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Patrick Winston: How to Speak (2018) [video]
- HPsquared 1y agoHis "humans have only one language processor" point has really stuck with me after watching this a few years ago. It's so true.
- evrimoztamur 1y agoI feel like (or thought that) I had the ability to listen and read at the same time, until I heard that line, and it hit me like a bag of bricks. I absolutely cannot read and listen simultaneously! I can type and listen on the other hand, although it feels like I buffer the keystrokes than consciously typing out new sentences...
- gdiamos 1y agoI had to rewatch his point about stage fright at the end several times before I finally got it
- arnold_palmur 1y agoWhat was his point?
- gdiamos 1y agoIt looks like it was not included in this video. Here is a link to a previous video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7EuXNw0DaA&list=PL240A9CB42552316A&t=190s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7EuXNw0DaA&list=PL240A9CB42... I think it is better if he explains it
- varenc 1y agoI had the privilege of taking Winston's communications/AI seminar class in college. It was an odd format. The class outwardly presented itself as a seminar class where you just read and discuss AI papers. Several of the papers involved doing mean things to ferrets. But really it was a writing/communication class with Winston giving you life advice. I remember one of his teachings was how to build and maintain your network (email them ~twice a year). And also before a big lecture you can warm up your voice by making a barking noise. He also brought donuts to most every class. I miss you professor Winston.
- carver 1y agoWhat a great seminar, that was. I really appreciated his advice on writing recommendation letters, too: the expectation is shifted wildly towards effusive. If you are plainly complimentary, it can come off as a secret warning that you don't think they are worth hiring. But there were also great AI papers, and meta advice on reading them efficiently. (I don't remember any crimes against ferrets, but presumably the reading list changed over time) I appreciated that class, and it's only grown on me over time. Another line that really stuck with me was something like "forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit" (Which I remembered as "Perhaps we will look back on even this with fondness") It's so easy to undervalue amazing things when they are happening to you. I was really convinced that I was appreciating it, even more than many around me. But I still look back and think I could have soaked it in, even more.
- dnackoul 1y agoI also took Professor Winston's seminar in college and have similar feelings about it. It was far and away my favorite class and the wisdom in his advice has only become more apparent over time. At its heart, it was really about how to understand and communicate ideas. One of the things I treasured the most was that Professor Winston overtly subscribed to the "make topics crystal clear and broadly accessible" school of technical communication. He would contrast this against the "make things incomprehensible so everyone thinks you're brilliant" school of thought. I am eternally grateful someone biased me early in life towards the former, not just when I'm speaking but when I'm choosing what to read and who to listen to. I've also wondered lately what he would think about the current LLM wave. I'm sure he would have had a characteristically clear and profound take. I feel the world is losing out not having his voice during the current moment.
- varenc 1y agoAbsolutely! Thanks for bringing this up. I remember one of his points is that people have a tendency to hide behind obtuse language to try to make their insight seem more impressive. I think about this constantly when I see writing that clearly doesn't subscribe to this philosophy. (Especially Fine Art lectures)
- jll29 1y agoI never met Winston when he was still alive, sadly, but I first encountered his work when I was still in high school, learning CommonLISP from his AI book. Every time I am sitting in the audience of a talk where someone uses overcrowded PowerPoint slides with small fonts and goes through tables of numbers that no-one in the audience can read, mumbling quietly or rushing nervously through their material, long having lost most of the audience, I feel like sending the presenters the link to this timeless masterpiece (happens at least a few dozen times per year). It has also made me a better teacher in the lecture hall, and appreciate using chalk more, and slides less. This clip is worth watching again every couple of years, which I do, out of enjoyment and to refresh my memory (reminds me I still need to procure some cool props for my upcoming AI1 lecture in October...).
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- thebeardisred 1y agoI've watched this video a number of times over the years. It's highly recommended.
- jaccola 1y agoHe says not to start with a joke, but he delivers this line as a joke (and the class laughs). So now I don't know whether to start with a joke or not! Phenomenal talk.
- MeteorMarc 1y agoHis high breathing is unnerving, though it could be caused by some lung condition.
- _9ptr 1y agoIt's caused by his weight. The video is very much worth it though.
- wanderingstan 1y agoI’ve known many people caring more weight that speak without issues. Are you speculating?
- _9ptr 1y agoI very much am
- flappyeagle 1y agoHow on earth would you know? Foh
- bargainbin 1y agoHe died about a year after this in his sleep. They never publicly disclosed the reason.
- dustingetz 1y agoendorse this watch for developing leaders
- 62 1y agoI agree
- dang 1y agoRelated, but I thought there had been larger threads - anyone? How to Speak [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39670484 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39670484 - March 2024 (2 comments) How to Speak - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489765 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489765 - May 2022 (2 comments) How to Speak (MIT OCW) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30046076 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30046076 - Jan 2022 (1 comment) How to speak (2018) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23878328 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23878328 - July 2020 (5 comments) How to Speak by Patrick Winston - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23570443 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23570443 - June 2020 (1 comment) How to Speak (2018) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22848034 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22848034 - April 2020 (43 comments) Also related: Patrick Winston has died - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20482768 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20482768 - July 2019 (81 comments)
- parconley 1y agoAfter looking for further reading about Patrick's thoughts on communication, here's what I found. https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.803/index.html https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.803/index.html - The supplementary reading list for this class looks interesting. https://www.amazon.com/Make-Clear-Speak-Persuade-Inform/dp/0262539381 https://www.amazon.com/Make-Clear-Speak-Persuade-Inform/dp/0... - Patrick co-authored a book on communication based on said class.
- echelon_musk 1y ago> Your success in life will be determined largely by your ability to speak, your ability to write and the quality of your ideas, in that order. Ah, the good old days.
- aklemm 1y agoIt may become even MORE true when AI’s influence is fully apparent.
- OutOfHere 1y agoThe statement completely overlooks the importance of the ability to listen, to seek clarification. Speaking is important, but listening, soliciting opinion, and incorporating varied perspectives are underrated.
- theelous3 1y agoLook around you. How many of the prominent people you know got there by listening and humbly soliciting opinions? lol
- OutOfHere 1y agoWell, if you're out to con people, then yes, you don't have to listen to their opinion, only to shape them, but that never lasts. You cannot fool all of the people all of the time.
- calmoo 1y agoI watched this years ago and really enjoyed it. One of the main lessons I took from it is basically, have almost 0 text on your slides. You should not be reading your slides, the audience should not have to read your slides. The slides should supplement what you are speaking about, not vice versa. Any time I see a wall of text on a presentation, I know I can probably tune out and not miss much.
- busyant 1y agoSomeone told me something similar once: When giving a talk, your slides are not "the show." YOU are the show.
- potency 1y agoBut I don't wanna be the show. :(
- jimbokun 1y agoThen why are you giving a talk?
- admissionsguy 1y agoThey are making me do it
- andrei_says_ 1y agoI think it’s the story that’s the show. Not the slides not only the storyteller. But also the storyteller and also the slides. Every TED speaker is coached to start with a personal story.
- kmoser 1y agoAt 27:50, he relays a story about a grad student who did an experiment to see what the audience retained better: the slides, or the presenter's words. It seems the slides won out. So apparently the slides are the star of the show, whether you like it or not.
- fuzztester 1y agowarning :) i thought the standard (mba presentation) format was something like: tell em what youre goin to tell em (intro) tell em what you said youll tell em (body) tell em what you told em (outro)
- CommPhD 1y agoAs a Communication PhD, this video is better than an intro to public speaking course I taught as a graduate student at a top public university.
- theelous3 1y agoFamous communications lecturer at most prestigious school on earth beats grad student from public college at teaching. Wow wa we wa high praise indeed.
- OfflineSergio 1y agoI initially didn’t remember but as soon as he started writing I remembered him. He is the reason I write in all caps on the paper. I watched his AI course like 10 years ago or so and learned a lot! I thought he looked familiar but just because I initially thought this is a different type of course I just didn’t think of that AI course. I read in the comments that he is passed away, god bless him.
- anonu 1y agoThe pinned link regarding his work and remembrances in YouTube has link rot. Thankful I could learn a bit more about him here: https://web.archive.org/web/20220707071624/https://www.memoriesofpatrickwinston.com/ https://web.archive.org/web/20220707071624/https://www.memor...
- andrewrn 1y agoIt's quite rare that I start a 1 hr long youtube video and watch it all the way through at 1x speed without getting distracted. The ideas in this talk sell themselves.
- sandspar 1y agoI like how his talk involves lots of "nesting". (Not sure the correct word for it.) Like, he sets something up then pays it off 5 minutes later. He makes me think of a watchmaker.
- mad44 1y agoI had summarized this talk here: https://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-to-speak-by-patrick-winston.html https://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-to-speak-by-pa... And a couple more pearls from Prof. Winston here as well. https://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/search?q=winston https://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/search?q=winston
- anal_reactor 1y agoI can't really bring myself to watch recordings of speeches. I feel like, when you're making an actual speech or lecture, you benefit from slower pace because the audience can't rewind in case they miss something, probably they have lots of distractions, not to mention being physically uncomfortable in a slight but annoying manner for one reason or another. Meanwhile when making video content or even a podcast, it's better to be fast-paced, because there's a decent chance you have the audience's full undivided attention in a place where they feel most comfortable with zero distractions (sofa at night with maximum brightness TV), and even if they miss something, they can rewind, or pause, or whatever.
- feoren 1y agoTurn up the speed!
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- alister 1y agoPatrick Winston also wrote a book about presentation and communication: Make It Clear: Speak and Write to Persuade and Inform. It was published a year after he passed away. https://www.amazon.com/Make-Clear-Speak-Persuade-Inform/dp/0262539381/ https://www.amazon.com/Make-Clear-Speak-Persuade-Inform/dp/0...
- aeternum 1y agoMaybe it's just me but I found it hard to follow and not very engaging. He doesn't seem to come across as an excellent speaker in this.
- giosalinas 1y ago+1, found some good ideas here and there but that's it. For a "how to speak" lecture I was expecting a great speaker to present the ideas.
- cisolarix 1y agoWe're so lucky we get to watch stuff like this for free these days.
- journal 1y agodoes anyone else copy-paste the entire thread into LLM and ask for a one paragraph summary of the thread with most extreme points of view?
- flappyeagle 1y agoNo. No one does that
- mehulashah 1y agoI took 6.034 from Winston and still have the lecture notes and book. Though dated, they remind me of what was great about MIT. The constant change, upheaval, search for scientific truth, and desire to help humankind. RIP Patrick Winston.
- jader201 1y agoI'm slowly figuring out that these types of non-interactive, live presentations are unnecessary. If I'm going to listen a someone speak without me being able to respond/interact/have a conversation with them, it can be recorded and I can watch it whenever is convenient for me. I feel this way with work presentations too -- record them, and let me watch them anytime. Don't make me sit and listen to someone (or a group of people) give a lecture, so that I have to follow along live. If I'm watching a recording, there's a far greater chance that I'll actually absorb the content, as a) it'll be during a time that works for me, not some arbitrary scheduled time that may or may not interrupt other things that are distracting me from the presentation, b) I'll be able to rewind if -- no, when -- I zone out for a minute, and c) I can skip/speed up the parts that aren't as relevant to me. I wish we would move away from these live lectures/presentations, and more to async/recorded sessions. (As a bonus, it also makes the speaking/presenting side easier, as it can be edited, if desired.)
- atyp3 1y ago> I feel this way with work presentations too -- record them, and let me watch them anytime. Don't make me sit and listen to someone (or a group of people) give a lecture, so that I have to follow along live. Agreed. The company I work at(major scheduling company starts with a C) uses Loom a lot and it made 3 months of onboarding training much less painful.
- anonu 1y agoshould we just get rid of universities as well? most of what they offer is exactly what you describe "live non-interactive presentations" I think theres value to being together in a room. Even if its perceived one-way communication.
- jader201 1y agoIf the only value to universities is to have someone give a lecture with zero interaction, then yes, have university education happen over recordings. But most university professors (hopefully) engage with students, allow discussion/questions, and offer assistance, even if outside of class. But if professors never speak to students, and students aren’t allowed to engage with each other, then yes, there is (almost) zero reason to have everyone sitting in the room together. And if professors are doing this over VC, again with zero opportunity to engage with the professor/other students, then send out recordings/other async forms of instruction.