Normally I don't go to corporate events in school, especially the ones that are held during the 6-8pm time slot. But on Thursday, my friend and I went to an even called Dynamic Presentation Skills hosted by Ernst and Young. The turnout wasn't so good, about thirty or so people showed up. There were a lot of empty seats around. The main topic of the event was how to improve presentation skills. The video they showed us was really informative, humorous and helpful.
Arch Lustberg (in the video) explains to us how and why we must improve our presentation skills. According to statistics, on the list of the worst human fears, fear of public speaking is on top of the list. No matter how good your information is, if your presentation skills are lacking, your audience will not pay attention to you. To be successful, one must be able to show the audience competence and likability. If you know your material, you can be confident. However, the aspect that most people mess up is likability.
Communication with the audience should focus on 4 things:
1. Mind - What you have to say; keep it simple, direct, and brief. If you are using fancy words your audience are unfamiliar with, they will not be able to follow what point you are trying to make.
2. Face - Use an open face. Your smile must be appropriate and genuine. Do not use the neutral face (boring) and the closed face (angry).
3. Body - Gestures must be appropriate and do not do the following:
a) Defensive position - do not cross your arms.
b) Royalty position - do not put your hands behind your back.
c) Hands in pockets - do not stick your hands inside your pockets.
d) Cover your crotch position - obvious information is obvious.
4. Voice - Not too loud, not too soft, not too fast, etc.
I should probably throw myself out there more often.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Another Virus
That's right, another virus self installed on my desktop.
Last night, a stupid malware forced its way through my computer and self installed on my computer. This isn’t the first time, but it was some weak garbage the last time it happened. This time, the malware deleted my Malware Bytes and disabled my antivirus. It even locked down my task manager so I wasn’t able to end the program. It was a very serious thing. Luckily I had my laptop and was able to research the damn thing. The name of the malware is called “Security Tools.” It is a genius name to dub a virus because the name is so generic; the search results don’t come up as solutions to a virus. After spending two hours past my usual bedtime, I decided to leave it till today. “Security Tools” is a rogue antivirus program that says your computer is infected with fake viruses when in fact, it is the virus itself. It doesn’t allow you to do anything, can’t run any antivirus programs at all.
After using trusty Google, I found my answer. I went into safe mode and ran MSCONFIG to disable all the startup processes, so the annoying virus wouldn’t start on startup. Next, I ran REGEDIT and deleted the registry with the folder with the virus. Since Malware Bytes was still down, I tried to reinstall it. No such luck I’m afraid. Somehow the virus managed is programmed to auto delete the .EXE file of MBAM. I got around it by installing an updated version onto an USB drive and ran a scan and removed the virus. However, it was still messed up because when I rebooted, I still got error messages. Since “Security Tools” was gone, I can run my Avira, and so I ran a scan with that. After that, I still couldn’t install MBAM regularly. I installed Spybot Search and Destroy, and ran yet another scan. Finally, it got rid of everything. This was quite an annoying virus indeed.
Last night, a stupid malware forced its way through my computer and self installed on my computer. This isn’t the first time, but it was some weak garbage the last time it happened. This time, the malware deleted my Malware Bytes and disabled my antivirus. It even locked down my task manager so I wasn’t able to end the program. It was a very serious thing. Luckily I had my laptop and was able to research the damn thing. The name of the malware is called “Security Tools.” It is a genius name to dub a virus because the name is so generic; the search results don’t come up as solutions to a virus. After spending two hours past my usual bedtime, I decided to leave it till today. “Security Tools” is a rogue antivirus program that says your computer is infected with fake viruses when in fact, it is the virus itself. It doesn’t allow you to do anything, can’t run any antivirus programs at all.
After using trusty Google, I found my answer. I went into safe mode and ran MSCONFIG to disable all the startup processes, so the annoying virus wouldn’t start on startup. Next, I ran REGEDIT and deleted the registry with the folder with the virus. Since Malware Bytes was still down, I tried to reinstall it. No such luck I’m afraid. Somehow the virus managed is programmed to auto delete the .EXE file of MBAM. I got around it by installing an updated version onto an USB drive and ran a scan and removed the virus. However, it was still messed up because when I rebooted, I still got error messages. Since “Security Tools” was gone, I can run my Avira, and so I ran a scan with that. After that, I still couldn’t install MBAM regularly. I installed Spybot Search and Destroy, and ran yet another scan. Finally, it got rid of everything. This was quite an annoying virus indeed.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I would prefer not to.
For the end of our alienation section, we read an epic short story written by the author of Moby Dick, Herman Melville. The title is Bartleby the Scrivener. I don't think you will look up what the story is about so here's the Wikipedia plot summary:
"The narrator, an elderly lawyer who has a very comfortable business helping wealthy men deal with mortgages, title deeds, and bonds, relates the story of the strangest man he has ever known.
The narrator already employs two scriveners, Nippers and Turkey. Nippers suffers from chronic indigestion, and Turkey is a drunk, but the office survives because in the mornings Turkey is sober even though Nippers is irritable, and in the afternoons Nippers has calmed down even though Turkey is drunk. Ginger Nut, the office boy, gets his name from the little cakes he brings the older men. Bartleby arrives in answer to an ad for another scrivener, and the narrator hires the forlorn-looking young man in hopes that his calmness will soothe the temperaments of the others.
One day, when asked by the narrator to help proofread a copied document, Bartleby answers with what soon becomes his stock response: "I would prefer not to." To the dismay of the narrator and to the irritation of the other employees, Bartleby performs fewer and fewer tasks around the office. The narrator makes several attempts to reason with him and to learn something about him, but Bartleby offers nothing but his signature "I would prefer not to." One weekend the narrator stops by the office unexpectedly and discovers that Bartleby has started living there. The loneliness of Bartleby's life impresses him: At night and on Sundays, Wall Street is as desolate as a ghost town. The narrator's feelings for Bartleby alternate between pity and revulsion.
For a while Bartleby remains willing to do his main work of scrivening, but eventually he "prefers not to" do this as well, so that finally he is doing nothing. And yet the narrator finds himself unable to make Bartleby leave; his unwillingness or inability to move against Bartleby mirrors Bartleby's own strange inaction. Tension gradually builds as the narrator's business associates wonder why the strange and idle Bartleby is ever-present in the office.
Sensing the threat of a ruined reputation, but emotionally unable to throw Bartleby out, the exasperated narrator finally decides to move out himself, relocating his entire business and leaving Bartleby behind. But soon the new tenants of the old space come to ask for his help: Bartleby still will not leave. Although they have thrown him out of the rooms, he continues to haunt the hallways. The narrator visits Bartleby and attempts to reason with him. Feeling desperate, the narrator now surprises even himself by inviting Bartleby to come and live with him at his own home. But Bartleby, alas, "prefers not to."
Deciding to stay away from work for the next few days for fear he will become embroiled in the new tenants' campaign to evict Bartleby, the narrator returns to find that Bartleby has been forcibly removed and imprisoned. The narrator visits him, finding him even glummer than usual. As ever, Bartleby rebuffs the narrator's friendliness. Nevertheless, the narrator bribes a turnkey to make sure Bartleby gets good and plentiful food. But when the narrator visits again a few days later, he discovers Bartleby newly dead. Bartleby, who had "preferred not to" eat, has starved.
Some time afterward, the narrator hears of a rumor to the effect that Bartleby had worked in a dead letter office, but had lost his job there. The narrator reflects that the dead letters would have made anyone of Bartleby's temperament sink into an even darker gloom. Dead letters are emblems of our mortality and of the failures of our best intentions. Through Bartleby, the narrator has glimpsed the world as the miserable scrivener must have seen it. The closing
words of the story are the narrator's resigned and pained sigh: "Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!"
This was a very funny story, I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I was reading. The main character, Bartleby, seemed so serious about not wanting to do anything that it seemed unrealistic that something like this can happen in real life. The content itself was nothing to be laughed about, alienation is no laughing matter, I assure you. It was the way the story was told, the way the narrator spoke that made the story comical. When asked if Bartleby would go to the post office, he replied, "I would prefer not to." When asked if he could behave reasonably, "I would prefer not to behave reasonably," said he. In fact, this was his reply to everything, including food. Little by little, Bartleby walls himself from life and thus dies. What can I take away from this story? Aside from the laughs, a more serious lesson is to be learned. However, I can't quite put it in words so I'll leave it up to your imagination.
What is our next topic? Love and its counterfeits.
"The narrator, an elderly lawyer who has a very comfortable business helping wealthy men deal with mortgages, title deeds, and bonds, relates the story of the strangest man he has ever known.
The narrator already employs two scriveners, Nippers and Turkey. Nippers suffers from chronic indigestion, and Turkey is a drunk, but the office survives because in the mornings Turkey is sober even though Nippers is irritable, and in the afternoons Nippers has calmed down even though Turkey is drunk. Ginger Nut, the office boy, gets his name from the little cakes he brings the older men. Bartleby arrives in answer to an ad for another scrivener, and the narrator hires the forlorn-looking young man in hopes that his calmness will soothe the temperaments of the others.
One day, when asked by the narrator to help proofread a copied document, Bartleby answers with what soon becomes his stock response: "I would prefer not to." To the dismay of the narrator and to the irritation of the other employees, Bartleby performs fewer and fewer tasks around the office. The narrator makes several attempts to reason with him and to learn something about him, but Bartleby offers nothing but his signature "I would prefer not to." One weekend the narrator stops by the office unexpectedly and discovers that Bartleby has started living there. The loneliness of Bartleby's life impresses him: At night and on Sundays, Wall Street is as desolate as a ghost town. The narrator's feelings for Bartleby alternate between pity and revulsion.
For a while Bartleby remains willing to do his main work of scrivening, but eventually he "prefers not to" do this as well, so that finally he is doing nothing. And yet the narrator finds himself unable to make Bartleby leave; his unwillingness or inability to move against Bartleby mirrors Bartleby's own strange inaction. Tension gradually builds as the narrator's business associates wonder why the strange and idle Bartleby is ever-present in the office.
Sensing the threat of a ruined reputation, but emotionally unable to throw Bartleby out, the exasperated narrator finally decides to move out himself, relocating his entire business and leaving Bartleby behind. But soon the new tenants of the old space come to ask for his help: Bartleby still will not leave. Although they have thrown him out of the rooms, he continues to haunt the hallways. The narrator visits Bartleby and attempts to reason with him. Feeling desperate, the narrator now surprises even himself by inviting Bartleby to come and live with him at his own home. But Bartleby, alas, "prefers not to."
Deciding to stay away from work for the next few days for fear he will become embroiled in the new tenants' campaign to evict Bartleby, the narrator returns to find that Bartleby has been forcibly removed and imprisoned. The narrator visits him, finding him even glummer than usual. As ever, Bartleby rebuffs the narrator's friendliness. Nevertheless, the narrator bribes a turnkey to make sure Bartleby gets good and plentiful food. But when the narrator visits again a few days later, he discovers Bartleby newly dead. Bartleby, who had "preferred not to" eat, has starved.
Some time afterward, the narrator hears of a rumor to the effect that Bartleby had worked in a dead letter office, but had lost his job there. The narrator reflects that the dead letters would have made anyone of Bartleby's temperament sink into an even darker gloom. Dead letters are emblems of our mortality and of the failures of our best intentions. Through Bartleby, the narrator has glimpsed the world as the miserable scrivener must have seen it. The closing
words of the story are the narrator's resigned and pained sigh: "Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!"
This was a very funny story, I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I was reading. The main character, Bartleby, seemed so serious about not wanting to do anything that it seemed unrealistic that something like this can happen in real life. The content itself was nothing to be laughed about, alienation is no laughing matter, I assure you. It was the way the story was told, the way the narrator spoke that made the story comical. When asked if Bartleby would go to the post office, he replied, "I would prefer not to." When asked if he could behave reasonably, "I would prefer not to behave reasonably," said he. In fact, this was his reply to everything, including food. Little by little, Bartleby walls himself from life and thus dies. What can I take away from this story? Aside from the laughs, a more serious lesson is to be learned. However, I can't quite put it in words so I'll leave it up to your imagination.
What is our next topic? Love and its counterfeits.
More Anticipation
Today was supposedly the accounting midterm. I prepared for it thoroughly and was ready to take it. Things don't always go my way, in fact it rarely does. Just when I thought I was ready to take the test, the professor came into the class late, told us she didn't have the test papers. Some "technical difficulties" made her unable to access the exam papers. By the time she got them, 20 minutes had already passed, so the midterm is postponed until Thursday. I wanted to take it today, to get it over with, oh well. Since we didn't have the test, she decided to teach. When that was said, well over 60% of the class left the lecture hall. She was shocked and I felt sorry for her. It seems to me that the only reason why these people come to class is for attendance purposes. Since they don't take attendance on exam days, people just leave. I suppose you can keep the body in the lecture hall but most of them dose off or turn off their brains anyway.
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