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Wednesday 16 March 2011

I went to two work-related classes today.
This is what I learned.

If you are a young and attractive female presenter at a class, do not do the following:

  • Wear a scarf that slips around a lot creating tension in your audience about when it will slide completely off your neck
  • Say "ahhh" repeatedly (every third word!) as you search for your next point
  • Reach into your clothing to rearrange straps
  • Flutter your eyelids toward the ceiling as you talk
  • Tell long convoluted stories meant to illustrate a particular point but that go far afield and into minute detail that does not contribute to the proceedings


While your tag-teammate is speaking, do not:

  • Sit directly in front of him
  • Fiddle with your materials, pushing them here and there, straightening them up, squaring up the edges
  • Highlight things on your papers and click the cap back on  and off and on and off
  • Constantly work your head around at odd angles to loosen up those neck muscles
  • Unscrew your water bottle, take a sip, put the cap back on . . . repeat . . . repeat . . . repeat


In a former life, when I was a young and attractive woman, I was, on numerous occasions, such a presenter to roomsful of middle-aged men. Once I became comfortable with the public speaking and began to enjoy it . . . perhaps a bit too much . . . I received an excellent piece of advice from my boss.
He said, "Don't start believing your own P.R."