How to prevent a sore throat after hours of presenting ppt ?

  • Yesterday I presented my version of "what SQLServer can hand to a dev, right out of the box".

    A hybrid of "what I wish my OLTP devs new about SQLServer" and "how to use ssms in an OLTP enviroment".

    Focus only on OLTP. Writing and queries.

    No RS, SSIS, OLAP, BI.

    I had the impression, my devs were still interested after 15 minutes and even some were still awake at the end of the ppt. (T +4,5h)

    Because of the questions asked and the feedback afterward, I'm confident they got the picture, so I'm very happy with the event itself.

    However, I got bitten by my lack of preparation with regards to "doing a presentation". :blush:

    Results:

    - to much adrenaline in my system

    - soar throat

    - bladder nearly exploded (fortunately only to be suffered after the presentation)

    - woke up several times this night. So apparently still busy "next time, I'll alter this to that,..."

    btw: I didn't have to raise my voice, to be heart by my audience.

    So, how do you prepare for presenting ?

    ps: today will be my day of silence, hoping I'll regain a decent voice by tomorrow :hehe:

    Johan

    Learn to play, play to learn !

    Dont drive faster than your guardian angel can fly ...
    but keeping both feet on the ground wont get you anywhere :w00t:

    - How to post Performance Problems
    - How to post data/code to get the best help[/url]

    - How to prevent a sore throat after hours of presenting ppt

    press F1 for solution, press shift+F1 for urgent solution 😀

    Need a bit of Powershell? How about this

    Who am I ? Sometimes this is me but most of the time this is me

  • Dont do presentations :hehe:

    However something like camomile tea with honey should help the throat... or just the honey 😉

    Congrats, I would not have survived a 4.5 hour presentation....

  • Thank you for the sympathy.:-D

    Indeed: a good spoon or 3 of honey already did a good job, but there's still a long way to go.

    Johan

    Learn to play, play to learn !

    Dont drive faster than your guardian angel can fly ...
    but keeping both feet on the ground wont get you anywhere :w00t:

    - How to post Performance Problems
    - How to post data/code to get the best help[/url]

    - How to prevent a sore throat after hours of presenting ppt

    press F1 for solution, press shift+F1 for urgent solution 😀

    Need a bit of Powershell? How about this

    Who am I ? Sometimes this is me but most of the time this is me

  • Write down everything you learned from doing this presentation. All the "mistakes" you think you made. This will help you sleep, knowing that the list is saved somewhere that you can refer to it the next time you present.

    When I prepare, I usually go over the theme I intend to discuss. I try to remember all questions that I've been asked about this them and include them in my powerpoint or in my discussion notes. I also use a search engine and SSC forums to see if anyone has posted questions related to my presentation. That always gives me ideas for demos or slides.

    I put together a powerpoint presentation, some demo code if necessary, and review it several times before the "big day." I find myself tweaking stuff, such as fixing typos, adding slides, rearranging slides, and deleting stuff that just doesn't make sense to me. Some people practice their presentations in a mirror, just so they can get used to saying it. I practice by running through it in front of a group (I use my SQL Saturday stuff as an excuse to train our developers and project managers in T-SQL).

    I do this all about a week in advance so I know I can get a good night's sleep the night before the presentation. I eat a decent dinner, drink lots of water the day before. Then the day of, I also drink lots of water, make sure my presentation still works, then go to the event. I always use the restroom before presenting and always make sure to take a bottle or two of water with me so I can sip when I'm thirsty.

    Little tricks I use to get people involved includes bringing candy or silly dollar toys to throw out to people who ask good questions.

    I rarely present on subjects that I don't know very well. I prefer doing the intro stuff because I know it backwards & forwards and hardly have to refer to my notes. However, I've been creeping out of my comfort zone lately by presenting more intermediate stuff too. And I tell myself that it's okay if I don't know the answer to all the questions, so long as I know the answer to some of them.

    The key to not killing your voice is to use an old acting trick. Don't breath into your lungs. Yeah, I know that sounds silly, but do this exercise while sitting at your desk. Breath in and out a couple of times, paying close attention to your shoulders. Are they moving? If so, you're breathing into the top of your lungs. Not only do you not have enough oxygen in your system to get through the presentation, but you're killing your voice because you're talking in your throat. The idea is to use your stomach to fill your lungs to full capacity. Think of a plunger in your stomach that's pulling the air deep inside you when you breath. Your shoulders should NOT be moving, but your stomach will be. When you speak, push the air out from your stomach.

    It takes practice, but it's way easier on your throat than the way most people speak.

    Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

  • Brandie Tarvin (12/15/2010)


    Write down everything you learned from doing this presentation. All the "mistakes" you think you made. This will help you sleep, knowing that the list is saved somewhere that you can refer to it the next time you present.

    When I prepare, I usually go over the theme I intend to discuss. I try to remember all questions that I've been asked about this them and include them in my powerpoint or in my discussion notes. I also use a search engine and SSC forums to see if anyone has posted questions related to my presentation. That always gives me ideas for demos or slides.

    I put together a powerpoint presentation, some demo code if necessary, and review it several times before the "big day." I find myself tweaking stuff, such as fixing typos, adding slides, rearranging slides, and deleting stuff that just doesn't make sense to me. Some people practice their presentations in a mirror, just so they can get used to saying it. I practice by running through it in front of a group (I use my SQL Saturday stuff as an excuse to train our developers and project managers in T-SQL).

    Indeed, preparing the content went fine, however it was a struggle to narrow the ppt down so my audience would not be pushed to death by the overload of info or details.

    I do this all about a week in advance so I know I can get a good night's sleep the night before the presentation. I eat a decent dinner, drink lots of water the day before. Then the day of, I also drink lots of water, make sure my presentation still works, then go to the event. I always use the restroom before presenting and always make sure to take a bottle or two of water with me so I can sip when I'm thirsty.

    Yep, the prep took another hour for me to double check all hardware (beamer,...) was ok and working with my laptop on that location.

    I had 2 bottles of water at hand, so I've been able to drink every once in a while and refill my glass.

    (consumed about 2L :hehe: )

    Little tricks I use to get people involved includes bringing candy or silly dollar toys to throw out to people who ask good questions.

    I rarely present on subjects that I don't know very well. I prefer doing the intro stuff because I know it backwards & forwards and hardly have to refer to my notes. However, I've been creeping out of my comfort zone lately by presenting more intermediate stuff too. And I tell myself that it's okay if I don't know the answer to all the questions, so long as I know the answer to some of them.

    The key to not killing your voice is to use an old acting trick. Don't breath into your lungs. Yeah, I know that sounds silly, but do this exercise while sitting at your desk. Breath in and out a couple of times, paying close attention to your shoulders. Are they moving? If so, you're breathing into the top of your lungs. Not only do you not have enough oxygen in your system to get through the presentation, but you're killing your voice because you're talking in your throat. The idea is to use your stomach to fill your lungs to full capacity. Think of a plunger in your stomach that's pulling the air deep inside you when you breath. Your shoulders should NOT be moving, but your stomach will be. When you speak, push the air out from your stomach.

    It takes practice, but it's way easier on your throat than the way most people speak.

    Thank you for this valuable info !

    Johan

    Johan

    Learn to play, play to learn !

    Dont drive faster than your guardian angel can fly ...
    but keeping both feet on the ground wont get you anywhere :w00t:

    - How to post Performance Problems
    - How to post data/code to get the best help[/url]

    - How to prevent a sore throat after hours of presenting ppt

    press F1 for solution, press shift+F1 for urgent solution 😀

    Need a bit of Powershell? How about this

    Who am I ? Sometimes this is me but most of the time this is me

  • You're welcome.

    There are a few other things I should mention.

    Don't drink high amounts of caffeine before a presentation. It dries out your throat. Don't drink anything cold before a presentation, it causes your throat to constrict and swell. Your water can be lower than room temperature, but it should not be chilled or iced.

    Hot tea or hot water are good for loosening up your throat both before and after. They're usually not available at a SQL Saturday, so I stick with carrying around room-temp water. Don't drink overly strong tea, though. Green or camomile would be really good for your throat right now.

    Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

  • Dairy's bad too, makes you all pleghmy. (no idea if I spelled that right)

    The deep breathing will also help you relax and lower your blood pressure if you do it regularly. 🙂

    ---------------------------------------------------------
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    How to post performance problems[/url]
    Tally Table:What it is and how it replaces a loop[/url]

    "stewsterl 80804 (10/16/2009)I guess when you stop and try to understand the solution provided you not only learn, but save yourself some headaches when you need to make any slight changes."

  • Lots of water -- and make sure there's a bathroom nearby! 😀

    +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
    Check out my blog at https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/

  • Indeed, next time I'll actually plan breaks in my slides and have them taken !

    I did have some twinkles in the stomach before the ppt, but IMO that's positive stress.

    If you're to confident about your stuff, you'll make glitches and not be able to cope with them smoothly.

    I've seen very experienced speakers that really needed time on their own before giving a presentation they do dozens of times a year, so I didn't expect for myself to be at ease at all.

    I only do a presentation very rarely, but this was my first big one on this topic.

    For the moment, these presentations are for internal use only.

    Maybe later on, I'll get an occasion to contribute at some local user groups.

    Who knows ... we'll see.

    Johan

    Learn to play, play to learn !

    Dont drive faster than your guardian angel can fly ...
    but keeping both feet on the ground wont get you anywhere :w00t:

    - How to post Performance Problems
    - How to post data/code to get the best help[/url]

    - How to prevent a sore throat after hours of presenting ppt

    press F1 for solution, press shift+F1 for urgent solution 😀

    Need a bit of Powershell? How about this

    Who am I ? Sometimes this is me but most of the time this is me

  • ALZDBA (12/15/2010)


    Indeed, next time I'll actually plan breaks in my slides and have them taken !

    I did have some twinkles in the stomach before the ppt, but IMO that's positive stress.

    If you're to confident about your stuff, you'll make glitches and not be able to cope with them smoothly.

    I've seen very experienced speakers that really needed time on their own before giving a presentation they do dozens of times a year, so I didn't expect for myself to be at ease at all.

    I only do a presentation very rarely, but this was my first big one on this topic.

    For the moment, these presentations are for internal use only.

    Maybe later on, I'll get an occasion to contribute at some local user groups.

    Who knows ... we'll see.

    Having some jitters is not a bad thing. Shaking uncontrolably is a bad thing... especially if you've had lots of water to drink.

    I was a Navy instructor and was qualified to teach and did, infact, taught all hours of a 26 week 8 hour a day course (1040 hours altogether). I also wrote and taught a 200 hour course on microprocessors and troubleshooting digital interfaces before Bill Gates could spell CPM. I found that the attention span of most folks was limited to about 50 minutes which was perfect... at the top of each hour, I called a 10 minute break and broke the antlers off of anyone that didn't return on time. Since we were all heavy coffee drinkers, the only problem any of us had (I usually had about 30 people in each class) was standing in line for a chance to fully process the coffee. 😉

    I taught at that pace for about 2 years. The jitters go away after you've done 3 things... get a little podium time behind you, review the "movie" you made of yourself so you can get rid of your speaking "tics" and shortfalls, and be very well prepared as the subject matter expert. Keep in mind that if it's a new subject for you and you don't have lesson plans, it's going to take about 4 hours (or more) of preparation time for each hour you're on the podium. If you have working code examples, it may take you 10 or 20 hours of preparation per hour on the podium to actually do it right.

    I used to do double duty in the Navy... After teaching for 8 hours, I'd have a quick dinner and then study the lesson plans for the next day for about another 8 hours that day. Walking into the classroom the next day knowing full well that no one was going to be able to pin me to the wall with a question really helped the jitters go away.

    And, yes... do get some podium time in front of your local user group. It's a great way to get started.

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • Jeff Moden (12/15/2010)


    ...it's going to take about 4 hours (or more) of preparation time for each hour you're on the podium. If you have working code examples, it may take you 10 or 20 hours of preparation per hour on the podium to actually do it right....

    Indeed, that's one thing I knew and invested the time I needed.

    This presentation took me days to prepare !

    Collecting items and scratch them again, review for completeness, building some demo scripts, test them and double check the results and scripting out (notes) on how to bring the demo in sections, building the solution on the topic you wanted to explain or point to.

    Because this was the first big one, I didn't measure the dry-run-time I spend, but I just needed it to get comfortable with my deck of slides and be sure to know when what is coming.

    I'm very happy to have been able to find almost everything I needed at SSC :w00t: to get started.

    And yes, I leave the source URLs in my scripts.

    And, yes... do get some podium time in front of your local user group. It's a great way to get started.

    We'll first see how it goes in-house, but it may open some doors 😉

    Johan

    Learn to play, play to learn !

    Dont drive faster than your guardian angel can fly ...
    but keeping both feet on the ground wont get you anywhere :w00t:

    - How to post Performance Problems
    - How to post data/code to get the best help[/url]

    - How to prevent a sore throat after hours of presenting ppt

    press F1 for solution, press shift+F1 for urgent solution 😀

    Need a bit of Powershell? How about this

    Who am I ? Sometimes this is me but most of the time this is me

  • It's going to sound funny when I say this, but the sore throat must have something to do with how you speak. I really don't do anything in particular to prep and I've only had a sore throat once or twice, and I know, one of those was because I caught some disease or other. Possibly you were tense and the tension went into your throat. Make a conscious effort to speak more slowly and possibly a little more quietly. You'll have to experiment. If you can, volunteer for cub scouts. If you can yell over the top of 60 screaming 8-10 y.o. boys, presenting is easy.

    As to the adrenalin, I like it. I prefer it. I'm pretty nervous before every presentation. Usually, I'll shadow-box a bit before hand. It pumps me up a bit, but more importantly, it forces me to breathe correctly, so I'm less likely to (notice I didn't say I wouldn't) gasp my way through the presentation because of my excitement.

    As to the bladder, it's a race-horse thing. I always have to go about 90 seconds before the presentation starts. First time I presented at the PASS Summit, it was bit of a gamble, because they didn't know me, so a board member was in the room. When I ran out, right before the start, he thought I was going to puke from nervousness, but I just had to prep for the race, if you get my drift.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • Jeff Moden (12/15/2010)Having some jitters is not a bad thing. Shaking uncontrolably is a bad thing... especially if you've had lots of water to drink.

    I was a Navy instructor and was qualified to teach and did, infact, taught all hours of a 26 week 8 hour a day course (1040 hours altogether). I also wrote and taught a 200 hour course on microprocessors and troubleshooting digital interfaces before Bill Gates could spell CPM. I found that the attention span of most folks was limited to about 50 minutes which was perfect... at the top of each hour, I called a 10 minute break and broke the antlers off of anyone that didn't return on time. Since we were all heavy coffee drinkers, the only problem any of us had (I usually had about 30 people in each class) was standing in line for a chance to fully process the coffee. 😉

    I taught at that pace for about 2 years. The jitters go away after you've done 3 things... get a little podium time behind you, review the "movie" you made of yourself so you can get rid of your speaking "tics" and shortfalls, and be very well prepared as the subject matter expert. Keep in mind that if it's a new subject for you and you don't have lesson plans, it's going to take about 4 hours (or more) of preparation time for each hour you're on the podium. If you have working code examples, it may take you 10 or 20 hours of preparation per hour on the podium to actually do it right.

    I used to do double duty in the Navy... After teaching for 8 hours, I'd have a quick dinner and then study the lesson plans for the next day for about another 8 hours that day. Walking into the classroom the next day knowing full well that no one was going to be able to pin me to the wall with a question really helped the jitters go away.

    And, yes... do get some podium time in front of your local user group. It's a great way to get started.

    You are an iron man. I'm impressed. Excellent advice too.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • Grant Fritchey (12/16/2010)


    It's going to sound funny when I say this, but the sore throat must have something to do with how you speak. I really don't do anything in particular to prep and I've only had a sore throat once or twice, and I know, one of those was because I caught some disease or other. Possibly you were tense and the tension went into your throat. Make a conscious effort to speak more slowly and possibly a little more quietly. You'll have to experiment.

    That will indeed be one of the factors I need to take into account.

    It has been noted on my checklist 😉

    If you can, volunteer for cub scouts. If you can yell over the top of 60 screaming 8-10 y.o. boys, presenting is easy.

    Back in the days I was a drill sergeant in the airforce for 2 months. After the first week, my voice was trained enough to roar from a vast distance and still being able to carry over the message :w00t:

    But that's not the way I want to handle my presentations these days :hehe:

    I've been impressed at SQLPASS on how un-damaged you ended your presentition without the sound system working :smooooth:

    It is indeed a question of training your voice.

    As to the adrenalin, I like it. I prefer it. I'm pretty nervous before every presentation. Usually, I'll shadow-box a bit before hand. It pumps me up a bit, but more importantly, it forces me to breathe correctly, so I'm less likely to (notice I didn't say I wouldn't) gasp my way through the presentation because of my excitement.

    As to the bladder, it's a race-horse thing. I always have to go about 90 seconds before the presentation starts. First time I presented at the PASS Summit, it was bit of a gamble, because they didn't know me, so a board member was in the room. When I ran out, right before the start, he thought I was going to puke from nervousness, but I just had to prep for the race, if you get my drift.

    It's a good thing we don't always show as we feel it ourself.

    It's nice to hear things proceeded as acceptable. :Whistling:

    Johan

    Learn to play, play to learn !

    Dont drive faster than your guardian angel can fly ...
    but keeping both feet on the ground wont get you anywhere :w00t:

    - How to post Performance Problems
    - How to post data/code to get the best help[/url]

    - How to prevent a sore throat after hours of presenting ppt

    press F1 for solution, press shift+F1 for urgent solution 😀

    Need a bit of Powershell? How about this

    Who am I ? Sometimes this is me but most of the time this is me

  • The key to keeping your throat from getting sore is to not swallow that stupid frog in the first place!

    😛

    Actually, the breathing thing I mentioned on page one of this thread is key to training your voice. If you've already learned to roar, then you probably know a different version of the technique. You can use it, just modify your volume. It's all about projection. Knowing how to throw your voice to the back row of the room without having to yell, raise your voice, or talk inside your throat.

    Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

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