learningIT

Last night I went with some co-workers to the Mac Store in Ginza (Tokyo) to hear Garr Reynolds give a talk entitled, ‘Think Like a Designer.’ For those of you who don’t know, Garr is the author of the book and popular blog, Presentation Zen. When giving presentations, audience members usually want content and a clear message. More often than not, we usually get confusion or boredom.

Basically, everyone is a designer if you know it or not. Everyone wants to change things and/or make them better. What do designers know that we don’t? Here are my notes:

1. It’s not about tools: It’s about the ideas. You can visualize your information in any format you wish. Abandon death by PowerPoint.
2. Start in analogue mode: Don’t start your presentation on the computer. Plan on paper just like a storyboard. Find some alone time to get your ideas down.
3. Take a risk, lose the fear: Just like children, take a chance. Be comfortable with the idea of maybe being wrong.
4. Put yourself in their shoes: Think of your consumer’s point of view.
5. Look for the ’story:’ Involve your audience by telling a story. Dan Pink also dedicates a chapter to this in his book ‘A Whole New Mind.’ Make it ’sticky’ (Chip and Dan Heath) by using (a) simplicity (b) emotions (c) unexpectedness (d) concreteness (e) credibility and (f) story
6. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication: Why do we make simple things complicated? Being simple doesn’t mean being stupid.
7. Show restraint: Use control and moderation. Think about what to both include and exclude.
8. Vision trumps all other senses: Use graphics and images. We are great at remembering photos. Use these to enhance your story and ideas.
9. Signal vs. Noise: You should have a high signal, with low noise. Are your slides distracting to the viewer? Why use various random colours? Why use 3D text? What are their purpose?
10. Empty space: Embrace it! Don’t cram it all in. Create more slides instead. Be minimal.
11. Learn to see the lessons all around you: Everyday we are bombarded with signage and graphics. Look for examples that strike you as interesting or bad and consider why.

What were some of the best and worst presentations you have seen? I have posted the clip below before, but it’s worth sharing again. Also, check under my ‘Arts, Learning & Talks’ tab to see a presentation done by Garr at Google. UPDATE: Check Garr’s Posterous site for more pics from the event.

UPDATE: (April 9) Note the graph for hits to this site. It’s the power of Garr and Twitter. Looks like a graph of popularity for saying ‘happy new year.’ Spikes once a year.

UPDATE 2: Slide:ology has a good post about improving slides and shows examples of their paper drafts.

I am currently reading Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds and recently, the Moving at the Speed of Creativity blog posted a video presentation entitled “How to Create a Great PowerPoint Presentation without Breaking the Law” by Alvin Trusty. I love it when the universe comes together like this.

This presenter quotes Mr. Reynolds as well and does a basic job in illustrating how to organise your slides. What I thought was more interesting was the copyright issues he brought up. Have a look below. (I think I may have to find a lawyer)

How to Create a Great PowerPoint – Take 2.0 from Alvin Trusty on Vimeo.

In this skillful lecture, Professor Patrick Winston of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers tips on how to give an effective talk, cleverly illustrating his suggestions by using them himself. He emphasizes how to start a lecture, cycling in on the material, using verbal punctuation to indicate transitions, describing “near misses” that strengthen the intended concept, and asking questions. He also talks about using the blackboard, overhead projections, props, and “how to stop.”

My favourite sections were “The Big Four” and “How to Stop.” Each chapter is short and very informative. It’s a great lecture for both teachers and students. Visit the site here.

Previously I reported on student presentation skills and the over use of PowerPoint. Above are some strategies for public speaking. This is the abridged version. (Wait for the end to find the thumbnail for the longer version entitled, Killer Presentation Skills.)

More importantly, you need to know your topic. Below are 2 examples why. More coming soon.