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Open Thread: Your best tip on doing presentations
Merlin Mann | Nov 18 2005
As I mentioned yesterday, I'll be leading a discussion on Tinderbox and "the trusted system" tomorrow. Probably running a few Keynote slides, but mostly just casually chatting with a small group of enthusiastic Tinderbox fans. I'm not a seasoned public speaker by anyone's estimation, so I've made my share of rookie mistakes in the past (hint: avoid doing a rambling, overlong talk without slides at ETech; people get confused, hungry, and eventually want to defenestrate you). So, as I prep myself for tomorrow, I turn to you guys: What's your best presentation tip? What's the "never break it" rule for PowerPoint/Keynote decks? What's your favorite site, article, or link on great presentations? How do I get that Lessig-, Jobs-, or Veen-like fu that makes audiences so giddy? (Self-links are okay within reason here) I'll be over here imagining people in their underwear, but I'd love to hear your best advice on this stuff. Update 2005-11-19 21:37:26I've posted the slides from my talk today along with links to some of the posts and cool applications I mentioned. Summary: went well! Very enthusiastic group -- great questions and conversations. And no one threw rotten vegetables. Elin liked it, and that's good enough for me. :-) 79 Comments
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 Use entertaining pictures, rather than...Submitted by kellenheller (not verified) on November 18, 2005 - 11:39am.
Use entertaining pictures, rather than words, to represent the concept of what you want to say for that slide. Not only will it register better with your audience, but it is immediately recognizable to YOU, the presenter, when you're nervous and trying to remember what comes next. I found with words, no matter how few on a slide, it would still take me an uncomfortably long time to figure out what point I wanted to make with the slide. The picture opens the pathway to your point immediately. Also - never warn your audience if you're going to try to be funny. Just be funny - the surprise is half of the joke. » POSTED IN:
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