Lectures, lectures, lectures - anyone listening?

I am wondering why i am not given a few thousand euros, so that i can stop giving lectures
I think this is the long scam you're running on CFC: see if you can get us to pay you to stop posting.
 
I spend a lot of time in lecture halls, and seminars, and workshops. Ugh. It's the worst part of my job, really.
 
If you want to be paid more, then give better lectures. You need to build an audience that wants to come hear you talk. You do that by by having interesting content (even boring content can be made interesting) and presenting it in an entertaining manner that conveys the critical content clearly nad easily.. If 50% of your audience doesn't go away thinking it was fabulous, you have failed as a lecturer. The topic doesn't matter. If you are an expert on the material, then it should be easy to present it it in creative ways that engage the audience and keep them listening. If you have nothing interesting to say, don't expect your audience to be enthused either.

With long talks, you have to create a rhythm that changes pace and interaction. One person droning on for 90 minutes can be killer. You should focus on the key takeaways and have a part of your talk revolve around each one.
 
If you want to be paid more, then give better lectures. You need to build an audience that wants to come hear you talk. You do that by by having interesting content (even boring content can be made interesting) and presenting it in an entertaining manner that conveys the critical content clearly nad easily.. If 50% of your audience doesn't go away thinking it was fabulous, you have failed as a lecturer. The topic doesn't matter. If you are an expert on the material, then it should be easy to present it it in creative ways that engage the audience and keep them listening. If you have nothing interesting to say, don't expect your audience to be enthused either.

With long talks, you have to create a rhythm that changes pace and interaction. One person droning on for 90 minutes can be killer. You should focus on the key takeaways and have a part of your talk revolve around each one.

Thanks, but it isn't an issue of quality. People usually like the lectures i give. You have to note that the current economic situation in Greece makes things very difficult.
 
Thanks, but it isn't an issue of quality. People usually like the lectures i give. You have to note that the current economic situation in Greece makes things very difficult.

 
Well, actually, yes. Motivation/believing it's possible, is critical. Thanks, master Yoda ^_^

I mean, I would say the apparent lack of self-reflection is a more pressing problem here.
 
Oh. Too good to be true, it was.

Not really. If anything, i am self-reflective, and to a very pronounced degree. I fear my humour is lost to some in the thread.
 
Keep in mind that the audience and those who are arranging the lecture are the judges of the quality. You cannot be an objective judge of quality. :)

When you meet and go beyond the expectations of your audience, people will pay more for your services. Giving the lecture you want to give is one thing, but giving the lecture that the audience wants to hear is usually a totally different thing.

Writing the book you want to write is not the same as writing a book that Hollywood wants to make into movie. The best speakers package their talks so that the audience is fully satisfied.
 
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Keep in mind that the audience and those who are arranging the lecture are the judges of the quality. You cannot be an objective judge of quality. :)

When you meet and go beyond the expectations of your audience, people will pay more for your services. Giving the lecture you want to give is one thing, but giving the lecture that the audience wants to hear is usually a totally different thing..

I hear you, yet it obviously isn't that straightforward. For a couple of reasons (mostly due to knowing the material well) the lectures are liked. Getting people to pay you more is always risky, and i err to the side of caution. Let alone that i am not fond of individuals paying (as in the non-municipal, public setting).
I do think that i am just not very into it, hence why i liked what i originally thought the Yoda post was about, given in the movie it was about not believing you can achieve something and thus not trying much.
 
I hear you, yet it obviously isn't that straightforward. For a couple of reasons (mostly due to knowing the material well) the lectures are liked. Getting people to pay you more is always risky, and i err to the side of caution. Let alone that i am not fond of individuals paying (as in the non-municipal, public setting).
I do think that i am just not very into it, hence why i liked what i originally thought the Yoda post was about, given in the movie it was about not believing you can achieve something and thus not trying much.
"Do or do not. There is no try."

In other words, pull up your socks and think of a way to ramp things up so people will say, "Kyriakos, you're not charging enough."

That said, I do understand that you have to stick with what the market will bear. Just try to nudge the market to bear a bit more. I did, and while a couple of people tried to undercut me, my clients who tried them came back since I was more experienced and would go the extra distance to help them, whether it was with a bit of free tutoring, recommendations for sources, or typing their paper at 3 am so they could pick it up first thing in the morning.
 
"Do or do not. There is no try."

In other words, pull up your socks and think of a way to ramp things up so people will say, "Kyriakos, you're not charging enough."

That said, I do understand that you have to stick with what the market will bear. Just try to nudge the market to bear a bit more. I did, and while a couple of people tried to undercut me, my clients who tried them came back since I was more experienced and would go the extra distance to help them, whether it was with a bit of free tutoring, recommendations for sources, or typing their paper at 3 am so they could pick it up first thing in the morning.

Thanks ^_^

I always prefer the municipality/other organization/firm to pay, instead of private individuals. Money relations suck, but they are needed ^_^
 
I hear you, yet it obviously isn't that straightforward. For a couple of reasons (mostly due to knowing the material well) the lectures are liked. Getting people to pay you more is always risky, and i err to the side of caution. Let alone that i am not fond of individuals paying (as in the non-municipal, public setting).
I do think that i am just not very into it, hence why i liked what i originally thought the Yoda post was about, given in the movie it was about not believing you can achieve something and thus not trying much.
I understand. For you the lectures are a business proposition; a marketing opportunity. If you charge $50/hour you will get $50/hour customers; if you charge $120/hour you will get $120/hour customers. You just have to make sure that the experience and the price match. Perhaps you could test a more expensive lecture that provides a different and more robust experience. It would be a way to see if there are any $120/hour customers.

Why do people spend $350 a night at a Ritz Carlton when there is a $125 a night Holiday Inn down the street? The experience is better. It costs $5000+ to attend a Ted Talk.
 
Why do people spend $350 a night at a Ritz Carlton when there is a $125 a night Holiday Inn down the street? The experience is better.

Two words for you, my friend, just two words: conspicuous consumption.
 
:lol: The experience at a Ritz is decidedly better. You are just a $125 a night customer. :p When there are choices, customers will sort themselves into segments. Choosing more expensive is not just conspicuous consumption. Could eating a $12 burger be a better experience than a Big Mac?
 
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