[glug-t] Article from B'lore LUG website

How to prepare for a LUG meet
The BLUG prides itself for its successful meetings every month. It =
wasn't always like this, but over the years we learnt to do it right. =
Here are some tips:=20
Don't have more than 1-2 demo items lined up. While the demonstrator may =
be completely comfortable with the subject, the audience is not =
(otherwise why should this be demoed? ;-), so the explanations are going =
to take time. Even an item that you think will take 10-15 minutes *can* =
(and probably will) take an hour or more.=20

Don't attempt to do every little thing during the demo. It will not =
work. Instead, try and make resources available online (precompiled =
RPMs, kernels, packages, etc.) and concentrate on showing the usability =
of the procedure/technology. Watching a kernel compile can quickly grow =
old. Instead, show the kernel config part, show how the kernel compile =
starts, but then abort it and use a pre-compiled kernel you have brought =
with you to complete the demo.=20

If there are more than a couple of steps involved, you *better* make =
sure that you have documented the entire procedure and put it up a web =
page somewhere before the meet. If you expect people to take notes and =
then follow directions from them, you might as well not do the demo.=20

Try to group technologies for the meet. For example, if you are talking =
about (and demoing) journalling file systems, then have the other =
demos/talks related to this - for example talk about ext3, reiserfs, =
xfs, data recovery, undeletion, filesystem tuning, partitioning, etc.=20

Don't do too much during one meet - you exhaust your resources, can =
provide only little time to each item, and will have a tough time =
following up on that act at the next meet! Remember - one great meet =
with lots of things happening gets wiped from memory the first time you =
have a content-less (or low-content) meet. Keep it going - nothing is so =
urgent that you have to do it all in one meet!=20

A planned and well executed meet, with on-time demos and talks, and no =
overruns, ensures that people feel like coming back for the next meet, =
and bring a few friends with them! At the BLUG, we saw attendence rising =
from around 8 average to almost a hundred at times - with *at least* =
60-80 people at every meet, thanks to word of mouth.=20

Practice, practice, practice! I have yet to meet anyone who could give a =
presentation completely extempore and without practice and *still* be =
very effective. *Knowing* the subject does not make you a good =
presenter. Knowing the subject *and* practicing your presentation makes =
you a good presenter.=20

Before you start your demonstration, put up a few(!!!!) slides =
explaining what you are about to demo, concepts involved, and steps =
involved. *Then* proceed with your demo.=20

You *do* have a data projector at hand, right? If you have more than 5 =
people at the meet and plan to demo off a *monitor* (smaller than 45"), =
you are ensuring that no one learns anything and that you will never =
have more than 5 people attending meets! Data projectors are expensive, =
but many companies have one inhouse, so you could borrow one, or you can =
hire one (which probably means that you need a sponsor - these things =
are expensive). Whatever - make sure you have one at the meet.=20
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