A handful of my coworkers and I were corralled into the conference room on Friday to attend a training seminar on "presentation skills". The instructor's credentials seemed solid enough until he handed out a small bio and revealed that his major was in rhetoric. Is that even part of the three R's, at least in the twentieth century? Each person in the group was given a random topic, allowed three minutes to prepare, and then three minutes to lead a discussion on the topic. My topic was "Explain how you would use a hat to catch a butterfly. Be sure to identify the type of hat that is required." My first inclination was to use a beret, just for the hell of it. However, on deeper thought, the answer became obvious. One needs an Easter bonnet with fresh cut flowers to act at butterfly bait. Once the butterflies are on the flowers, they can be netted. An alternate method is to use a bridal veil, also with fresh flowers. The advantage to this method is that the veil can act as a net. Any questions? The instructor spent most of the afternoon reading to us his favorite Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes comic strips from his Powerpoint presentation dealing with public speaking and anxiety. How is my mind supposed to process all this new knowledge?
