Presentation On Presenting At NWG

Last night’s meeting of the Nova Woodturners Guild had so much going on that it almost burst at the seams! Usually only a two hour meeting, this one kept everyone enthralled for almost three hours and with crowds hanging in to the very end!

The evening included a visit by Stephen Zwerling who gave a captivating presentation on demonstrating and presenting.

Presentation On Presenting At NWG

Stephen is a juried and honourary life member of the Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council, a member of the American Association of Woodturners and a founding member of the Nova Woodturners’ Guild.

His presentation encompassed the full gamut of this very unique topic. From public speaking standards to tips and techniques specific to woodturning, Stephen offered dozens (hundreds?) of helpful hints, blended with personal anecdotes and examples. His candid speaking approach emphasized his points not as things that we should do but rather things that we MUST do in order to have a successful presentation or demonstration.

Here are a few notes that I was able to jot down:

  • Do not try to be something that you are not. Be yourself.
  • Simply tell people, “This is what I do.”
  • Set goals, set goals, set goals.
  • Stimulate discussion, interest or encourage activity.
  • Know what you want to get across to your audience.
  • Know what your audience wants.
  • Prioritize to continually feed your goal.
  • Create an agenda.
  • State your purpose.
  • Outline your presentation. Review it. Edit it.
  • Seek criticism and feedback.
  • Know the details of the event. Who is responsible for what?
  • As I said, I only took a few notes during his hour long presentation. I was too busy listening. 🙂

    Stephen began tonight’s talk with the statement that a presentation is the sharing of knowledge in an entertaining, educational and informative manner. Well, he surely met the mark, it was all that. Entertaining, educational and informative, indeed!

    David Wilkins demonstrated hollow turning next using several different brands of hollowing tools.

    Presentation On Presenting At NWG

    He demonstrated the mini, small, medium and large Kelton hollowing tools, the Sorby Hollowmaster and the Rolly Munro Articulated Hollower by turning a hollow vessel.

    Dave offered the pros and cons that he had found with each of the tools and he also showed us the range of each tool in respect to project size by relating them to a variety of hollow forms that that he previously turned:

    Presentation On Presenting At NWG

    He also showed the sharpening techniques for each of the tools as well as their proper use.

    It was nice to see these three brands presented together, one after the other, to get a good sense of the capabilities of each of them. Although this presentation was a comparison between the tools and not a competition the ‘oohs’ and the ‘ahhs’ when the Rolly streamed out ribbons of wood indicated a clear favorite.

    Dave’s experience with these tools made for an informative presentation, so much so that it continued well past our normal closing time!

    The meeting began with a short Show and Tell with a couple of members bringing in tools that they have made, a few bowls and a first mallet. Here are the photos:

    Presentation On Presenting At NWG
    Presentation On Presenting At NWG
    Presentation On Presenting At NWG
    Presentation On Presenting At NWG
    Presentation On Presenting At NWG
    Presentation On Presenting At NWG

    As always, this was a fantastic evening! There is always so much packed into such a short time (so much that this one ran a lot longer!).

    I’d like to thanks everyone for making it such a great evening, especially Stephen Zwerling and David Wilkins. Thanks guys! Great job!

    Back to the shop…

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