General Chit Chat

[General Mannerheim]

Patterdale.

That'll explain it. Mental animals.

indeed, but he's the most placid, child tollerent, affectionate dog i know when he's at home. just has a bit of a screw loose in the wild.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Patterdale.

That'll explain it. Mental animals.

indeed, but he's the most placid, child tollerent, affectionate dog i know when he's at home. just has a bit of a screw loose in the wild.

A regular at my local had four Patterdale terriers, all brothers. He lost them one by one as they chased off after rabbits, squirrels etc and never returned. He lost the final one about two years after the first, it was last seen chasing a herd of cows over the horizon somewhere near Ecclefechan after he'd got out for a pee break on his way up to Scotland.

[Bruce Rioja]

Patterdale.

That'll explain it. Mental animals.

indeed, but he's the most placid, child tollerent, affectionate dog i know when he's at home. just has a bit of a screw loose in the wild.

My mum's Jack Russell is also the most affectionate, loyal dog you could wish to meet, but you should see the little 4ucker go when he sees another dog on the telly!

[General Mannerheim]

Patterdale.

That'll explain it. Mental animals.

indeed, but he's the most placid, child tollerent, affectionate dog i know when he's at home. just has a bit of a screw loose in the wild.

My mum's Jack Russell is also the most affectionate, loyal dog you could wish to meet, but you should see the little 4ucker go when he sees another dog on the telly!

haha, yep, same. even cartoon dogs!

[General Mannerheim]

Patterdale.

That'll explain it. Mental animals.

indeed, but he's the most placid, child tollerent, affectionate dog i know when he's at home. just has a bit of a screw loose in the wild.

A regular at my local had four Patterdale terriers, all brothers. He lost them one by one as they chased off after rabbits, squirrels etc and never returned. He lost the final one about two years after the first, it was last seen chasing a herd of cows over the horizon somewhere near Ecclefechan after he'd got out for a pee break on his way up to Scotland.

they're right little bastards!

anyway, that little escapade has cost him his cojones! hes booked in for the chop.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Beeb tinternet news headline: Norway cheese fire closes tunnel.
The mind boggles.

[bwfcdan94]

it snowing again . it has snowed for 3. 5 days out of the last 5 here, amazing

[IggyTheDawgster]

I'm cold. Can I have a cuddle?

[Annoyed Grunt]

I'm cold. Can I have a cuddle?

[General Mannerheim]

This is a bit of an odd one but might as well stick it here...

With Lincoln imminent and Django doing the rounds, I read up a bit (I do mean a bit) on the 13th amendment - it's not something we are really taught about over here.

One thing I've been wondering is, as soon as the amendment was passed and slaves were suddenly free, where did they go? Surely many of them had no home of their own, no family, and didnt know anything other than slavery. Did some ask to kept on, did slavery continue underhandedly, were they rounded up and taken to a refugee camp of some kind? In the movies all you see is the cruel owners, im sure many were beaten and killed but maybe there were some families with slaves who all loved each other?... Questions like these I can find no real answers too...

[malcd1]

I have been asked to do a 1 hour presentation at work and I don't know if I should do it. It is a fantastic opportunity including spending a couple of days in a beautiful part of Switzerland.

The problem is it will be in front of around 200 of our biggest and most important customers and very senior managers (6 levels up from me). If it goes well I get a pat on the back. If it goes badly I can pretty much kiss my career progression goodbye.

I have done a little bit of presenting on training courses and conferences but only to a maximum of 20 people. I get very nervous in the run up to these things but apparently I don't across that way.

Colleagues have told me it gets easier the more you do public speaking but this may be a step too far. I need to make a decision today. Argggggh!

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

I have been asked to do a 1 hour presentation at work and I don't know if I should do it. It is a fantastic opportunity including spending a couple of days in a beautiful part of Switzerland.

The problem is it will be in front of around 200 of our biggest and most important customers and very senior managers (6 levels up from me). If it goes well I get a pat on the back. If it goes badly I can pretty much kiss my career progression goodbye.

I have done a little bit of presenting on training courses and conferences but only to a maximum of 20 people. I get very nervous in the run up to these things but apparently I don't across that way.

Colleagues have told me it gets easier the more you do public speaking but this may be a step too far. I need to make a decision today. Argggggh!

If it is a subject matter you feel you know very well then go for it. If you aren't confident then leave alone but explain. Sometimes not doing something can have as bad an affect on a career as doing it not so well.

To be honest, if you can stand in front of 20 people then you can stand in front of 200. I've been there myself. Just focus on the first couple of rows to begin with and as you feel a bit easier as it goes on, look a bit deeper. It can be quite liberating to do and most of those senior people will have been where you are now and will understand how daunting it can feel. Be confident and make sure the presentation is engaging. If you do that the content doesn't need to be Oscar winning stuff. You'll feel great after doing it

[Beefheart]

This is a bit of an odd one but might as well stick it here...

With Lincoln imminent and Django doing the rounds, I read up a bit (I do mean a bit) on the 13th amendment - it's not something we are really taught about over here.

One thing I've been wondering is, as soon as the amendment was passed and slaves were suddenly free, where did they go? Surely many of them had no home of their own, no family, and didnt know anything other than slavery. Did some ask to kept on, did slavery continue underhandedly, were they rounded up and taken to a refugee camp of some kind? In the movies all you see is the cruel owners, im sure many were beaten and killed but maybe there were some families with slaves who all loved each other?... Questions like these I can find no real answers too...

I think a lot continued to do similar work in what was called 'sharecropping', often for their former masters and I don't think conditions were all that better than under slavery.

My memory is a bit vague on it, was part of my History A-level!

[bobo the clown]

I have been asked to do a 1 hour presentation at work and I don't know if I should do it. It is a fantastic opportunity including spending a couple of days in a beautiful part of Switzerland.

The problem is it will be in front of around 200 of our biggest and most important customers and very senior managers (6 levels up from me). If it goes well I get a pat on the back. If it goes badly I can pretty much kiss my career progression goodbye.

I have done a little bit of presenting on training courses and conferences but only to a maximum of 20 people. I get very nervous in the run up to these things but apparently I don't across that way.

Colleagues have told me it gets easier the more you do public speaking but this may be a step too far. I need to make a decision today. Argggggh!

If it is a subject matter you feel you know very well then go for it. If you aren't confident then leave alone but explain. Sometimes not doing something can have as bad an affect on a career as doing it not so well.

To be honest, if you can stand in front of 20 people then you can stand in front of 200. I've been there myself. Just focus on the first couple of rows to begin with and as you feel a bit easier as it goes on, look a bit deeper. It can be quite liberating to do and most of those senior people will have been where you are now and will understand how daunting it can feel. Be confident and make sure the presentation is engaging. If you do that the content doesn't need to be Oscar winning stuff. You'll feel great after doing it

Pretty much what our Arabic friend says.

I assume you've been asked for a reason. The person asking has some duty to help & guide. Get hold of previous similar preentations so you can gauge the style of formal/imformaletc., etc.

Ensure the senior has viewed it (or you can prove you offered him the option) so if it does cause issues you have some coverage.

Resist the temptation to go too 'casual' while also avoiding being utterly stiff & stilted. I'm assuming it's "your" topic, so you can answer the straightforward questions and ensure you've arranged with your bos beforehand that he's available to pick up difficult ones ... especially policy based questions.

Then ... as they say ... "prepare, prepare, prepare". Get the presentation first draft done early, just the framework. Then fill in the data. Make sure it's correct if it is data.

Then minimise the info on any one slide ... a busy slide isn't going to help. Each bullet point should be something you expand on, verbally. Don't then simply read off the slides, refer to them, but deliver more.

.... & yes, 200 people, especially senior level, is daunting, but the more you have prepared the more you can be confident in your subject matter and, so, in your ability to deliver it.

If you feel nervous (which you're entitled to do) right before then get your breathing right, by a good few deep breaths, exhaled slowly & calmly ... it help the breathing & the early delivery. Once speaking you will see a handful of people around the room who appear alert & give off empathetic vibes. Focus toward them ... moving your eye contact around so you aren't focusing on just one area.

My bill is in the post.

[General Mannerheim]

This is a bit of an odd one but might as well stick it here...

With Lincoln imminent and Django doing the rounds, I read up a bit (I do mean a bit) on the 13th amendment - it's not something we are really taught about over here.

One thing I've been wondering is, as soon as the amendment was passed and slaves were suddenly free, where did they go? Surely many of them had no home of their own, no family, and didnt know anything other than slavery. Did some ask to kept on, did slavery continue underhandedly, were they rounded up and taken to a refugee camp of some kind? In the movies all you see is the cruel owners, im sure many were beaten and killed but maybe there were some families with slaves who all loved each other?... Questions like these I can find no real answers too...

I think a lot continued to do similar work in what was called 'sharecropping', often for their former masters and I don't think conditions were all that better than under slavery.

My memory is a bit vague on it, was part of my History A-level!

yeah thanks, i did some further browsing too... Common belief has it that they went north looking for work - however, most stayed where they were, having no earthly idea how to live other than how they had prior to Emancipation. Most slaves did not even know anything about the Emancipation because they didn't have access to any news and even if they did see the papers they probably couldn't read or write. Many didnt have to reunite with their families either because the plantations often housed the whole family of the slaves, not just one person.
As you say, many entered into share-cropping agreements with their former masters, basically doing exactly what they did before - only now they were paid a wage for their labor and were free to seek other employment.
Some took up residence on land formerly part of big plantations that were broken up at the end of the Civil War. And some did indeed move away and sought out jobs elsewhere. Those were the ones fortunate enough to have marketable skills such as in carpentry or ironwork. Some had enlisted in the US Army and chose to remain. They were the so-called "Buffalo Soldiers" and a few distinguished themselves during the "Indian Wars" that closely followed the end of the Civil War. Any left over were sent to help establish a colony in Liberia.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I have been asked to do a 1 hour presentation at work and I don't know if I should do it. It is a fantastic opportunity including spending a couple of days in a beautiful part of Switzerland.

The problem is it will be in front of around 200 of our biggest and most important customers and very senior managers (6 levels up from me). If it goes well I get a pat on the back. If it goes badly I can pretty much kiss my career progression goodbye.

I have done a little bit of presenting on training courses and conferences but only to a maximum of 20 people. I get very nervous in the run up to these things but apparently I don't across that way.

Colleagues have told me it gets easier the more you do public speaking but this may be a step too far. I need to make a decision today. Argggggh!

Everyone's different, but I can't believe that anyone would even consider turning an opportunity like this down!

[General Mannerheim]

I have been asked to do a 1 hour presentation at work and I don't know if I should do it. It is a fantastic opportunity including spending a couple of days in a beautiful part of Switzerland.

The problem is it will be in front of around 200 of our biggest and most important customers and very senior managers (6 levels up from me). If it goes well I get a pat on the back. If it goes badly I can pretty much kiss my career progression goodbye.

I have done a little bit of presenting on training courses and conferences but only to a maximum of 20 people. I get very nervous in the run up to these things but apparently I don't across that way.

Colleagues have told me it gets easier the more you do public speaking but this may be a step too far. I need to make a decision today. Argggggh!

Everyone's different, but I can't believe that anyone would even consider turning an opportunity like this down!

yeah i wouldnt think twice. live for the moment, you'd only end up regretting it. also, surely the management would prefer to see you try than to backdown from a challenge?

[malcd1]

Thanks for the advice chaps. I had confirmed that I will do it. The offices are overlooking the lake in Zurich so that should be the sweetener.

It will be my presentation so I will know the content. The subject is right on the edge of my comfort zone though so as Bobo said Practise, Practise, Practise.

I think my biggest stumbling block could be that I will be presenting to mainly non-UK people. I'm not sure my broad Bolton accent travels much out of the North-West. My mantra will be 'speak slow and clear'.

Thanks again.

[mrkint]

This is a bit of an odd one but might as well stick it here...

With Lincoln imminent and Django doing the rounds, I read up a bit (I do mean a bit) on the 13th amendment - it's not something we are really taught about over here.

One thing I've been wondering is, as soon as the amendment was passed and slaves were suddenly free, where did they go? Surely many of them had no home of their own, no family, and didnt know anything other than slavery. Did some ask to kept on, did slavery continue underhandedly, were they rounded up and taken to a refugee camp of some kind? In the movies all you see is the cruel owners, im sure many were beaten and killed but maybe there were some families with slaves who all loved each other?... Questions like these I can find no real answers too...

I think a lot continued to do similar work in what was called 'sharecropping', often for their former masters and I don't think conditions were all that better than under slavery.

My memory is a bit vague on it, was part of my History A-level!

yeah thanks, i did some further browsing too... Common belief has it that they went north looking for work - however, most stayed where they were, having no earthly idea how to live other than how they had prior to Emancipation. Most slaves did not even know anything about the Emancipation because they didn't have access to any news and even if they did see the papers they probably couldn't read or write. Many didnt have to reunite with their families either because the plantations often housed the whole family of the slaves, not just one person.
As you say, many entered into share-cropping agreements with their former masters, basically doing exactly what they did before - only now they were paid a wage for their labor and were free to seek other employment.
Some took up residence on land formerly part of big plantations that were broken up at the end of the Civil War. And some did indeed move away and sought out jobs elsewhere. Those were the ones fortunate enough to have marketable skills such as in carpentry or ironwork. Some had enlisted in the US Army and chose to remain. They were the so-called "Buffalo Soldiers" and a few distinguished themselves during the "Indian Wars" that closely followed the end of the Civil War. Any left over were sent to help establish a colony in Liberia.

You still had the continuation of segregation and that thanks to the Plessy v Ferguson decision and the enactment of the Jim Crow laws. Over the decades you saw several different actors come to the fore with very different views on what to be done. The NAACP was set up, and one of its founders W. Du Bois was a very prominent figure in protests against lynching and the like (as well as a brilliant historian). On the flip side you had people like Marcus Garvey who wanted to ship people back to the 'motherland' in Africa.

Pretty incredible that active discrimination continued like this under the 'separate but equal' doctrine for nearly a century. Twas an interesting period. A fractured period, with many social, economical and political issues at its heart. It's still changing as we go further in time.

[mrkint]

Thanks for the advice chaps. I had confirmed that I will do it. The offices are overlooking the lake in Zurich so that should be the sweetener.

It will be my presentation so I will know the content. The subject is right on the edge of my comfort zone though so as Bobo said Practise, Practise, Practise.

I think my biggest stumbling block could be that I will be presenting to mainly non-UK people. I'm not sure my broad Bolton accent travels much out of the North-West. My mantra will be 'speak slow and clear'.

Thanks again.

Best of luck!