College ‘Lecture’

I’ve been invited to inaugurate the annual technical symposium at Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering (SVCE) and deliver a guest lecture to the students. It sounded a bit awkward when the organizer told me I’d be the ‘chief guest’. I’d rather be the simple guy willing to interact with the students.

Oh yeah, I love interacting with the college kids. It’s not easy keeping the attention of an auditorium full of students intact for an hour and half. And that’s precisely the challenge I look forward to.

When it comes to college lecturing, there are three things I really believe in.

First : Don’t lecture!. I’ve hated boring monotonous lectures during my college days. And I, for heavens sake, will not make the same mistake. I believe in interactivity. I’d rather call it a two way discussion. As a policy, I always refuse to stand behind a podium and speak. I ask them for a cordless mic and prefer mingling with the crowd.

Second: I believe it’s better not to teach but to encourage them to learn.

Third: The students are much smarter than you think they are. They accept you much better if you do not come across as a snooty know-it-all.