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I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that presenting to other humans is (a) a skill that most people can learn (to at least "acceptable" levels of profici

by ethbr0 4y ago

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that presenting to other humans is (a) a skill that most people can learn (to at least "acceptable" levels of proficiency) & (b) a skill that most people should learn, because it's a huge part of working in the field. I understand it's incredibly uncomfortable. I'm a pretty serious introvert and got the shakes and sweat dripping off my hands the first few times I did it. But with exposure and effort to self-improve, it's doable. I didn't like it, but I'm incredibly thankful I was forced to work on it.

toyg 4y ago
Ah yes, the good old fallacy: "I could do it, so it's doable". It's doable by you. That doesn't mean it's doable by someone who is not you, even though they might be otherwise deserving. It's like LeBron James saying "I learned to dunk, so anybody can dunk!" - but basketball is not just about dunking, and not everyone is LeBron.
- oblio 4y ago
  Talking to other people is not dunking a basketball 3m into the air. Frankly, I've been in oral exams, in Romania they're (were?) part of a national exam at the end of highscool. You just have to practice. If hundreds of thousands of highschoolers in a rather poor country could figure out how to do it (any generally not flunk due to the oral part), for sure university students can do it. Anyone not able to do it will not really be able to pass any interview, persuade peers that their idea is good, etc.
  - toyg 4y ago
    I've been in plenty of oral exams too, in Italy. That doesn't mean I ever enjoyed them or felt they did me justice. > Anyone not able to do it will not really be able to pass any interview, persuade peers that their idea is good, etc. I strongly disagree there. Orals are a situation of complete knowledge and power imbalance between two parties. That is not the case when it comes to persuasion. As for interviews - yeah, they are similar, and that's why interviews also are seen as very problematic. A lot of people who can be perfectly productive in day-to-day situations, simply don't do well in interviews. We should be striving to correct that, not accept it as inevitable.

by ethbr0 4y ago

toyg 4y ago

Ah yes, the good old fallacy: "I could do it, so it's doable". It's doable by you. That doesn't mean it's doable by someone who is not you, even though they might be otherwise deserving. It's like LeBron James saying "I learned to dunk, so anybody can dunk!" - but basketball is not just about dunking, and not everyone is LeBron.

oblio 4y ago
Talking to other people is not dunking a basketball 3m into the air. Frankly, I've been in oral exams, in Romania they're (were?) part of a national exam at the end of highscool. You just have to practice. If hundreds of thousands of highschoolers in a rather poor country could figure out how to do it (any generally not flunk due to the oral part), for sure university students can do it. Anyone not able to do it will not really be able to pass any interview, persuade peers that their idea is good, etc.
- toyg 4y ago
  I've been in plenty of oral exams too, in Italy. That doesn't mean I ever enjoyed them or felt they did me justice. > Anyone not able to do it will not really be able to pass any interview, persuade peers that their idea is good, etc. I strongly disagree there. Orals are a situation of complete knowledge and power imbalance between two parties. That is not the case when it comes to persuasion. As for interviews - yeah, they are similar, and that's why interviews also are seen as very problematic. A lot of people who can be perfectly productive in day-to-day situations, simply don't do well in interviews. We should be striving to correct that, not accept it as inevitable.