PowerPoint Karaoke RDU ... Now That The Dust Has Settled
They say most people are terrified of public speaking. But don't tell that to the contestants in tonight's PowerPoint Karaoke RDU event (the first of its kind in the Triangle, and part of a larger series of events that make up PowerPoint Karaoke 2009). They stepped up to the challenge -- and the microphone -- with alacrity.
If you missed tonight's event in Durham, you missed "a hilarious good time" (as Ginny Skalsi put it in a tweet after the event). To keep up with the fun on Twitter, follow @pptkrdu for the local event and @PPTKaraoke for the series. You can also find info and photos from the event by doing a Twitter search for the associated hashtags (#pptkrdu and #PPTKaraoke).
The slides came fast and furious in a timed sequence. Many of them were funny pictures, photos and graphs that would make the average Joe laugh if he saw them in a forwarded email. Other slides included ridiculous graphs, silly phrases and other random obsurdities. Most of the participants did an amazing job of weaving together very funny explanations about the meanings of the slides and how they related to the title slide. Others competitors were clearly caught a little off guard... But plenty of laughs were heard throughout the audience during the 2-hour session (which was preceded by an hour-long networking social), which I take as a sign that a good time was had by all. 
We witnessed some classic speaking skills that would make any Toastmaster proud. In fact, this event reminded me of the Table Topics section of Toastmasters meetings, in which people are asked to speak extemporaneously. But this event took the Table Topics concept of having people organize thoughts and speak off-the-cuff to a whole new level.
Toastmasters, I encourage you to check out a PowerPoint Karaoke event if you get the chance. And those of you who enjoyed tonight's event might want to find a Toastmasters club near you and get involved!
