“From all my years in the classroom, the lessons that stayed with me most vividly have been the digressions, asides, anecdotes told mostly to relieve the lecturer’s own boredom.” Kathleen Rooney
I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
Having given many talks over 40 years, there’s one thing that has always helped capture on audience.
I always began with a joke that I customized for the audience. A group guffaw set the stage for enjoyment and heightened expectation for whatever is to come.
In this vien: “how much were you guys paid to come to this talk”
One in many posts that tell me my money is well spent on this Substack. I printed it up and will refer to it the next time I give a talk.
Way back in The Pleistocene, a Biochemistry professor at MSU gave a 45 minute lecture about DNA weaving in his personal experiences working Watson’s and Crick’s lab while explaining nucleotide synthesis, molecular structure, bonding points, and helical arrangement. He’d throw in anecdotes about one of them in the lab, in a Pub, or in a lecture, all relevant to the immediate point. Animated and enthusiastic, he was hilarious at times but at no time did I not feel like it was a serious lecture. When he was finished I knew DNA. At its conclusion, the scene was out of the film The Paper Chase we stood up and applauded.
As they say I wish I had it on tape.
When I’m giving a talk I think about that lecture.
P.S. If you haven’t seen The Paper Chase, it’s well worth a viewing.
Succinct summary. ‘Teaching’ is something I am very passionate about but not very skillful at doing. I believe for some, especially during the early career, being nervous affects the presentation??
I especially appreciate the advice about questions from the audience. The advice about striking a balance between one with questions and everyone else. Thank you.
Humor is king!
I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.
check us out:
https://thesecretingredient.substack.com
Great points.
Having given many talks over 40 years, there’s one thing that has always helped capture on audience.
I always began with a joke that I customized for the audience. A group guffaw set the stage for enjoyment and heightened expectation for whatever is to come.
In this vien: “how much were you guys paid to come to this talk”
Ben Hourani
Loved reading this post so much. Thank you! 🙏
One in many posts that tell me my money is well spent on this Substack. I printed it up and will refer to it the next time I give a talk.
Way back in The Pleistocene, a Biochemistry professor at MSU gave a 45 minute lecture about DNA weaving in his personal experiences working Watson’s and Crick’s lab while explaining nucleotide synthesis, molecular structure, bonding points, and helical arrangement. He’d throw in anecdotes about one of them in the lab, in a Pub, or in a lecture, all relevant to the immediate point. Animated and enthusiastic, he was hilarious at times but at no time did I not feel like it was a serious lecture. When he was finished I knew DNA. At its conclusion, the scene was out of the film The Paper Chase we stood up and applauded.
As they say I wish I had it on tape.
When I’m giving a talk I think about that lecture.
P.S. If you haven’t seen The Paper Chase, it’s well worth a viewing.
I also wish you had that on tape!!!!
Succinct summary. ‘Teaching’ is something I am very passionate about but not very skillful at doing. I believe for some, especially during the early career, being nervous affects the presentation??
A lecture is a performance. While it may not be theatre, many of the same rules apply.
Love this one from Dr. Friedmann. "Act out of the conviction that your teaching matters, even though you may not be able to prove this."
What?!?? But that argues against evidence based medicine. 😂
I especially appreciate the advice about questions from the audience. The advice about striking a balance between one with questions and everyone else. Thank you.
Love this article. Excellent points.