Rudy R Christian wrote:
>
> One thing we have learned from BP is you cannot have useful 
> unstructure without structure as in underlying rules. Form follows 
> function? Or, form follows fund shway?
> But as with any material you need to learn to read the grain. If the 
> area around the demonstration area is empty of attendees then there's 
> no need to keep on keeping on. If the area is full and the attendees 
> are engaged there's no good reason to have people standing in the back 
> flashing the demonstrator with time warnings and hand grenades.
>
My first IPTW presentation was on the subject of scaffold and access 
logistics with my friend Ray Walkowiak, who is now by the way employed 
on a special group of City building inspectors. It was a really lousy, 
cold, wet rainy day and we were standing in an open sided tent in a 
gravel parking lot. Leland will probably remember this. What struck me 
was that after we finished with our presentation that we all hung on for 
another hour in the cold just talking and answering questions. We were 
far enough out of the way the grenades could not reach.

I have done other presentations where the audience was 3 people, four of 
whom had no clue why they were in the room.

In the extreme was Patrick Plunket (stonemason for the White House) 
setting up to do a presentation and only one person came... and they 
stood about talking, and in the end I don't think that was a good 
experience for Patrick.

My favorite demonstration was in WV where it was very very hot out on 
the bridge. I had gone off on an errand, don't remember exactly what it 
was, but along the way I saw a used bookstore and I stopped in there and 
got caught up checking out the books of local writers. Several of which 
I bought. When I got back to the IPTW site a group of people came up to 
me (Misia Leonard in the lead) and they asked me where I had been. 
Turned out I had completely forgot about my demonstration... but not to 
worry they had all attended and had a really good time talking together. 
[I also got embroiled in a nasty argument at that event and nearly went 
home then and there.]

I also fondly remember as the 1st PTN president at the opening reception 
in the PA Capital that the extent of my speech, after several long 
winded politicians had gassed on was to the effect, "Really good to see 
you all here. Let's have a good time, can we get on with the party?" It 
was later explained -- the grenade of the day -- that I could not be 
president if I did not want to make long winded speeches.

But what I do find is that where there is not at least some backbone of 
a sense of rules that the tendency is for people that need rules, and 
that feel a need for everyone else to obey to rules, that arbitrary 
insane weird and psychotic rules tend to be thrown up by whomever has 
the larger ego.
>
> A 'conference' needs a catalyst. It is play and tell at PTN.
> And the script of the play is often rewritten by the audience.
>
Don't forget the weather.

][<en

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