no comp. .. Del's thoughts.

[Phil Bondi]

Del, thanks for taking the time to reply with such a thoughtful and
insightful manner.

I'm one of the sponges out there still soaking up as much info as I can.

Your post brought back to mind a couple of thoughts, and I would like yours
as well as any one else's feedback:

1. I've only been to a handful of conventions, but in my short tenure, it
appears that the 'most popular'(conrad, 42 regular) classes are the ones
that require a registration fee in addition to the regular registration
fee( the all-day affairs and the hands-on stuff). The all-day affairs that I
have attended, on a whole, have been more rewarding than the individual
classes(conrad, extra FR please). It's possible that my newness to the biz
has something to do with my viewpoint, but, Del, anyone, do you feel that
more of these types of classes might be an avenue for us to explore? I
realize timing and space are critical, but I would like to hear what others
have to say about this.

These types of classes are typically taught by people that have a direct
link to a particular company or manufacturer, so there isn't as much
'questioning' from the class as there is from the smaller, individual
classes. The instructor's word "seems" to be more respected in these type of
situations because, "they're the expert".

2. Do you think that it's possible that there is a "fear factor" lurking in
the background that is preventing talanted people from getting up in front
of 20-100 peers and delivering a class? Speaking for myself, I find that a
pretty daunting proposition. "Fear" meaning that talanted people are just
that...talanted..but when it comes to instructing a group of peers, the
instructor becomes the questioned, because the talented individual is
unfamiliar with being an instructor, and teaching/instructing is something
that you either have or are willing to work very hard at to be better at. My
thoughts are that there's alot of talent in the PTG, but instructing people,
especially at Del's level, becomes intimidating because of his experience
level.

Think about this for a minute...this is a scenario:

I design a class for aural tuners, aimed at the beginners, to help them
become more confident in what they're doing...sitting in the back of the
class, simply out of respect or curiosity, is Jim Coleman Sr. and Al
Sanderson. I don't know about anyone else, but my legs would turn to jello.
These are 2 people that I have learned an AWFUL lot from over the years, and
I would be petrified to say the wrong thing at the wrong time instructing
these people in my class willing to learn something.

We all know Jim and Al are 2 of the kindest people you'll ever meet, but
speaking for myself, that's pretty intimidating, and you had better know
your stuff if you want to be in that situation so your legs don't turn to
jello.

If anyone is still reading this, I would appreciate your thoughts.

Respectfully a rook,

-Phil Bondi (Fl.)
tito@philbondi.com