A Presenter’s Tale

It was my pleasure to present at the recent Reform Symposium. This was my first presentation at a virtual conference: all my previous offerings were at physical conferences, standing at a podium in a room with a seated audience.

I like to have my presentations properly prepared well in advance of the event. With all the physical conferences, that preparation was done in isolation from other presenters. Despite trying out the presentations on anybody that would listen, it was in some sense a lonely effort.

With the Reform Symposium, I became aware of the efforts of other presenters through the #rscon10 hashtag on Twitter, and the sorts of pressure they were feeling. It was a great relief to find that I was not alone in facing those sorts of pressures. The very technology which we were using to make our presentations was also allowing us to share our thoughts and feelings in advance of the event. I happen to be married to one of the other presenters, which also helped.

At the time, I did not realise how much nervous energy I was using. My presentation was in evening local time, and it was not until the following day I realised just how tired I was. Would I do it again? Yes!

I like to think that my efforts might be of some use to other people. Well, in this case, the answer seems to be yes. It was something that came to me after listening to another presenter the day before my own presentation; he spoke of digital natives and digital immigrants. In my presentation, I offered an alternative view, that of “digital junkies, digital competents, and the digitally challenged”. This seems to have resonated with many of those present, as well as others who have watched the recording and read the accompanying document.

For anybody who wants to see the recording, it is at http://bit.ly/938hmW. The accompanying document comes as part of that recording.

The next time I present at a virtual conference, I intend to get in contact with as many of my fellow presenters as possible – I think a feeling of community will help.