Need Tips To Be A Guest Speaker

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by Caughtinbetween, May 14, 2017.

  1. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    Hi all ,

    Hope you all are doing good.
    I have a question. Recently I was chosen to be one of the guest speakers at summer immersion program of girls who code on behalf of my company . I would be speaking for two days on the topic of computer networking and related ideas.
    This would be my first time speaking at any such events .this is going to happen in two months time.
    Am looking for your tips on how to prepare myself for the day , what are the places where I cAn get more ideas about the topics and basically how to get ready from the scratch.
    As always a million thanks for your suggestions.
     
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  2. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    CIB, good to see your post in E&G!

    Two days is a lot of time to be speaking to a group of highschoolers. You should get overtime : ) Jokes aside, how long is the total time you will be speaking? The GWC summer program usually lasts daily from 9 am to 4pm. So, if you don't already know, check how many hours is your part.

    General tips:
    - Computer networking can be a slightly dry topic. Ask them what else you can include. Often, any topic should be fine as long as it is not already being covered in the 7 week program. AI would be a cool topic to talk on.
    - If needed, brush up presentation skills, including how to make uncluttered slides. Practice speaking slowly. Include many questions in your talk. Remember to call upon the quieter ones, who don't raise their hands.

    - Try to include computer networking related hands-on activities in your talk. There are some that are online - a game/challenge to complete, and some are what the girls will work on individually or in groups using pencil, paper,and other props/materials.

    - Usually, companies give laptops to the girls in GWC summer program (give-away.. to take home!). Anyway, check whether the girls will be using Windows or Apple computers in the program, as you might plan an activity that runs on their laptops.

    - Don't do too much prep from scratch. There's tons of material online. Google "computer networking for kids" "computer networks for kids". It is OK to also use short videos from youtube. If you search in youtube, there are some very well-made short videos on networking fundamentals.

    - At every point in your presentation, focus on showing the girls how computer networks (or whatever related topic) relates to their daily life, to their use of social media, etc. You want to leave them enthused and curious about computer networking, rather than very knowledgeable about comp. networking.

    These are some links:
    https://www3.nd.edu/~cpoellab/teaching/cse40814_fall14/networks.pdf
    Activities - Computer Science Unplugged
    Sorting Networks - Computer Science Unplugged
    Kids.Net.Au - Encyclopedia > Computer network

    This seems to be a good book on computer networks for kids: Amazon.com: How Do Computers Talk to Each Other? (Techni-Kids Book Series) eBook: Diane Windsor: Kindle Store

    At suitable points in the presentation, you can give them a fun online quiz on the content you presented. quizlet.com is a good place. create a quiz and see who can match the question-answer pairs fast. Have some small prizes (some company goodies). There are also places where you can create a Jeopardy type game.

    The girls in the program will be entering 11th and 12th grades in fall. Most are fairly enthusiastic about computer science and programming, but only few will have much prior exposure to programming and computer science. But,a cool activity to do would be creating a client/server chat application. Maybe in Python as that'll be easier to type up and run on their laptops. There are some very simple ones on the internet. Have the girls actually type it up. For any hands-on activity, have them work in groups or pairs. Take the opportunity to talk to them about pair-programming. That can be a good 15 minute side-talk; ask them their experiences in collaborating with classmates,and would they like to work like that in real world.

    Try to go and attend a few minutes of one or two sessions of the GWC program in the days or weeks before your turn - you will get a feel for the class, and overall atmosphere. Also, ask them if you will have any help if you do hands-on activities. If yes, give that assistant your material and handouts earlier so he/she can get familiar with them.

    Have some general questions handy for ice-breaker, introduction, and other times. For the introduction, be innovative.. that will set the tone for your presentation. Some funny and appropriate computer science, networking etc related one-liner jokes also help to have handy through-out your presentation.

    Also, feel free to talk about your own experiences, challenges and struggles in the work world.. focus on the positives.

    If you can talk about AI, you can tell them about the Turing test, and work with some online chat-bots. There are many fun activities related to this.

    Also, as a gap-filler, you could give them small programs that do something interesting, and their task would be to add something or change something. Use an online coding place like Online REPL, Compiler & IDE

    Another idea to keep your talk interesting is to talk about a related event from the news, like any recent worldwide hacking. Hillary Clinton's email server fiasco would also be a good one to talk about. They will know a little bit about it, but not the technical nitty-gritty. Here are two articles that explain it well in easy to understand terms: Six Ways Hillary Clinton's Email Could Have Been Hacked | HuffPost Hillary Clinton Controversy: How Do Email Servers Work?
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2017
  3. Jey

    Jey Administrator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Wow Rihana, what a thorough response! Is there anything that you don't know?

    OP, you are not guest speaking. You are running a 2-day training program/workshop. Framing it that way is important because then you think about it differently. It's less about what you say. More about what you do with the group.

    So mix a variety of things to keep the 2-days fun and engaging. Some slides, some videos, some hands-on activity, some breakout sessions etc. Make it active learning. Pull all the ideas Rihana gave into it.

    It is more about the experience than the content you deliver.
     
  4. DDream

    DDream Finest Post Winner

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    OP, Rihana has already provided you many tips on how to prepare this topic. My suggestions are on presentation.
    As this is your first presentation, chances are that you may finish it faster than it should be or run out of time.

    1) if you prepare slides for 20 minutes make sure that you have < 20 slides and you spend at least one minute on the slide.
    2) Make sure that there is a take home message in each slide. Use maximum 3-4 lines per slide. Fonts should be clear visible and font size > atleast 20-24pt. Use similar style in all slides. Be consistent
    3) If possible use light background with dark letters
    4) Dont over crowd the slides with two many text, images, or equations or codes.
    5) Prepare slide notes with 3-4 points that you wanted to convey. Make sure that there is not any spelling mistakes on slides.
    6) Practice, practice, practice (as it is your first talk, it is very important). Prepare the slides, and give mock presentation to your self imagining a crown in front. See if you can talk all the points or missing some thing. Is there any continuity from one slide to another. Check whether you are able to narrate it well. Even for Joke or connecting to real life experience, practice the same(Yes, even the experienced speakers do that)
    7) The presentation should be <40 minutes, people loose interests after that. If not fill it with enough fun.
    8) If the crowd can remember at least two to three points, you did a good job.
    9) Have a smile and face the audience. You can encourage them to ask or interact (based on the audience/occasion). But if it is too much encourage them to ask questions later.
    10)Make sure you face them with a pleasant confident face. Talk using loud, clear voice but at a slow pace (not too slow) so that they can understand it well.

    These are general suggestions. Anyway, fine tune it with the audience's requirements.

    As it is your first presentation, chances are that one may not able to deliver like an experienced speaker . With experience one can make even 10 minute content to 1 hour. But if we don't have that even 1-hour presentation will end up in 10 minutes :)
    So practice well before you go ..

    Good luck
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2017
  5. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    Hi Rihana ,

    Hope you are doing good.
    Firstly , apologies for my delayed response to a wonderful reply . I was caught up with my doc visits and stuff so just could not come back to post my reply though I read your excellent post. Really thanks . You are a knowledge bank . For the last few days , more than checking the reln threads I read more of that one with info about middle school education system while I am far from using it yet. But like some other poster below mentioned I wonder is there anything that you dont know about . I remember reading your comment on one of my very old threads in the reln section where you said that any such knowledge and wisdom that I feel is wonderful today is something you acquired after a lot of experiences good and bad . True that. I feel awestruck by the sheer wealth of your knowledge.

    Coming to my above question , its going to be a two day event for me with about 1.5 hours each day.
    I am trying to get in touch with the organizer to find more information about the questions you posed.
    Computer networking is included since that is the direct field of my work .But besides networking I am more interested in adding AI and cognitive science to my syllabus . Since I am personally interested in these two topics so am thinking of either dividing the two day class into two sections 1)networking 2)cognitive science + AI
    or
    in three sections 1) networking 2)AI 3) cognitive science

    Not sure which way to go about it .
    All your suggestions are wonderful and I am working on including all of it .
    I am asking them about the assistant , PC that the girls would be using and what other topics are being covered etc. Will go to attend some other classes as well from other speakers to get a hang of it .
    Because my company already uses high end robots at work so I was actually confused on whether to include something about it , some suggestions from the workplace include talking with reference to alexa to generate more curiosity and thus helping with connecting the examples to the real life use. Do you think it would be a nice idea ? I dont know much about alexa but I will read up about it . Real life examples make people feel connected easily i guess .
    About using online code compilers ,when I have then type the code themselves do we spend a lot of time explaining the code and language to increase the curiosity in them to go home and learn more about it or you just scratch the surface . Not sure if my time is sufficient to include an in depth analysis of the code but may be a small piece of code is good to explain the girls the effects of learning it. As you rightly said everything which is included in the presentations should leave the girls with more curiosity to learn rather than more knowledge .
    Once again thank you so much for an absolutely amazing response . I really appreciate the time and energy you spent in giving out all the info above . Its worth more than thanks . Very useful. I really feel dumb that I havent even known that such online stuff existed like the turing test.
    looking forward to more inputs and guidance from you about including cognition and AI in my presentations.
    You responses make me feel confident to do it and gives direction.
    This opportunity has made me feel happy after a long time and I really hope I live up to the mark.
    Thank you.
     
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  6. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    Wow Rihana, what a thorough response! Is there anything that you don't know?
    I have the same question :)



    OP, you are not guest speaking. You are running a 2-day training program/workshop. Framing it that way is important because then you think about it differently. It's less about what you say. More about what you do with the group.

    You are right , I have this feeling that as such I may not be able to completely educate them on any topic I choose in such a short time but I want them to leave with more curiosity and intentions of pursuing it further . That intention is worth the effort. This is going to be the most cherished experience to me .
    Thank you so much for your inspiring reply .
     
  7. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    Hi Ddream ,

    thank you so much for your thorough inputs , it will surely help me in preparing a nice presentation . I appreciate the time you took to post such a detailed response . This is going to be a first time for me , i always used to fantasize about it but never thought that such a day would ever come , i am all excited , hope this opens doors for more such opportunites but i must prepare very well as you said not only because its the first time but also because i am very introvert by nature and cant really hold up the conversations after a point I have depleted all my knowledge on any topic . this worries me too .after about 5 years in the us i still dont find a single person to call as a friend , off topic , but its on the back of my mind because of the lack of any public interaction here .
    I was also thinking whether they would be able to understand my accent though I dont carry any particular indian regional accent , during some test long back it was categorized as neutral . i just hope to not end up in a situation where I have to repeat myself more than once or twice .
    Can i put the layout of my presentation on indusladies website to get more feedback from you all after i am somewhat done with it ?
    I think i am getting anxious now. Though I havent came across any situations at work where they did not understand me yet(all colleagues are native americans very few indians or asians ). So I think I should be just fine . I will include the presentations in the above format you suggested and videos as well .
    Regarding question and answer sessions what if I dont have an answer to any question that they pose ?
    Wouldnt it look bad on my part ? would this reflect badly on those girls that this is going to be my first time ?
    I understand they come with a lot of expectations , i just hope i dont disappoint them .
    My all worked up brain thinking all negatives :(
    thank you so much dear .
     
  8. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    CIB, thank you for the kind words. GWC is a well-known activity among teen girls, and I've talked with some girls who went to it, who run GWC clubs in schools and libraries, and some women who conducted such sessions, though not GWC itself. And hence the gyan about it.

    A total of 3 hrs then, you have. Split into 2 days. It is the ideal amount of time. The high end robots -- chances are another presenter will be talking about it since company does that. Three sections is better. Or, split networking into 2, and keep those not consecutive. Keep AI and CogSci separate. Those are two very separate fields and better if the girls go away aware of the opportunities in both.

    Alexa is a good one to include, or just Siri would also do if Alexa needs you to do a lot of reading up. Keep it simple. If they even understand the idea of how a primitive chatbot works (looking out for a few key words, reflecting silly question back to asker), your task is done.

    Online code compilers, and typing up programs - the 3 hrs time you have and topics you want to cover makes this hard to include. Drop this idea. About your question - a chunk of the code you could tell them to take as a given and that it does what it does. They actually play around with only a few lines of code. You could have this as a backup activity in case you run out of material. Not a client/server application; just a simple program like picking out clothes based on weather/mood of person, or a fortune-cookie message generator.

    Preparing for such presentations takes a lot of time, since you don't know the audience so well and new to it. Keep in mind that you will feel good about inspiring girls and just to have completed such a presentation, but you won't get too appreciation (?) or ROI for it at work. What I am saying, if your time is at a premium, don't too much make this into a "project".

    For folks here to review best way would be to create a GoogleDoc. Or is that too behind the times? : ) Ask Alexa : )
     
  9. Caughtinbetween

    Caughtinbetween Gold IL'ite

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    Update on my GWC event :
    Thank you @Rihana and all for your detailed response and a sorry for very late reply . I did complete my GWC session at two different venues , one was planned where I went as a speaker and other one was a last minute opportunity as a volunteer . Enjoyed my time at both the places .
    Tried to include a lot of wonderful suggestions from all the members who replied here and created my presentation . It had 25-30 slides for each day. And the rest of the time , kept the girls busy with few fun learning games , quizzes and Q&A sessions . I got a few games from Cisco's and Microsoft's kids learning website and Turing's test for networking and AI related stuff. Besides a few girls , most were not aware of the subject topics in depth , just a very general understanding here say. I did get stuck at a few places and they had trouble understanding me at few places too . Fortunately , I also had some GWC coordinator with me on the day I spoke to assist me . She helped me a lot to keep them curious and entertained . They were more interested in things related to the bots and how they were included in the everyday work since it is what the company is more famous for . I managed the whole event with help from my manager at work too. He actually projected it as a success story and got me permissions to spend a little part of my working hours to prepare myself for it for a few days. He and few of my colleagues were present there too. It was an awesome feeling. I did not include coding stuff because i could not get enough time to do it. Overall ,last few weeks were quite productive preparing for this event and for my promotion interview too . Thank you all for your good wishes .
     

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