Presentation Zen [19]
In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.
—Rollo May
Asking the Right Questions
It is said that Buddha described the human condition as being much like that of a man who has been shot with an arrow. That is, the situation is both painful and urgent. But let’s imagine that instead of asking for immediate medical assistance for his predicament, the man asks details about the bow that shot the arrow. He asks about the manufacturer of the arrow. He wonders about the background of the people who made the bow and arrow, how they arrived at the color choice, what kind of string they used, and so on. The man asks many inconsequential questions, overlooking the immediate problem.
Our lives are a bit like this. We often do not see the reality right in front of us, they say, because we chase ephemeral things, such as salary, the perfect job, a bigger house, more status, and we worry about losing what we have. The Buddhist would say that life is filled with “duhhka” (suffering, pain, loss, a feeling of dissatisfaction)—we need only to open our eyes to see this. In a similar way, the current state of business and academic presentations bring about a fair amount of “suffering” in the form of ineffectiveness, wasted time, and general dissatisfaction, both for the presenter and for the audience.
There is much discussion today among professionals on the issue of how to make presentations and presenters better. For businesses and presenters, the situation is both “painful and urgent” in a sense. It’s important. Yet, much of the discussion focuses on software applications and techniques. What application should I get? Should I get a Mac or a PC? What animations and transitions are best? What is the best remote control? This talk is not completely inconsequential, but it often dominates discussions on presentation effectiveness. The focus on technique and software features often distracts us from what we should be examining. Many of us spend too much time fidgeting with and worrying about bullets and images on slides during the preparation stage instead of thinking about how to craft a story which is the most effective, memorable, and appropriate for our particular audience.
The Wrong Questions
In obsessing on technique and tricks and effects, we are a bit like the man who has an arrow stuck in him—our situation is urgent and painful, yet we are asking the wrong questions and focusing on that which is relatively inconsequential.
Two of the more inconsequential questions I get—and I get these a lot—are “How many bullets should I use per slide?” and “How many slides per presentation is good?” My answer? “It depends on a great many things… how about zero?” This gets people’s attention, but it’s not the most popular answer. I’ll deal with the bullet points question in the chapter on slide design (Chapter 6). As for how many slides, that really is the wrong question. There are too many variables involved to make a concrete rule to be followed by all the same way. I have seen long, dull presentations from presenters who used only five slides, and content-rich, engaging presentations from presenters who used over 200 slides (and vise versa). The number of slides is not the point. If your presentation is successful, the audience will have no idea how many slides you used, nor will they care.
Questions We Should Be Asking
OK, so you’re alone. You’ve got a pad and a pen. You’re relaxed, and your mind is still. Now picture in your mind that presentation you get to give (notice I did not say have to give) next month… or next week, or (gulp) tomorrow. Jot down the answers to these questions:
• How much time do I have?
• What’s the venue like?
• What time of the day?
• Who is the audience?