Hints

Below are some general hints of presenting talks, lectures and discussion papers in general, but also applicable to Masonic presentations.

As Masonic Talks progresses we will add to these hints, making them even more user friendly.

Hints for giving a Masonic presentation

• If possible use PowerPoint, use the video projector, (and don’t forget to put your presentation on “Masonic Talks” website so you and others can access it).  If you hate PowerPoint, you can use handouts (sometimes easier in Lodge meetings) or as one of out presenters has done, got stationery/office suppliers to increase it to poster size.
• Point at the projector screen, poster, tracing board etc… whilst facing the audience (this gives you a greater sense of feeling in control and allows you to read the audience better.
• Don't be embarrassed about taking time to think.
• Don't be shy about reading the words written on the slide, poster or crib notes.
• If you are using PowerPoint and are not fully ok with PowerPoint’s animation feature, don’t use it (if you want the slide to change, use the "insert duplicate slide" feature)
• Once you have put a presentation/talk together there is a key element you must never forget. Practice, Practice, Practice, Practice, get yourself four good practices in before you deliver, use a stop watch and time yourself and see as you progress through the Practices you improve your pace. (if you correct anything during a practice, its not a practice, count it as part of the development stage, and start the practice session again from zero) Buy doing these simple techniques you will improve your presentation, and your skills to go with it.

We hope to have some more specific tips for Masonic presentation soon.

Here are some other people's (no doubt better) hints on giving a talk:

• http://divine.eecs.berkeley.edu/~messer/Bad_talk.html
• http://www.comm.toronto.edu/~frank/guide/guide0.html
• http://www.brics.dk/~danvy/talk.html
• http://www.cs.ucsb.edu/~mturk/Misc/HowToGiveATalk.htm
• http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~markhill/conference-talk.html
• http://www.geek-girl.com/mit.research.how.to/mit.research.how.to.htmlHow to do research at the MIT AI Lab (this document seems to be online everywhere except MIT)

Have ago at presenting

Here are some talks, lasting no longer than five minutes.

• Introduction to William Preston's "Illustrations of Masonry", this is a great one to get you started.
• A Short alternative explanation of the second degree tracing board.

If you want to present something from the heart and not sure what or how to, why not present a memoir or sorts. Start with the following Questions:

1. What I have noticed since joining Freemasonry?
2. What is appealing to you to be a Freemason?
3. How many Masters has your Lodge had since it was consecrated, now come up with interesting facts about that number? (a suggestion keep the number of them about 20, they some run out of stream with members, even if they are all funny) 

Let us no how they went, why not submit them for others to use.