OK, so I bit the bullet on this one.
Surmising that nothing would improve my understanding of David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” (known among my fellow geeks as GTD) AND improve my public speaking skills faster, I volunteered to give a lunchtime talk on GTD.
So far, my theory has been validated. I’ve gone deeper into the GTD material than ever before, taking time to really think through the aspects that still seem to elude me. As to whether the experience will help me improve as a public speaker, well, the proof will be in the pudding. Certainly it hasn’t cured me of my tendency to still be preparing late in the game, though I was really glad when Scott Berkum’s hysterical and practical book, Confessions of a Public Speaker validated and solidified my vague belief that it was more important for me to understand what I thought about a topic than to know exactly what I was going to say.
Below I’ve posted the announcement that went out, written with valuable input from speech pathologist, verbal communications coach, and speaker Deborah Boswell. I didn’t know what kind of response we’d get, and was shocked to find out that 61 people signed up that afternoon. I think we were close to 80 at last count.
But what really floored me was the survey results. One of Deborah’s great speaking tips and practices is to get some information about the audience whenever possible. Well, I have easy access through the organizer’s email list, so I created a survey at SurveyMonkey, and got almost 70 responses. What shocked me was that over 60% had never heard of David Allen and less than 17% had read or bought the book. I had assumed that Allen’s name and fame had drawn in lots of folks, but it turns out that productivity is a genuinely hot topic.
So score one for signing up for things that make you nervous as a good way to learn and get over it. Announcement below.
Lunch & Learn
Thursday, December 9, 2010
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
LifeSize conferencing will be available for Mountainview, Phoenix, and Ottawa employees
Topic: Cult, Gadget, or Game-changer: Is David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” Worth the Trouble?
Speaker: Josh Russo, ADTRAN Project Manager
After a decade managing projects across multiple industries, you’d think that Josh Russo, Project Manager at ADTRAN, would have productivity (personal and professional) down to a science. No such luck. After 5 years of studying and imperfectly implementing Allen’s ideas, Josh believes in the effectiveness of the tips and techniques promoted in Getting Things Done.
Join us at our Lunch and Learn when Josh Russo will present an overview of Allen’s productivity system. Most importantly, Josh will share some of his own implementation struggles and successes. If you want to learn more about being productive on a daily basis, join us for this informative Lunch and Learn. You will walk away with productivity tips you can use right away and possibly inspiration to give David Allen's book, Getting Things Done, a closer look.
Join us at our Lunch and Learn when Josh Russo will present an overview of Allen’s productivity system. Most importantly, Josh will share some of his own implementation struggles and successes. If you want to learn more about being productive on a daily basis, join us for this informative Lunch and Learn. You will walk away with productivity tips you can use right away and possibly inspiration to give David Allen's book, Getting Things Done, a closer look.
Lunch will be provided. Please enroll no later than Tuesday, December 7, 2010.
