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Most societies have one member who ends up becoming the “go-to” person
whenever there’s a request to give a presentation at a school or to a group of
homeschoolers or Scouts. And that person often gets burned out because no one
else steps up to help. One reason folks typically don’t volunteer is because
most of us are amateurs, uncertain or uncomfortable with our level of knowledge
when it comes to giving an earth science presentation. (Plus, public speaking
ranks high on the list of anxiety-producing events for most of us, whether
talking to adults or kids.) To help resolve this situation within my own Ventura
(California) society, I sat down over the 2012 holidays and wrote “scripts” for
the most common presentations that I give. Each includes a Learning Objective, a
list of Recommended Materials, and then a step-by-step guide (with photos)
through the presentation, whether teaching about the three rock types, mineral
identification, economic uses of minerals, fossils, or your state mineral or
fossil. I also provide some “Rockhound Jokes” to help enliven a talk and a
glossary of geological terms used in the presentation. The goal is to give
anyone and everyone a “script” that enables them to confidently give an earth
science presentation within their local communities and to expand the pool of
local society members who are able to help us all accomplish our goals as
501(c)(3) nonprofit educational societies—while having fun! I welcome additional
“scripts” to add to the manual. Email me yours at jbraceth Download the Presenter's Manual (1.77M)
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