http://ayende.comAyende @ RahienCopyright (C) Ayende Rahien 2004 - 2021 (c) 202660Oh yes, 15 minutes worth about socks and their important to the very existence of the army. http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment7http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment7Mon, 14 May 2007 18:31:34 GMTWhile you want to talk about your upcoming presentation, I am more interested by your sergeant story. So did you talk to them about socks anyway? :P http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment6http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment6Mon, 14 May 2007 16:37:05 GMTExcellent story, Oren, thanks. http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment5http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment5Sun, 13 May 2007 17:09:17 GMTOren - I just got done listening to your first screencast and for the most part could follow you easily. I laughed out loud when you said 'what a stupid sentence'. Really, your english is better than you give yourself credit for. Cheers, MIKE http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment4http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment4Fri, 11 May 2007 22:14:35 GMTWhen you're the one in front of the room, pauses can seem terribly long, but in reality they are not. A 3-5 second pause helps the audience to focus on what you just said - a cue to pay attention because you just made an important point. Same is true when you ask a question - give the audience enough time to formulate their own answer before proceeding. And remember, a 3 second pause isn't "1-2-3" continue, it's "1-Mississippi-2-Mississippi-3-Mississippi" then continue. (Substitute steamboat for Mississippi or whatever other word you use to delineate a second.) Don't short change your seconds! http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment3http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment3Fri, 11 May 2007 20:16:42 GMTYes, probably the #1 point. The problem is that I feel as if I am speaking slowly... http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment2http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment2Fri, 11 May 2007 13:34:11 GMTJust, for God's sake, try to speak more slowly than you do on the screencasts. :-) http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment1http://ayende.com/2382/i-want-my-sergeant-back-or-how-i-learnt-to-speak#comment1Fri, 11 May 2007 12:57:57 GMT