When: Thursday, August 11th, 7pm Where: Red Hat HQ, NCSU Centennial Campus Map: http://www.redhat.com/about/contact/ww/americas/raleigh.html

One of the coolest parts about TriLUG is how the members share their projects with the rest of the group. Most of the TriLUG meeting presentations over the last year have been given by members, not by outside guests. But, geeks that we are, many of us are more comfortable in front of a laptop (or a green screen terminal) than we are in front of a crowd. We feel that the guy up front must have a knack for speaking, or maybe he had a class on it. What does it take to be a good speaker?

Alan Hoffler was teaching technical courses at SAS, and teaching other trainers how to teach, when he realized that his true passion was teaching communication skills. This month, Alan will show us that giving a good technical presentation is not that hard to do. In fact, it's something that any of us can do.

We are very excited about having this crash course in technical presentation skills, because we rely on our members for many of our programs. And many of us are asked to give technical presentations at work as well.

About the speaker: Alan D. Hoffler Trainer, Speaker, Consultant, Coach

Raised around America's Space Program, Alan Hoffler has earned degrees in aerospace engineering and applied mathematics and never bothered to pursue a living in either field. At some point in his 20 years of training technical corporate audiences, instructing in the college classroom, teaching public high school, and speaking nationally to pilots about flying safety he became passionate about helping others communicate more effectively. He believes that communication has the power to change a person, an organization, a community, and the world. When he’s not speaking or training, he stays active serving in the local chapter of his professional organization, supporting activities and instructing in his local church, and enjoying the privileges of his commercial pilot’s license. His blog identifies solutions to common communication foibles and highlights his analytical eye and desire to improve himself as well as his clients. His most challenging training endeavor is also his most enjoyable – raising two children – and is the basis of a forthcoming book on fatherhood.