Poll: Have you ever fallen asleep during one of Dean's Speeches?

[Michael Hill]

I know I have looked over at Championships and have seen people asleep while he's speaking, so there are definately people that do it. I have to admit I've dozed off...

[Elgin Clock]

w0w. Just w0w. I love that there is a poll for this.

And, as for me. No. I think it's kinda rude to fall asleep during speeches of people, but I will admit I have fallen asleep in church when I was a lot younger. lol

But, I also heard of a few people falling asleep during Larry's speech about Google last year in Georgia.

It's not that most people are bored of the message of the speech, but some speakers have more of a monotone voice that are more easy to fall asleep to, especially after 3 or 4 crazy days of the stress, lack of sleep, and all the stuff that comes with a regional, or the championship event.

And, along these lines, I personally want to find a cure for sleep. I have yet to find a good reason why we need sleep, except it lets the body rest. Psshaw.. who needs rest.

[Koko Ed]

I doze off when anyone speaks. I think they say your mind is going a hundred or a thousand times faster than the person is talking and you just shut down or something. It was a real problem in college.

[Billfred]

Haven't dozed yet.

In my experience, it takes one of two things to get me to doze during a long session of someone else talking:

1) Excessively comfortable chairs, position, or a combination of the two. (The front row of the Gambrell Auditorium is guilty of this.)
2) Being really, REALLY tired. (Not even a competition where I have a dog in the fight does this for me.)

[Cory]

I fall asleep as soon as Dean starts speaking. He seems to always speak about the same thing, and is way too monotonous.

I also fell asleep during Larry Page's speech at Nationals last year.

FIRST really needs to hire some good speechwriters, or something.

[Li Jianliang]

I have started to doze off before at least once during Kickoff day speeches, because it is way too early in the morning for me as I live on the Pacific coast and the monotonous voice never fails its mission...yep.

[sanddrag]

Dean is a great speaker. He just needs to be slightly more upbeat.

That said, when I see him speak, personally, I'm locked on. He is like as huge as the president or somebody like that, at least for me. You know how you hear the national anthem and then you get chills when it comes to that one part. (chills in a good way I mean, you know, because it is so important and meaningful) For me, listening to Dean speak is like the same thing. What he says has such deep meaning. This is a man trying to change the world and making a very good attempt at it. If you can't give him a few minutes to hear him out, you don't belong here imho. Maybe it is repetitive but so what? That's why he says the same thing over and over again. The message isn't getting through. Listen to the people who are smarter than you. You can learn from them. I don't think anybody changed the world in their sleep. Get awake and get productive. Wake up to the challenges facing the world. I think that's a good portion of his point.

[lukevanoort]

I think that Dean can get a little... boring at times. I don't fall asleep per se, but I do end up tuning him out, I find that, for me, his problem isn't talking in a monotone (although he does), it's that he is sort of long winded, and it's the same year to year. However, I don't think he should stop giving them, we may have heard them several times, but the rookies haven't. I think I'm in the minority here, but I found Larry Page's speech to be much more interesting. (Maybe because it was new material) I'd have to say, my favorite FIRST speaker has to be Dave Lavery, he's lively, interesting, and although it is somewhat the same message, he does it in a manner that keeps you paying attention.

[thatphotochick]

i don't doze off while peoplespeak, but i do tend to stop paying attention. it might not even be that the speech is boring or spoken with a monotone voice. i think dean's speeches are interesting; i just tend to stray away and think of the past events. larry's speech was interesting at atlanta last year. it's not everyday that you are part of an audience with anybody with that much importance. i, personally, lose focus when the speech is too long. and if i'm tired

[aallen88]

I must say that every year since my Freshman year I have dozed off for an average of 10-15 minutes during the closing ceremony at Nationals. Not because of the speakers (but I won't lie, Dean does have a very soothing voice) but because it is the only time where there isn't chaos.

Nationals is too crazy to sleep or get your full amount of sleep. Always too many robots, too much scouting, too much fixing of a robot, too much of everything to sleep. Closing ceremonies is when I finally feel completely exhausted and pass out for a few minutes. SORRY!

[KenWittlief]

Sooooo.... maybe we should sign DK up with ToastMasters? :^)

http://www.toastmasters.org/

[ScoutingNerd175]

I would have preferred it if the speeches had come after the matches on Einstein last year. I think the mood kind of took a hit for us. We would have been a lot more spirited if we had come straight off of our division win to play the finals.

[Arefin Bari]

The only time I fell sleep during Dean's speech was back in my freshman year in high school during kickoff, that is when I didn't know the value of FIRST. I wasn't exposed to FIRST until I went to my first competition in Orlando, Florida for the nationals.

[sanddrag]

Maybe it's just me, but I find this thread quite insulting to the wonderful man that has improved the lives and futures of all of us as well as thousands more all over the world.

[Rick TYler]

I would like to see this whole thread deleted. JMO.