Presentation Zen [51]
“I teach ‘Aromatic Chemistry’ to pharmacy students,” says Dr. Saad. “Mindful of Asian students’ penchant towards rote learning, I decided to apply the Presentation Zen approach in my lectures. The first few lectures had the students baffled because they could hardly jot down any notes. Later, they figured out that they had to pay more attention to my lectures. I use the Presentation Zen approach because it appeals to me visually and provides an amazing way to make students listen and understand more in lectures rather than just copying down notes off my slides.”
Presenting on Animal-Based Issues
Sangeeta Kumar, M.Ed.
Education Coordinator
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
www.peta.org
In her position as Education Coordinator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Sangeeta travels a lot giving highly visual presentations on animal-based issues. The sample slides on this page are from a presentation called Animal Rights and Wrongs. The slides on the opposite page are from her talk called Vegetarian is the New Prius.
“When dealing with a complex or controversial issue, it is important to communicate your ideas in a way that the audience can relate to and visualize,” Sangeeta says. “In these examples, rather than relying on bar graphs or heady quotes, I use engaging photographs and easy to understand facts to help the audience visualize how their food choices impact animals and the environment.”
See more designs by Sangeeta on her corporate Web site:
www.kumaridesigns.com
Inbox Zero
Merlin Mann
Productivity guru and creator of 43 folders
www.43folders.com
www.merlinmann.com
The slides here are just some of the ones used by Merlin Mann in a talk he gave in the summer of 2007 at Google for their Tech Talk series. The presentation was about strategies for dealing with high-volume email and the importance of getting your inbox to zero. These simple slides—created with images from iStockphoto.com—served as a good supportive backdrop as he told his story. You can find a video of Merlin’s “Inbox Zero” presentation on YouTube and Google Video.
In Sum
A good visual will enhance the speaker’s message. The slides featured here are a very small sample that highlight what’s possible when you combine images and text. From a technical point of view, these slides were not too difficult to produce. All that was needed was PowerPoint or Keynote, and image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements. What you design your slides or other visuals to look like depends completely on your unique situation and your audience, but keep the following in mind:
• Create visuals that are simple with clear design priorities that contain elements which guide the viewer’s eye.
• Have a visual theme but avoid tired, overused software templates.
• Limit bullet points or avoid them completely.
• Use high quality graphics.
• Build (animate) complex graphics to support your narrative.
• Think “maximum effect with minimum means.”
• Learn to see empty space, and learn to use it in a way that brings greater clarity to visuals.
Delivery
Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?
—David Bader
Chapter 8
The Art of Being Completely Present
We are offended when we try to have a conversation or a meeting with someone who seems preoccupied, who is not fully “there,” listening and contributing. Yet we have become quite accustomed to enduring speakers and presenters who are not fully engaged with the audience and with the topic. One of the most important things to remember when delivering a presentation is to be fully present at that moment in time. A good presenter is fully committed to the moment, committed to being there with the audience at that particular place and time. He may have pressing problems