OT Question: Silly, or not to be

James,

  Don't ever change for anyone.

:{>

Andy

James,

Go on in your current, silly way. At least until I finally get a chance to see you present.

Maybe I'll change my mind after that <vbeg>

Hugo

If this were easy, normal people would do it  ;-)   I say present with a little more enthusiasm than possible.

James,

don't change your style, you're just fine, I personally liked your style. I remember a guy who was presenting at TechEd last year and his laughs, screams and jokes were so bad that people were leaving his presentation shaking their heads. The funniest thing is that at the beginning he even mentionned that he gets comments about bad jokes, but said he was going to do that anyway. He knows it annoys people but he still chose it to be his style to keep people focused. Kinda like Tony Little in his annoying informercials. I am not implying at all that you are anything like that, just saying that sometimes people do this just to make sure the audience keeps listenning.

Few things I learned from my conference speaking:

- you can never please everybody in the room

- no matter how good the presentation is, at least one person thinks you suck

- don't take things too personally

You can use valid feedback and improve next time. Something like - "We couldn't hear him in the back", then you know you should speak louder or use a microphone. But if one person says it was too basic and another says it was too advnaced, there is nothing you can do to satisfy both of them. In your case, I am pretty sure most people liked your style.

While I've never listened to you speak, I would certainly appreciate it being kept lively.  If the topic is "technedius" (Do I owe you a quarter for a variant?), we all suffer from periodic caffeine/nicotine/sugar/<insert your pick-me-up vice here> deficiencies that a lively approach combats nicely.

James, your presentations are great - don't change a thing.  Enthusiasm is the key, and if you're self-conscious about your delivery you sacrifice that enthusiasm.

Some people take this stuff too seriously - if it's not fun, find another line of work!

Don't change!  I have two thoughts on this.  One is you will always come across better if you use the style you like and are comfortable with.  Second, the mind is able to best remember what is different/unusual/funny.  Whether people like it or not, we are emotional beings so appeal to the emotional.  

James - I've seen you present at PASS, and your 'quirks' make the presentations more lively, less droning and immensely more interesting than most. Please, please don't change.

Frank