I have been much encouraged in recent times by how many of our members have come forth to do technical presentations. It can be rewarding as well as a little intimidating to do this. There a few things I have observed over the years that might help in how to think about doing these presentations.

1. Pick a topic that you like and feel comfortable with. This goes a long way toward making the presentation enjoyable.

2. Limit the topic to a manageable amount of information. Most of us try to do too much. If we do limited topics, then there is room for other technicals on that same general topic.

3. Think of the presentation as sharing. On the chapter level, we don't necessarily need very polished classes. Sure, if you are preparing a class to take on the road somewhere and want to do a dry run, make your class very neat and tidy. Otherwise, we are just a bunch of technicians trying to learn a little so that we can do a better job and continue to have an excitement about our work.

4. Involve others in the class whenever possible. This is especially true in skill classes.

5. Don't take yourself or the class too seriously. Again, this is a forum for shared knowledge and skills. Many times the most helpful parts of a class are spontaneous happenings, twists and turns that could not have planned in advance.