This Hacker News discussion centers around a video or lecture by Patrick Winston, with the primary themes revolving around effective communication, memory, and the lasting impact of his teachings.
Enduring Wisdom on Communication and Learning
Many users expressed that Winston's advice has had a profound and lasting impact on their understanding of communication, learning, and even life itself. The seminar or lectures were often described as more than just technical instruction, but as encompassing valuable life advice.
- "His 'humans have only one language processor' point has really stuck with me after watching this a few years ago. It's so true." - HPsquared
- "I feel like (or thought that) I had the ability to listen and read at the same time, until I heard that line, and it hit me like a bag of bricks. I absolutely cannot read and listen simultaneously!" - evrimoztamur
- "I had the privilege of taking Winston's communications/AI seminar class in college. It was an odd format. The class outwardly presented itself as a seminar class where you just read and discuss AI papers. ... But really it was a writing/communication class with Winston giving you life advice." - varenc
- "I also took Professor Winston's seminar in college and have similar feelings about it. It was far and away my favorite class and the wisdom in his advice has only become more apparent over time. At its heart, it was really about how to understand and communicate ideas." - dnackoul
- "I've watched this video a number of times over the years. It's highly recommended." - thebeardisred
- "It's quite rare that I start a 1 hr long youtube video and watch it all the way through at 1x speed without getting distracted. The ideas in this talk sell themselves." - andrewrn
- "I like how his talk involves lots of "nesting". (Not sure the correct word for it.) Like, he sets something up then pays it off 5 minutes later. He makes me think of a watchmaker." - sandspar
- "As a Communication PhD, this video is better than an intro to public speaking course I taught as a graduate student at a top public university." - CommPhD
- "I took 6.034 from Winston and still have the lecture notes and book. Though dated, they remind me of what was great about MIT. The constant change, upheaval, search for scientific truth, and desire to help humankind. RIP Patrick Winston." - mehulashah
Technical Communication and Slide Design
A significant portion of the discussion focused on Winston's teachings regarding technical presentations, particularly the philosophy of clear and accessible communication versus obscurity, and the role of slides.
- "One of the things I treasured the most was that Professor Winston overtly subscribed to the "make topics crystal clear and broadly accessible" school of technical communication. He would contrast this against the "make things incomprehensible so everyone thinks you're brilliant" school of thought." - dnackoul
- "I never met Winston when he was still alive, sadly, but I first encountered his work when I was still in high school, learning CommonLISP from his AI book. Every time I am sitting in the audience of a talk where someone uses overcrowded PowerPoint slides with small fonts and goes through tables of numbers that no-one in the audience can read, mumbling quietly or rushing nervously through their material, long having lost most of the audience, I feel like sending the presenters the link to this timeless masterpiece (happens at least a few dozen times per year)." - jll29
- "It has also made me a better teacher in the lecture hall, and appreciate using chalk more, and slides less." - jll29
- "I watched this years ago and really enjoyed it. One of the main lessons I took from it is basically, have almost 0 text on your slides. You should not be reading your slides, the audience should not have to read your slides. The slides should supplement what you are speaking about, not vice versa. Any time I see a wall of text on a presentation, I know I can probably tune out and not miss much." - calmoo
- "When giving a talk, your slides are not 'the show.' YOU are the show." - busyant
- "At 27:50, he relays a story about a grad student who did an experiment to see what the audience retained better: the slides, or the presenter's words. It seems the slides won out. So apparently the slides are the star of the show, whether you like it or not." - kmoser
- "But if the slides are very sparse, it make YOU the star of the show." - jimbokun
- "One downside to not having much text on your slides is that the slides alone are then not as useful as a reference to attendees later." - neilv
- "This is great advice for the right context, but can be the wrong advice for different situations. If the slide deck is meant to be something that can be shared around and make sense without you, it needs to have a lot of text on the slides. Even putting it in the speaker notes doesn’t work." - Aurornis
- "This is a case for their being two slide decks. Or rather, that slides can be used as a shareable graphic-heavy document OR as an aid to giving a talk, but the same deck can’t be good at both purposes at the same time." - wanderingstan
- "Yes, but then your audience doesn't need you to give the talk." - jimbokun
- "If you need to share the idea of the talk using just the slides then that’s a totally different problem. You shouldn’t make the slides worse for people who can attend the talk." - oe
Winston's Persona and Passing
Several comments touched upon Winston's personal characteristics, his health, and the sad news of his passing, often while also reinforcing the value of his work.
- "He says not to start with a joke, but he delivers this line as a joke (and the class laughs). So now I don't know whether to start with a joke or not!" - jaccola
- "The joke is almost 5 minutes into the talk: he didn't start with one. His point is that in the first few minutes the audience is still warming up and many wouldn't pay attention to the joke." - ot
- "Nothing worse than starting off a talk and bombing." - jweir
- "His high breathing is unnerving, though it could be caused by some lung condition." - MeteorMarc
- "It's caused by his weight. The video is very much worth it though." - GLdRH
- "I've known many people caring more weight that speak without issues. Are you speculating?" - wanderingstan
- "He died about a year after this in his sleep. They never disclosed the reason." - bargainbin
- "I read in the comments that he is passed away, god bless him." - vahid4m
- "I've always considered you to be one of my most valuable assets." - swayvil (This appears to be a quote from Winston, although attributed to swayvil in the formatting).
- "The pinned link regarding his work and remembrances in YouTube has link rot. Thankful I could learn a bit more about him here: https://web.archive.org/web/20220707071624/https://www.memor..." - anonu
- "Patrick Winston also wrote a book about presentation and communication: Make It Clear: Speak and Write to Persuade and Inform. It was published a year after he passed away." - alister
Missed Opportunities and Current Relevance
Some users lamented the loss of Winston's voice, especially in the context of current technological advancements like large language models (LLMs), and reflected on whether they fully appreciated his teachings at the time.
- "I've also wondered lately what he would think about the current LLM wave. I'm sure he would have had a characteristically clear and profound take. I feel the world is losing out not having his voice during the current moment." - dnackoul
- "His 'humans have only one language processor' point has really stuck with me..." - HPsquared
- "I remember one of his teachings was how to build and maintain your network (email them ~twice a year). And also before a big lecture you can warm up your voice by making a barking noise. He also brought donuts to most every class. I miss you professor Winston." - varenc
- "I really appreciated his advice on writing recommendation letters, too: the expectation is shifted wildly towards effusive. If you are plainly complimentary, it can come off as a secret warning that you don't think they are worth hiring." - carver
- "Another line that really stuck with me was something like 'forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit' (Which I remembered as 'Perhaps we will look back on even this with fondness') It's so easy to undervalue amazing things when they are happening to you. I was really convinced that I was appreciating it, even more than many around me. But I still look back and think I could have soaked it in, even more." - carver
- "endorse this watch for developing leaders" - dustingetz
Disagreement on Presentation Style
A small contingent expressed that they found Winston's presentation style itself to be difficult to follow or not particularly engaging, even while acknowledging the value of his ideas.
- "Maybe it's just me but I found it hard to follow and not very engaging. He doesn't seem to come across as an excellent speaker in this." - aeternum
- "+1, found some good ideas here and there but that's it. For a 'how to speak' lecture I was expecting a great speaker to present the ideas." - giosalinas
The Importance of Listening
One user pointed out a perceived omission in Winston's focus, suggesting that the ability to listen is as crucial as speaking.
- "The statement completely overlooks the importance of the ability to listen, to seek clarification. Speaking is important, but listening, soliciting opinion, and incorporating varied perspectives are underrated." - OutOfHere
Modern Consumption of Content
There's a brief discussion about how content is consumed now versus in the past, questioning whether fast-paced or slower-paced content is more appropriate for different mediums.
- "I can't really bring myself to watch recordings of speeches. I feel like, when you're making an actual speech or lecture, you benefit from slower pace because the audience can't rewind in case they miss something, probably they have lots of distractions, not to mention being physically uncomfortable in a slight but annoying manner for one reason or another. Meanwhile when making video content or even a podcast, it's better to be fast-paced, because there's a decent chance you have the audience's full undivided attention in a place where they feel most comfortable with zero distractions (sofa at night with maximum brightness TV), and even if they miss something, they can rewind, or pause, or whatever." - anal_reactor