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View Full Version : Have to do 15 min talk on AT to Rotary Club, any ideas?



hopefulhiker
01-05-2007, 19:21
So I think I can handle talking. But what should I talk about.. What should be my angle.. They say you can only make two points during a fifteen min period.. I am thinking about talking about living out your dream. Anyway if anyone has any input here it would be appreciated..

rafe
01-05-2007, 19:26
Talk about Benton MacKaye's vision. What it means to you.

jmaclennan
01-05-2007, 19:45
talk about how the AT facilitates positive experiences for people. not just finding out about yourself and gaining confidence, but how all the amazing social interactions often leave hikers with a renewed faith in humanity. oh, and benton mackaye's vision is also a good thing to talk about.

The Weasel
01-05-2007, 19:58
So I think I can handle talking. But what should I talk about.. What should be my angle.. They say you can only make two points during a fifteen min period.. I am thinking about talking about living out your dream. Anyway if anyone has any input here it would be appreciated..

Been to a zillion Rotary meetings, and every speaker talks about "vision", theirs or others. If you want to capture them, though, show them something, such as:

(1) "I use trekking poles because..." Most will never have seen real trekking poles, and some will think they're like XC skiing poles (yeah, we know their not). Tell a bunch of (mainly) older white guys that using them saves your knees, helps you move, and are fun to use for other things (lightning rods, tent poles, fishing) and they'll laugh and remember you.

(2) "200 Days Of Noodles." Show a few examples of what you'll be eating (compare it to the Rotary Lunch...classically chicken/peas/mashed potatos!) and how it's healthy, low fat, and nowhere near enough calories ("Yesssss...we live for CHEESEBURGERS in trail towns!").

(3) "Bears? What Bears?" Everyone is convinced the AT is as remote as the Amazon (or as it used to be). Show them it's a big path (big map!) close to a lot of places they go to and that they can visit too. It's wild enough to be enjoyable, but not to worry about being eaten by bears (they only eat base camping tourists).

The Weasel

Rufous Sided Towhee
01-05-2007, 20:08
How about talking about how the Trail teaches you do do more with less? Our spirit-deadening culture of over-consumerism is a big topic of interest these days.

You could compare (with a lot of humor too, which is great at a presentation) the contents of a thru-hiker's pack at the start and again at the end.

Or, discuss how hikers eventually learn that a good attitude is more valuable than all the fancy expensive gear in the world.

Just some thoughts. Let us know what you decide and how the talk goes!

MOWGLI
01-05-2007, 20:11
I do a lot of public speaking. Here's my tip for you. STart the talk by spending 5 minutes relating an interesting personal story from your hike. Something that will transport them to the trail, and have them get a sense of who you are, and what the experience meant to you. Then transition into making your points, whatever they are. If you do the first part correctly, you'll have them eating out of your hand.

If I were you, I would try and get across to your audience how important is is for them to take a young person for a hike. Be it their son/daughter or grandson/grandaughter, or niece/nephew, or their neighbor's kid. It will get them off of their duffs, and get them talking about your presentation when they get home.

Good luck!

Johnny Swank
01-05-2007, 20:12
I'm doing a Rotary gig in a couple of weeks as well. I usually do the normal slideshow routine, but this time I'm going to throw in something about risk (taking off into the unknown, taking chances in the face of the safety net of real job, etc)

Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-05-2007, 21:30
Having seen several of Jeff's presentations, I have to say he knows how to do an interesting presentation. I like the idea of bring out the vision, how it became a reality and how important it is to keep the trail. Children are our future so Jeff's idea goes well with that.

swift
01-05-2007, 21:41
I like Mowgli's take, Hopeful. Whatever it is you do, don't make it about yourself, your vision is irrelevant, it's about what vision you can wake up in others

rafe
01-05-2007, 21:44
A sermon (http://www.terrapinphoto.com/Hiking_Sermon4.pdf), delivered last June, by moi. FWIW. Timed for delivery in exactly 15 minutes, in fact. About Benton, wilderness, blah blah. ;)

Lone Wolf
01-05-2007, 21:50
Go with Mowgli's idea.

MOWGLI
01-05-2007, 22:03
A sermon (http://www.terrapinphoto.com/Hiking_Sermon4.pdf), delivered last June, by moi.

I don't see how your swipe at Inhofe, however deserved, fits into this presentation. :-?

maxNcathy
01-05-2007, 22:21
Go smelly, set up your tent, and light your alcohol stove and make some tea, then walk over to the north west corner and pee.
Actions speak louder than words.

hopefulhiker
01-05-2007, 22:26
Very funny MaxNathy, lol, just like ol times!

rafe
01-05-2007, 22:51
I don't see how your swipe at Inhofe, however deserved, fits into this presentation. :-?


Inhofe deserves a serious swipe. But I didn't deliver it well in the sermon. Point I was trying to make is that ancient sprituality generally encompassed reverence or at least respect for the earth. I wanted to contrast that with Inhofe's rabid and perverse form of Christianity, which shows nothing but scorn for the earth. The good news is, Inhofe's chairmanship is over.

Lilred
01-06-2007, 16:27
Go smelly, set up your tent, and light your alcohol stove and make some tea, then walk over to the north west corner and pee.
Actions speak louder than words.

Tooo funny. Almost spewed my drink. LOLOL thanks for the laugh.

MOWGLI
01-06-2007, 17:00
Tooo funny. Almost spewed my drink. LOLOL thanks for the laugh.

That was actually PERFECT! :D

TREE-HUGGER
01-06-2007, 17:05
I'v done close to 100 A.T. talks over the last 15 years ranging from 15 mins to an entire 3 hour show. And I can promise you it will be 15 minutes of questions. Just give them 3 mins of trail stats and what you did and open it up for questions. This will cut down on your prep time and they have tons of the usual questions that are so easy to answer. Even when I do a 3 hour show on the A.T. and all of my equipment displayed and demonstrated all I do is pick raised hands the entire time. 15 mins will go by fast.

MOWGLI
01-06-2007, 17:11
Tree Hugger:

While your suggestion might work for some audiences, many Rotary Clubs (and other civic groups) have an expectation that they will receive a presentation of a particular length.

I would agree some time should be left for Q&A.

Jack Tarlin
01-06-2007, 17:41
Good ideas, so far.

Just don't talk politics. :D

fishinfred
01-06-2007, 23:29
Good ideas, so far.

Just don't talk politics. :D


LOL I was just going to say that and you know what I mean Hopeful :D

Above all .... Have fun with it! Do the tent ,tea and pee thing to start off :D

ROFLMAO That was good!

See ya out there Hopeful good luck with it!

orangebug
01-06-2007, 23:54
First, remember the key motto of Rotary: Service Above Self.

Try to connect your talk about Rotary toward community service and family activities. An opportunity for volunteerism or supporting those who volunteer will go far. Discuss some of the history of the AT, but focus on how the trail was built and maintained by volunteers for a variety of recreation, avocation, conservation and other agendas.

It isn't bad to bring a back pack or a bunch of slides. My Rotary club had a blast seeing my backpack loaded with 3 days of food and a liter of water. But they were more interested in how many people use the trail, how it is funded, the need for philanthropy for land acquisition/protection, controversies over viewshed versus windmills, and such. Recall that while this is a trail in our backyard, it stretches 2200 miles across the country, has engendered other long distance trails around the world, and has become a service to the world.

You can mention the politics of how land was obtained, splits among the founding fathers of the trail, and even controversies among hikers over poles, water treatment, shelter use, dogs and the like.

But have fun, smile and realize these are a bunch of folks into volunteerism and opportunities for projects. Infect at least 3 of them by inviting them on an afternoon or overnight walk.

Mags
01-07-2007, 00:18
I' And I can promise you it will be 15 minutes of questions.


True story: I very rarely tell people anymore what I've done esp. after a recent thru-hike. I just say something vague like "I went backpacking in the Rockies and visited a few national parks". If people follow up with a bit more pointed questions, I spill the beans. However, most people just go "Oh. That's nice" and then go into the usual mundane chit chat people tend to do when meeting a new person.

(So..where are you from? What brought you out here? What do you do? [meaning to pay the bills, of course] Blah..Blah...Blah. Ever notice that when on dates, job interviews or meeting people for the first time the same conversations are often spoken? :D )

Why am I vauge about where I was for four months? Because I get tired of answering the same questions!

How many long were you out for?
What did you eat?
Did you bring a cell phone?
How did you get food?
Who did you go with? ALone ??!? Weren't you afraid?
How many miles did you do?
You walked the whole way?
Etc. Etc.

And of course my personal favorite:

"Hey..I read this book by...a...Billl...er..ummm BRYSON!. Yeah. THat's it!
Maybe you read it? "Walk in the mountains"? Or was it "Walk on the Trail"..no, I remember now!...WALK IN THE WOODS? Did you ever read that book?"

OF course, Mom taught me to be polite, so I just smile, and answer the same questions I seem to answer every single time. And I just wanted to get a beer!

My good friend told me I need to be a bit more vocal about my hikes. Until she took it upon herself to tell people what I had just done. Now *she* complains people always ask the same questions to her! :)

Now, I don't mind answering these questions for a presentation. But, well, gets a little repetitive every time when you answer these questions "one on one" and you just want to grab a beer with your brother you haven't seen in a while and who just got back from Iraq. Or want to spend time with your friends' new child. Or just want to spend time talking to your friends who actually "get me" and don't treat me like a research project. Etc.

OK..rant off. ;)


In all seriousness, avoid doing the Q&A thing exclusively. You'll get just nuts and bolts questions! Yeah..some "nuts and bolts" type info is needed. (The trail is X miles long, took X long to do, etc.) But would like to think most people don't hike so they can rattle off canned answers like it was a research paper. If you can't tell by my rant, I fall into this category. Nuts and bolts are HOW we hiked..I hike because of the "WHYs"

Tell them more about WHY you hiked..not HOW you hiked.

Afterall, the "why we hiked" is much meaningful than "how we hiked".

Tell them why you wanted to walk in the rain for days on end..because the sun coming out the next day and rising over the Smokies is something you'll never forget.

Not how you stayed dry in the rain storm with your wicked cool Goretex jacket. (Obviously a lie...but that's a different thread)

You walked 2160 miles to be in nature for 5 months. Not how you walked in two pairs of boots.

Tell them you remember walking the Whites one sunny day in July and seeing for miles around. Now how you did it by by what pack you carried.

And you reached Katahdin and had one of the happiest days of your life. Not how you went into town every 3-5 days to resupply with Mac n' cheese, ramen and Snickers to supply your trip to the Big K.

OK...just my, very long, .02 worth

Cuppa Joe
01-07-2007, 08:56
A lot has been said on the subject but I will throw my two cents in. I have given two talks to the local Exchange Club where I live. The first was a slideshow and then a Q&A after it.

It went over well and I loved the way they looked at me .. Like I was from another planet. I even got invited to dinner from one of the attendees. :)

The second time was to the same group (encore performance) .. I knew I had to do something different so I packed my pack exactly how I carried it on the trail. I went in and just starting taking stuff out and explaining it to them. The food bag was the thing that got them .. Mac & Cheese, Lipton's Sides, Ramen, high calorie junk food, etc.

Most people have heard about the trail but not what it takes to do it. I think you will have a captive audience no matter what you decide to present.

Cuppa Joe

Red Hat
01-07-2007, 10:38
[QUOTE=hopefulhiker;297588]So I think I can handle talking./QUOTE]
LOL Hopeful! I sure miss you and your stories. Hats off to all the 05 hikers out there.

I know you'll do great at your Rotary talk. Be sure to tell about the world's biggest toad, the mouse story, and of course, my favorite, the night the bear came to your tent. (still laughing)