These two stories are related. And, as I realized as I was thinking about them, occurred within two months of each other.
I was working with a group presenting a conference. I was part of the organization of the conference, and had not been slated to speak. However, at the last minute, one of the speakers, on the last day of the conference, and in the second last speaking time slot, had to drop out. Therefore, at the last minute, I was parachuted into a speaking slot at the conference.
The room where I was due to speak was not, actually, in the main venue for the conference. It was in one of the alternate venues, which we had had to book in order to get a sufficient number of rooms for the number of tracks that we had in the conference. I was in a room that was rather bare, as it was primarily a ballroom, but did have possibly the largest seating capacity outside of the halls for the keynote addresses.
When I showed up, I was gratified to note that there were a number of people attending my presentation. As I started to speak, and other people were able to get to the venue from the main conference building, that number increased. And increased. Eventually, every chair in this rather large room was filled. And then people stand started standing around the walls and at the back of the room. Ultimately I was speaking to over 700 people. When I came to the end of my time slot, having finished the presentation, and started doing questions and answers, I noted that the time had expired, and that another speaker was due to speak in the next time slot in that room. The moderator for the room called out, from the back, that the next speaker had not yet shown up, so I should continue. I did. Eventually the moderator called out that the next speaker had arrived, and so I thanked everyone, and left. Most of the audience left when I did. I felt rather bad for the next speaker, for whom it must have been a bit disheartening that she was speaking to a much smaller crowd.
I have had similar experiences speaking at conferences over the years. I know that there are people who teach more effectively than I do, and I know that there are speakers who are much more entertaining than I am. But I'm no slouch. I am a teacher. I am a presenter. As a presenter I know a number of interesting topics, and, even when the topics are technically complex, I have been able to find ways to present them to a wide variety of audiences, and still hold the interest of the audience.
This was about four years after we got married. And, it was about at that time that Gloria's parents had their 50th wedding anniversary. Gloria had planned for over two years for this event, and did an absolutely terrific job arranging the anniversary party. One of the things that she did, as part of the presentation for the anniversary party, was to sing the song that her parents considered "their" song, in the way couples do. Gloria introduced the song, of course, and what it was, and what meaning it had. Her presentation was absolutely perfect. It didn't go on too long, and covered just enough to explain the significance of this song and why it was included. She also perfectly captured her mother's character while explaining the situation with an anecdote from her youth. Her timing, her choice of words, her choice of anecdote: all were perfect. It was a perfect introduction.
Gloria was a better storyteller, and a better presenter, then I ever was, or ever will be. This is not easy for me to admit. I am the teacher. I am the published author. I am the person who presents at international conferences. I'm no slouch. I can hold an audience. I can hold a wide variety of audiences. But I'm not as good as Gloria. And, since Gloria died, it has also become apparent that I am not as good a writer without Gloria's editing and support.
Previous: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2024/06/mgg-521-hwyd-decus-symposium.html
Introduction and ToC: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2023/10/mgg-introduction.html
Next: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2024/06/mgg-523-hwyd-youre-much-taller-on.html
No comments:
Post a Comment