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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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 I do software training daily....Submitted by Keith (not verified) on November 19, 2005 - 8:10am.
I do software training daily. Contrary to what many folks here have said, I never practice. I don't want to get grooved in to one way of thinking about my topic. That's not to say I don't prepare. I try to OVERprepare. Know the subject drop-dead cold. Know the audience. Know the scope and sequence of what you're presenting. But I never practice. Like some have said here already, I talk to my classes like I'm explaining this cool software to friends at my house. Often, I don't use PowerPoint. (See: http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/06/kill_your_prese.html) When I do use PowerPoint, I try to follow these guidelines: One big idea per slide. (More slides, less content per slide.) Communicate visually wherever possible. Dense text or charts are handouts. If you don't have anything to say beside what's on the slides, go home. Keith » POSTED IN:
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