[ANN] DC ALT.NET – 11/24/2009 “Stop Talking, Start Teaching” with Jeff Casimir

As a group, we’ve been focusing a lot on technology on such things as JavaScript, MongoDB and so on.  This month, I’d like to take a step back as a group and instead focus on some soft skills.  When I started this group back in 2007, I had the idea that this group would help others not only become better technologists in a wide array of technologies, but also better teachers as well.  On November 24th, we have Jeff Casimir to help us understand how to become a better teacher with his presentation “Stop Talking, Start Teaching: 5 Rules for Successful Presentations and Demos”.  Listed below are the details:

Stop Talking, Start Teaching: 5 Rules for Successful Presentations & Demos

Some of the most important work we do as programmers involves pitching ideas. Whether it's inside the team, searching for funders, or running demos for potential clients, we all need to present ideas and cultivate an audience.  The past decade has seen the rise of the presentation as an important communication medium, but few people do it well. There are many resources on how to make good looking slides, but we need to focus on the method, structure, and content.

We don't need to be "speakers" – we need to be teachers. In this session we'll explore the five most essential rules to successful teaching and how they apply to you.

Attendees will, by the end of the session, have a framework for designing and critiquing their work and that of others. This new understanding will make them better teammates and more successful salespeople.

About Jeff Casimir

After majoring in Computer Systems Engineering I joined Teach for America and began a career in education. I taught high school Computer Science for four years before moving into school administration. As a Vice Principal I was responsible for evaluating and hiring new teachers, observing and coaching  existing teachers, and defining much of the school's academic process. Most of all, I hate boring presentations. I want these smart, experienced people to Stop Talking, and Start Teaching.

Hope to see you there!