Presentation Hacks: Remove Crutches

http://blog.rafaelcorrales.com/2010/04/presentation-hacks-remove-crutches.html

by rafaelc • 16 years ago

16 5 16 years ago

blog.rafaelcorrales.com

About "reading from the screen": it's tempting to make your slides text-heavy. I've noticed that many presenters compete with their slides: they have a text-heavy slide and they are talking about it so that you either miss what the presenter is saying or you miss what the slide is saying.

I like to keep slides visual: an appropriate picture or diagram.

pguerin• 16 years ago

Yep, the book "Presentation Zen" says pretty much all there is to know about this approach. And while it is not a silver bullet, it's great! I also find not using a power point at all easier too. You can connect more easily with the audience, make it more personnal, and do crazy body language movements because they will look at you instead of your slides. Sure, a good presentation can improve the message, but it's harder (chance of de-sync your speech and slides).

As for not using notes, it can be hard but possible. If you practice enough to master your speech, then yes you can go without notes. Anyway, it's no big deal when you speak about something you are passionnate about! You just need to speak at a correct speed (as for me, I need to slow down! a lot!).

rafaelc2• 16 years ago

And you're awesome too. The speed part is a whole separate post and I address it as part of a large point. That post is the last in the series... I already wrote 6-7 of these but just have to pace myself

rafaelc2• 16 years ago

Oh man, you're awesome dude. One of my next posts is about this... I agree, but have a different angle. Look for that post (it's like 3rd or 4th in this series...)

carbocation• 16 years ago

When I give a presentation, I like to display my slides in such a way that you can't really pay more attention to my slides than to me. Most of my slides are images or simple graphs, merely acting as a visual representation of my speech . When there is text (to reinforce a critical point), I usually don't display what I am going to say before I say it.

If I use colors, the colors are consistent throughout and always mean the same thing.

Before I talk, I will know my talk well enough to give it blindfolded. I am telling you a story, not struggling through a slide deck.

Also, every talk is a job talk, no matter how unimportant it may seem at first.

Presentation Hacks: Remove Crutches

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