This year at PTC Live Global 2013, I attempted to teach people with no previous experience how to use Creo Cabling in just 30 minutes. I'm shocked and a bit dismayed to report that I actually failed!
The presentation went along well enough. The room was absolutely packed. People were standing outside the room still trying to hear and see. I was barrelling through the material at a manic pace and building to the big finale when... I ran out of time. A voice from the back of the ground said "Um... excuse me but the next presenter has to set up!". After a few moments, I announced to the audience that I had to stop and apologized for the abrupt ending.
This was a collosal misstep on my part. To anyone who attended, I'm sorry I didn't have the presence of mind to tell the next presenter that he'd have to wait 5 more minutes. The next presenter was the last of the day. In fact, he was the last of the entire conference. If he'd started at 11:05 instead of 11:00am, it wouldn't have impacted anyone else. Typically one presenter finishes and another has to begin right away otherwise the entire schedule is destroyed. When there's no one else on the schedule, 5 more minutes wouldn't have hurt.
I should have taken a cue from the audience of over 100 people. No one moved when the next presenter walked in. That should've been a hint that I needed to finish! Instead, I ended the presentation and found another room with a projector where I ultimately finished, answered questions, and gave an expanded demonstration. Still, many people didn't get to see the finale and I really regret that.
I'm going to go on record as officially taking the blame for this failure. Ultimately, it's all on me. However, I would like to point out that I was supposed to have a room monitor to tell me when I was running low on time. There were no monitors even though they were promised. Ahem. If I'm lucky enough to be selected again next year to give a presentation, things will be different.
In the weeks since PTC Live 2013, I've been flooded with requests for the presentation. Normally presentations aren't available from the PTC/User website until October. I discussed this with PTC and they were very supportive of the idea that I post the presentation to PTC Community. Therefore, I'm putting it up for everyone to access today!
What took so long?!
Eh, there's the rub. During a LIVE presentation, everything doesn't have to be documented in the slide deck. In fact, the most dynamic presentations are given by people who do not put too much information on the screen. Less is more when it comes to a live presentation. You're told to put few words on the screen and to "speak to the audience" instead. Well, I can definitely speak to an audience. Sometimes I'm speaking to the point that I forget to take a breath! But the point of my presentation wasn't really to perform one of those legendary "Steve Jobs" type shows.
The heart of Ninja Cabling is a procedure that can be used nearly universally to create a cabling assembly. The best procedures are documented well and offer plenty of explanation along the way. Therefore, I wanted to put tons of information in the slide deck so users reading "at home" or back in the office could follow along. At the live presentation, I skipped through the slides quickly. For everyone who could not attend, the detailed slides have great value when you're reading them back at the office.
The reason it's taken me several weeks to post this presentation is that it is not "finished" to my standards. There are a few obvious holes which you'll clearly see as you read it. Even on top of these, I believe I need to add another 12-16 slides to completely cover the material. The first 37 slides are solid... but the last 6 are bare and must be updated. As Murphy's Law would have it, my work schedule has simply exploded over the past month. I can barely find time to sleep let alone make the updates I wanted to make.
Many, many people have written to me requesting the presentation. For the first few weeks I had technical/logistical issues preventing me from sharing it. But for the last two weeks I've just been sitting on it trying to bring it to the point where I feel it's truly complete. I simply do not have the bandwidth to get it done right now.
Rather than make people wait longer and risk losing their interest, I'm posting what I have. We'll call this Ninja Cabling 2 (Draft 1). Over the next few weeks, I'll add, update, and modify the presentation until I think it's perfect. But for now, please take a look at it, ask questions, and send feedback. If there's something confusing, please let me know. I'd like to make a few revisions to this document. I'll add in what I believe it needs... but I'll also add in sections of information based on your feedback. If you need more pictures, more details, additional information or any other changes, please say so! Also, if the videos fail to come through I'll post them separately. There should be 4 total.
Your comments, criticisms, and suggestions are always welcomed!
Although I failed to teach Creo Cabling in the promised 30 minutes, working together we can modify this document until it becomes a useful roadmap, educational tool, and handy resource for everyone wishing to dive into the world of cabling! To me, that's a far better legacy!
Thanks to everyone for your kind and supportive emails! I look forward to your feedback.
-Brian
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