[meteorite-list] Meteorite presentations (sorry if it's long!)
From: Edward R. Hodges <edwardrhodges1_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:06:59 2004 Message-ID: <003401c270d6$5eccfd80$21a9a118_at_san.rr.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0031_01C2709B.B201CF20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello list. It's very active today, I like that. Last night I gave a = meteorite presentation at the San Diego Lapidary Society. It most = certainly was not the first presentation I've ever given in front of = people, but it was the first one about meteorites. Their general = meeting was called to order at 7pm, and they went about their business. = You know, Robert Rules of order kind of stuff, and a raffle. It was = quite pleasant actually. Most of the membership is quite a bit older = than myself and my girlfriend. One kind older gentleman came over and = told me great stories about the meteorites he's found. Other members = came up to me with three different rocks and asked if they were = meteorites, unfortunately they were not and I had to be the one to break = the bad news. I finally got to speak around 8:15pm and was quite = nervous. I made up a packet of text that I wrote with graphics, images, = and other statistics and passed them out. I also brought about 50 = specimens to show around and some moldavites and tektites. I really was = geared up to give a really great talk, I had already visualized it in my = head. So I introduced myself, and quickly warned them that:" I have a = tendency to go off on tangents and never come back. Oh, and I'm = longwinded at times, so I'll be sticking to the script" So I was very = nervous all of a sudden and started to stammer and forget the words and = had to begin reading. I told them about the beginnings of the solar = system, accretion, asteroids, oxygen isotopes, fall statistics, = identifying meteorites, classification with actual samples of each = class, chemical make -up, Prospects for life elsewhere (alh84001, = murchison, Allende,etc.), then I told them about the new large object = that was just announced on Monday. Wow was I imparting the goods on = these people. Then I looked up and people were nodding off, the people = in the back had already snuck out. I had been talking for about 45 = minutes. I could feel that hollow pit in my stomach becoming an abysmal = void and I was getting sucked down. I could feel the beads of sweat = forming on my bald head, my girlfriend was staring right at me. I = wrapped in up quickly, and asked if there were questions. The few people = who hadn't snuck out already had plenty of questions, and some were = quite tricky. One woman right up front told me about her grandfather = getting his haystack burnt down by a meteor. I didn't know what to say. = I blurted out "Really, how interesting!" It doesn't quite seem possible = to me, but I couldn't tell her that. I think it was well past there bed = time, because after I ended the talk they politely clapped and got the = hell out of there. I knew as soon as I sat down in the car what had gone = wrong. I'm very hard on myself, very critical. My girlfriend told me = what a great job I did, which is nice and I think she was trying to be = nice. If you are this far down into this diatribe you've probably = already got me pegged. I'm a nervous talker, and I'm longwinded. Strike = one. I hadn't pictured the right audience in my pre-visualization. = Strike two. I had mistaken a meteorite talk with a meteorite lecture. = Strike three. When I was falling asleep last night I couldn't help = thinking that I could know so much more on the topic. I now realize that = all that information is not the important thing. The important thing is = that you are entertaining the audience and creating an experience that = they will remember. If your lucky they will learn something. I'm going = to try and keep those things in mind next time. I'll try to be more show = and less tell. Hopefully others of you have had these types of = experiences and would share them. Maybe some of you can offer some tips, = or criticisms. Perhaps some of you will tell me to please not write long = emails and send them to this list. Anyway, I hope sharing was a good = idea.- Edward Edward R. Hodges www.meteoriteonline.com IMCA # 4173 ------=_NextPart_000_0031_01C2709B.B201CF20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2719.2200" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black">Hello list. It's very active today, I = like that.=20 Last night I gave a meteorite presentation at the San Diego Lapidary = Society. It=20 most certainly was not the first presentation I've ever given in front = of=20 people, but it was the first one about meteorites. Their general = meeting=20 was called to order at 7pm, and they went about their business. You = know, Robert=20 Rules of order kind of stuff, and a raffle. It was quite pleasant = actually. Most=20 of the membership is quite a bit older than myself and my girlfriend. = One kind=20 older gentleman came over and told me great stories about the meteorites = he's=20 found. Other members came up to me with three different rocks and asked = if they=20 were meteorites, unfortunately they were not and I had to be the one to = break=20 the bad news. I finally got to speak around 8:15pm and was quite = nervous. I made=20 up a packet of text that I wrote with graphics, images, and other = statistics and=20 passed them out. I also brought about 50 specimens to show = around and=20 some moldavites and tektites. I really was geared up to give a = really great=20 talk, I had already visualized it in my head. So I introduced myself, = and=20 quickly warned them that:" I have a tendency to go off on tangents and = never=20 come back. Oh, and I'm longwinded at times, so I'll be sticking to the = script"=20 So I was very nervous all of a sudden and started to stammer and forget = the=20 words and had to begin reading. I told them about the beginnings of the = solar=20 system, accretion, asteroids, oxygen isotopes, fall statistics, = identifying=20 meteorites, classification with actual samples of each class, chemical = make -up,=20 Prospects for life elsewhere (alh84001, murchison, Allende,etc.), then I = told=20 them about the new large object that was just announced on Monday. Wow = was I=20 imparting the goods on these people. Then I looked up and people were = nodding=20 off, the people in the back had already snuck out. I had been talking = for about=20 45 minutes. I could feel that hollow pit in my stomach becoming an = abysmal void=20 and I was getting sucked down. I could feel the beads of sweat forming = on my=20 bald head, my girlfriend was staring right at me. I wrapped in up = quickly, and=20 asked if there were questions. The few people who hadn't snuck out = already had=20 plenty of questions, and some were quite tricky. One woman right up = front told=20 me about her grandfather getting his haystack burnt down by a meteor. I = didn't=20 know what to say. I blurted out "Really, how interesting!" It doesn't = quite seem=20 possible to me, but I couldn't tell her that. I think it was well past = there bed=20 time, because after I ended the talk they politely clapped and got the = hell out=20 of there. I knew as soon as I sat down in the car what had gone wrong. = I'm very=20 hard on myself, very critical. My girlfriend told me what a great job I = did,=20 which is nice and I think she was trying to be nice. If you are this far = down=20 into this diatribe you've probably already got me pegged. I'm a nervous = talker,=20 and I'm longwinded. Strike one. I hadn't pictured the right audience in = my=20 pre-visualization. Strike two. I had mistaken a meteorite talk with a = meteorite=20 lecture. Strike three. When I was falling asleep last night I couldn't = help=20 thinking that I could know so much more on the topic. I now realize that = all=20 that information is not the important thing. The important thing is = that you are entertaining the audience and creating an experience = that they=20 will remember. If your lucky they will learn something. I'm going to try = and=20 keep those things in mind next time. I'll try to be more show and = less=20 tell. Hopefully others of you have had these types of experiences and = would=20 share them. Maybe some of you can offer some tips, or criticisms. = Perhaps some=20 of you will tell me to please not write long emails and send them to = this list.=20 Anyway, I hope sharing was a good idea.- Edward</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black">Edward R. Hodges</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black"><A=20 href=3D"http://www.meteoriteonline.com">www.meteoriteonline.com</A></FONT= ></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black">IMCA # 4173</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Arial Black"></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0031_01C2709B.B201CF20-- Received on Thu 10 Oct 2002 11:29:12 PM PDT |
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