I'll write more about the actual presentation later or next week, once I have a chance to go through some of the audio and video.
- Huge thanks to: Tamar Snyder and Pazit, which women should join up forces with, Mt. Sinai for hosting and Shlomo B. for helping set up.
- Crowd was really great. The room was full (50-60 people someone said), the people were really interested, and they asked numerous good questions in the Q&A following the presentation. A couple people knew more about certain subjects/aspects than I did, such as Canadian information (in response to a question about international responses).
- As my own not-so-harshest critic, I'd give myself a B+ as a presenter; really a B, but as a first-time presenter it would be A-, so B+ works. :) One of the most interesting things when you're speaking in front of an audience is the intense awareness you have of all the things you're doing wrong: "Um"s, "okay"s, long pauses as you find yourself (which are better than trying to babble your way out of a hole), trying to babble your way out of a hole anyway, standing with your back toward part of the audience for too long when showing a slide, etc. That said, none of those were too horrible, certainly for a first time, and as it got going it calmed down. [continued this morning] Lessons learned (including that I need a printer so I can practice while viewing the slides, since I prefer speaking more off-the-cuff; over-preparing hurts, in that you end up being more rote for parts you've essentially memorized and try to "get back" to what's on the paper instead of just telling what you want to tell; etc.).
- Being interviewed (by TJC) was oddly comfortable.
I hope everyone enjoyed as much as I did (and it seemed people did), and if you were there, feel free to leave any comments or critiques on the presentation, delivery, content, Q&A, the handouts at the end, etc. Thanks so much for coming!
Really sorry I missed it but congrats!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Ezzie! Your presentation was interesting and informative, and the Q&A was a great way to open the discussion to the audience. (I counted over 50 people, fwiw, though I was surprised that there weren't more married people there.)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more data and more analysis — maybe another talk in the Heights or elsewhere?
SaraK - Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAvi-Gil - Thanks. :) I thought the Q&A may have been the best part, and Tamar did a great job there as well. I was also surprised at the single/married ratio - I'd expected more marrieds as opposed to singles.
I'd be happy to do more of these if the opportunities presented themselves.
Ezzie - You were great.
ReplyDeleteIt was apparent by the ease with which you answered many questions that you had worked very hard in putting this presentation together.
You were open, engaging, realistic about the statistical sample that you have collected thus far, and you had your audience's attention throughout.
Regarding the single/married ratio, I think that was a function of the fact that Mt. Sinai is largely a "singles" shul and the event was not well publicized to the other shuls in the community.
Keep up the great work!
G6 - Thanks! I guess for future reference we'll have to figure out ways of reaching more groups of people.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you did great, Ezzie. If we were still living in the Heights, I would have come all the way across the street. But it is quite a shlep from where we live now. It's funny to hear of Mt. Sinai as a singles shul. Back in our day it was more like a senior citizen shul, but of course, some of those seniors may have been single. ;-)So where did you park?
ReplyDeleteHeh. I ended up parking in a lot on 184th and Broadway.
ReplyDeleteI actually drove to Overlook Terrace (?), and there were two spots, and a lady pulling into one... and then she STOPS HER CAR SMACK IN MIDDLE. I motioned there are two spots, and she's waving me off; I come back the other way a minute later, she's standing outside the car, and I said "Look, there are two spots there." She insisted that there was not (despite there being about 4 feet in front of her and 5 behind), and it was clear she was just a selfish *****. It was funny watching her insist there was "no room", while people walking by on the street stared at her incredulously. I told her she should just acknowledge that what she did was not right and drove off. What an idiot.
Yay Ezzie!
ReplyDeleteThis was my first time ever coming to Washington Heights by myself (er, not that I've been there that often not by myself either) and it was just as scary as I imagined (except maybe a little less). :D
Just to clarify, the Heights were scary. Not Ezzie.
ReplyDeleteAlso, lots of people on bikes racing into the subway.
Kol HaKavod!!!!
ReplyDeleteDid you speak with, like, conviction? :-)
Mark
Singles? Maybe they thought it was a singles event and a good place to meet MOTOS*? :-)
ReplyDelete* MOTOS = Members of the opposite sex.
Erachet - Thanks, O 8 Year Old. :) And thanks so much for coming (and recording)!
ReplyDeleteMark - LOL. Very few likes. A few ums and okays, though. Eh - first time... and thanks!
Anon - LOL - I like "MOTOS".
So when will there be video on the site?
ReplyDeleteAnon - I'll have to go through the video and see what's there, then edit and post depending on how good it is. It won't be for at least a couple of weeks, but hopefully TJC will share their footage with me and between that and what I have I'll be able to put something together.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I really would like to see the presentation. In order to see it on TJC, first I would have to get a TV, then cable, then subscribe to the channel. Not something I can do on my budget.
ReplyDeleteMazel tov, Ezzie...any chance you could post your slides and notes so we can get a summary of your points?
ReplyDeleteAnon - Understood. I don't think TJC will be showing it all anyway. We'll see if there are more presentations as well - that would be the best way of spreading this, and I think the best part may have been the Q&A afterward.
ReplyDeleteNL - I'll probably try to post that with the video/audio. I think it's too big to just post, and again, the Q&A was (IMHO) the best part.
Is TJC even on TV or is it just online? I think you can watch the channel online (at least, that's what I overheard someone saying).
ReplyDeleteIt's a cable channel (see their site).
ReplyDeleteMt. Sinai was a great place because they had joint activities for singles and young couples so it didn't feel like a meat market. I didn't actually meet my husband there but we both attended. Rabbi S. performed our wedding!
ReplyDelete