Comments on: On being a thought leader https://habitablezone.com/2016/06/22/on-being-a-thought-leader/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:03:37 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2016/06/22/on-being-a-thought-leader/#comment-36850 RL Wed, 22 Jun 2016 21:41:27 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58300#comment-36850 <a href="http://www.theonion.com/video/onion-talks-hypothetically-it-would-be-okay-to-hav-36687" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Onion Talks: Hypothetically It Would Be Okay To Have Sex With A Robot Dog</a> http://www.theonion.com/video/onion-talks-hypothetically-it-would-be-okay-to-hav-36687 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkGMY63FF3Q" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Compost-Fueled Cars: Wouldn't That Be Great?</a> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkGMY63FF3Q <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DkGMY63FF3Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tom6_ceTu9s" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Ducks Go Quack, Chickens Say Cluck</a> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tom6_ceTu9s <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tom6_ceTu9s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <a href="http://www.theonion.com/video/the-only-person-who-can-help-me-get-a-bus-to-yonke-36405" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Only Person Who Can Help Me Get A Bus To Yonkers Is You</a> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CK62I-4cuSY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Onion Talks: Hypothetically It Would Be Okay To Have Sex With A Robot Dog
http://www.theonion.com/video/onion-talks-hypothetically-it-would-be-okay-to-hav-36687

Compost-Fueled Cars: Wouldn’t That Be Great?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkGMY63FF3Q

Ducks Go Quack, Chickens Say Cluck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tom6_ceTu9s

The Only Person Who Can Help Me Get A Bus To Yonkers Is You

]]> By: RL https://habitablezone.com/2016/06/22/on-being-a-thought-leader/#comment-36849 RL Wed, 22 Jun 2016 21:37:47 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58300#comment-36849 Perfectly captures why so many Ted Talks irritate the hell out of me ... Strong on style and emotion, light on anything concrete or worthwhile. Perfectly captures why so many Ted Talks irritate the hell out of me …

Strong on style and emotion, light on anything concrete or worthwhile.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2016/06/22/on-being-a-thought-leader/#comment-36848 ER Wed, 22 Jun 2016 19:28:42 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58300#comment-36848 Nothing should distract from your presentation. The average audience can't watch a screen and listen to you talk at the same time. If you need to communicate technical material so complex it requires maps, statistics, diagrams, formulas, flowcharts, etc then it may be necessary to do so, but even so, you are still better off distributing that separately as a handout after your speech. No one will remember what was in those slides, just whether or not they enjoyed looking at them. And they won't remember what you were saying when you flashed them. At the very least, you should remain quiet and give them a moment to study the illustration before you resume lecturing. I was trained as a public speaker, and I learned that using visual aids is much more effective when used to entertain, to indoctrinate or even to mislead an audience, than to educate them. A teacher can use a blackboard as a visual aid, but he should never write anything on it except as a cue to remind his students that what is being written should be copied into their class notes (key equations, etc). And you have to plan your blackboard scribbling so when you are finished, it is a useful outline and summary, is logically consistent, and will be effective notes when reviewed later. The teacher's notes should have the graphics prominently printed on them, so he will know what to write on the board, and what to leave off. The student should know that when the professor is done, copying the blackboard notes afterward will be a concise review of the material and lock it firmly in memory. When I was a graduate assistant, I often told my students to close their notebooks and just watch and listen, and then pass out copies of my notes and graphics to them after. I believe they really appreciated not having to write and listen at the same time. The Ancient Greeks and Romans felt that training in Rhetoric was extremely important. It was one of the Liberal Arts, a part of their education. Now you understand why. Nothing should distract from your presentation. The average audience can’t watch a screen and listen to you talk at the same time. If you need to communicate technical material so complex it requires maps, statistics, diagrams, formulas, flowcharts, etc then it may be necessary to do so, but even so, you are still better off distributing that separately as a handout after your speech. No one will remember what was in those slides, just whether or not they enjoyed looking at them. And they won’t remember what you were saying when you flashed them. At the very least, you should remain quiet and give them a moment to study the illustration before you resume lecturing.

I was trained as a public speaker, and I learned that using visual aids is much more effective when used to entertain, to indoctrinate or even to mislead an audience, than to educate them. A teacher can use a blackboard as a visual aid, but he should never write anything on it except as a cue to remind his students that what is being written should be copied into their class notes (key equations, etc). And you have to plan your blackboard scribbling so when you are finished, it is a useful outline and summary, is logically consistent, and will be effective notes when reviewed later. The teacher’s notes should have the graphics prominently printed on them, so he will know what to write on the board, and what to leave off. The student should know that when the professor is done, copying the blackboard notes afterward will be a concise review of the material and lock it firmly in memory. When I was a graduate assistant, I often told my students to close their notebooks and just watch and listen, and then pass out copies of my notes and graphics to them after. I believe they really appreciated not having to write and listen at the same time.

The Ancient Greeks and Romans felt that training in Rhetoric was extremely important. It was one of the Liberal Arts, a part of their education. Now you understand why.

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