Professor Elam

Thursday Feb 11 2010

We completed some presentations in Ethics Class yesterday. The class was presenting their selection of movies with ethical themes. The class discovered, I think. like past classes, that explaining the movie, the plot, the characters,  the ethical crisis, and what it meant in metaphysical terms, and well, how and why it had such an impact on them was well, difficult. It turns out that what appears simple when Joel Morgenstern at WSJ or Roger Ebert at Chicago Sun Times does it, is difficult. Hmm, something to what those guys do. Why is that?

I worked with several radio stations when I was a bankruptcy trustee. One station had the top morning drive show in the Midland Odessa area. I remarked on that to the co host. He explained what was happening as Theater of the Mind. When you are encapsulated in your car, driving to work, you and the host of the radio program develop a relationship. The listener forms and image of the DJ who after all cannot be seen. If the program resonates, the listener begins to form a Theater of the Mind in which he or she is the audience of one and the DJ is the welcome morning performer. An intimate relationship develops between the two. Of course what is really happening is replicated in that market perhaps 20,000 times that morning. Some listen to the whole show others hit seek and other stations in and out. But regular listeners form that relationship and look forward to it. 

And so it is with you favorite movie or tv star, singer, or perhaps writer.  There is one student I have noticed between a couple of my classes. He is in the hallway always listening to his iPod. And man, he is groovin', so to speak. He has completely tuned out all the hallway activity. He is completely tuned in to his Theater of the Mind. His hands are clearly holding imaginary  drumsticks, his body sways to the beat of the song, he has metaphysically, joined the band in its Theater of the Mind Performance on the Cyber Stage.

Now where am I going with this? The challenge of a great presentation is to convey that Theater to your audience. Guess what, it's not easy. Every movie selection last evening was outstanding. No wonder, three featured Al Pacino, and one was a Nick Cage. These are people at the pinnacle of their profession, who would not be moved by Lt Frank Slade's comment in Scent of a Woman that 'I'm just gettin' started, I'd like to take a flamethrower to this place!

Pay close attention to the great performers. Obtain a tape of Bill Cosby doing Bill Cosby Himself, a one man stage show that launched his successful tv show in 1984. Take a look at older sketches of Burns and Allen, perfect comic timing, Jack Benny's self depreciating smile, or the exchanges between Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. All these people developed their craft in front of LIVE audiences, immediate feedback, live or die on stage, just like in your presentations. Burns and Allen learned their craft in vaudeville, moving from town to town.   Great stuff, okay I date myself, what is it about Nick Cage in Lord of War  explaining that there is a gun for one of every twelve people on the planet?  How many other actors can do that, what is it about Cage's sort of ordinary Jimmy Stewart looks that is so appealing. Have you seen George Scott do the Patton speech, really, you should.  Benchmark yourself. What is it that makes a great presentation. Start studying….my compliments to all the students for outstanding selections and papers in that Class. 

All the world's a stage the saying goes..We practice presentations in class and make mistakes and learn from them, college is a learning process, that is why we are here, far better to err here than on the outside, welcome to the University…….