an off day.
At least you didn't name names.
B-)
I've learned a lot from people I despised. But I accepted none of that wisdom until my temper from the angry association had cooled.
Dave
Continuing Education Seminars that Waste Time
I was at a seminar once where one of the big named hired guns was speaking. This was the second day of the conference. The first thing that he told us was how important our time was and that we should carg for every minute. Then he spent 20 minutes telling us where the bathroom and automatic external defibulator were. It soon became obvious that he was trying to stretch a 2 hour presentation out to fill up his 2 hour time slot that he had been paid to fill. I did not need the hours of continuing education so I left. Many of the prople that needed the hours zoned out. A friend that stayed and paid attention, told me after it was over that it was basicaly the same stuff that we got from the other presenter 6 months earlier, but that all the court cases that he cited were from colonial states.
> Has anyone ever attended a class where the presenter came off
> like a total jerk?
Yes. For the most part they are the ones I remember most clearly. It's not the only way to make yourself memorable, but it may be the most effective.
Sometimes the lesson learned is how not to do it.
In 2001 a highly paid speaker on "Ethics" came to Nebraska and she put in a video of the movie 'Jerry McGuire', turned off the lights, and left the room for two hours. Then she returned and asked "Well, what did you think?" I have been through my share of seminars on "Ethics" in the past 30 years. You either have them or you don't. I have never known a surveyor to change his bad habits because someone else told them to at a seminar.
In recent memory another highly paid speaker came and spoke for two days and had a power point, but no graphics or specific examples. Just text. He/she continually tried to engage the audience, lots of silence, but everyone just wanted to get the hell out of there. I won't name the topic because that would reveal the speaker. There were more people outside the room talking to vendors or each other about work-related stuff.
Another time an attorney spoke and began by telling us about sections, townships, and ranges and stalled time by telling us how the PLSS worked. Also how to find GLO plats, etc. WTF does he think we already do at our jobs?
I have given many seminars. None has ever lasted longer than 2 hours each. Last year I presented four topics, each very specific to surveying, that lasted 2 hours each. My Power Points are full of graphics and examples. If you cannot present a specific class in two hours, then you are just stalling and you don't know your material.
I am a surveyor and I talk specifically about surveying.
> I actually regret the original post after giving it some thought.
> I have been thinking that I should have been trying to learn from someone even if I wasn't thrilled with their personality, and maybe they were having an off day.
I actually liked your original post as well as your retraction.
On the one hand, you are paying good money for an educational seminar. You want it to be presented professionally, and to be presented in a clear way that you can understand and learn from (with professional handouts that you can reference to in the future). It is what you are paying for, and what the speaker is getting paid for. Your complaints are fair, and the speaker(s) won't last long on the professional speaking circuit unless they learn how to present in a professional manner.
On the other hand and from the listener's perspective, I have been to all kinds of seminars. I love listening to some of the expert presenters and being both entertained and learning something new. But there are extremely intelligent surveyors and/or technicians that I have wanted to hear talk for years. They often might come along an speak over my head, and/or have a kind of superior or egotistical attitude. I try to learn from what they have to teach regardless of their own weaknesses in being a public speaker. If you can get by that, you might find yourself learning a great deal. (Of course I have heard of some people as demonstrated in earlier posts, that simply tell you what you already know and/or put on a video and walk away. In those extreme cases, I think the audience members should make their voice heard that that will not be tolerated.)
Okay, so much for my "I voted for it before I was against it" speech.
> In 2001 a highly paid speaker on "Ethics" came to Nebraska and she put in a video of the movie 'Jerry McGuire', turned off the lights, and left the room for two hours. Then she returned and asked "Well, what did you think?" I have been through my share of seminars on "Ethics" in the past 30 years. You either have them or you don't. I have never known a surveyor to change his bad habits because someone else told them to at a seminar.
>
But did you enjoy the movie?? 🙂
I read some of the profiles of some of these individuals and it's comical, most have never done sheet. It's pretty much a cottage industry so get used to it.
It's similar to these people who lose their jobs and reinvent themselves as "Life Coaches". How can an unsuccessful person teach you how to succeed?
Just my dos cheles