Re: Video Tapes/Briding Industry & Academia

[Stuart Selber <SSELBER -at- MTUS5 -dot- CTS -dot- MTU -dot- EDU>]

Fred Jacobson writes the following:
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Stuart-

You (and others who expressed enthusiam about viewing tapes of
meetings) should be aware that a videotape of a live presentation
is very little like either the actual presentation or a video
presentation.  I have worked as a trainer and videotaped my own
and others' presentations.  Often, a presentation that was very
effective and engaged the attendees just doesn't make it on video.
Remember that the presenter is interacting with the audience and
presenting to them.  A skilled video presenter is doing something
very different.  We are all used to seeing effective video on
broadcast and cable TV and in other video presentations.  If you
expect the same from a videotaped meeting, you may well be
disappointed.
------------------end original message---------------------------------

Fred, I'm actually less intersted in what students can learn from the content
and more in what students can learn from watching a professional meeting of
technical communicators. Maybe there's little value in it. I'm not sure. But I
suspect a lot of subtle things happen in those meetings that would be important
for folks wanting to enter the profession. For example, students could begin to
understand ways of interacting with professional peers, or how to ask and
answer questions at professional meetings, or what constitutes appropriate
behavior. I suspect there's much to be learned: social, political, practical,
intellectual things. Students could even try to model stuff they thought was
useful. I guess I'm equally interested in the "underlife" of these meetings.
And I'm not sure if these tapes would be useful or not. Any thoughts, anyone?

Stuart Selber
Michigan Tech