The No-Presentation Rule for Presentations
I often wonder what meetings and presentations were like in the business world before there was PowerPoint. I believe that PowerPoint can be effective when used properly, but why is it that 95% of all presentations are boring with some monotone person standing in front of the room reading off bullet points?
A colleague, Dan McWeeney, and I have been trying to follow a new rule we made called the no-presentation rule for presentations; it states that:
If I can send you my presentation and you can understand it by reading through it, then you don't need me to waste time by presenting it.
Since then, I stumbled upon a blog by Garr Reynolds called Presentation Zen. It is a great blog with a lot of good tips. I found that Dan and I are not alone with our no-presentation rule. Here is the second presentation tip listed on Garr's personal site:
The best slides may have no text at all. This may sound insane given the dependency of text slides today, but the best PowerPoint slides will be virtually meaningless with out the narration (that is you). Remember, the slides are meant to support the narration of the speaker, not make the speaker superfluous.
Many people often say something like this: "Sorry I missed your presentation. I hear it was great. Can you just send me your PowerPoint slides?" But if they are good slides, they will be of little use without you.
Thanks Garr, I couldn't have said it better myself. In my college presentation skills course, PowerPoint slides and transparencies were termed visual aids. At what point did slides become the entire content and the speaker minimized to be an audio aid only? Most people that I talk to prefer slides that have very little text, very few bullet points, and are not up on the screen for more than a minute. Amazingly enough, we do not always create slides for our own presentations the same way we would prefer to see them if we were sitting in the audience.
Recently, Cote asked his readers whether he thought agenda slides were appropriate for presentations. The responses that surprised me the most were the ones that stated agendas were good so that the audience participant could know early on whether he wanted to leave or he would at least know how long into the presentation you were along so he could decide whether he needed to stay. The question that comes to mind for those responses is how did that person get invited to the presentation if it didn't concern them in the first place. It's safe and easy to invite everyone to your meeting, but in the end, you only wasted their time and yours. If you stay focused on the point, speak and not read, and keep the length to a minimum (preferable 6 - 15 minutes) , then most people won't have the need to constantly refer to the agenda wondering when they can get the hell out of there.
As we sit in our standard template, bullet-point ridden, text filled presentation hell, hopefully there lies ahead a future where we see more of the likes of Lawrence Lessig, Steve Jobs, and Guy Kawasaki. All of these presenters are not just audio aids, they actually make their presentations enjoyable and interesting. What a crazy thought that a presenter would actually be essential to a presentation. So do your part the next time you have a speaking opportunity and try to apply the no-presentation rule for presentations.
-ewH
Popularity: 8% [?]
February 23rd, 2007 at 12:38 am
[…] Source: www.ewherrmann.com […]
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:27 am
I think the reverse meaning lots of words is even dangerous and again Presentation Zen hooks us up with some facts around it: http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2007/02/another_set_of_.html
If you need a document, I can write you a document, if you want a presentation you need me there to give it. A document is a self-describing fully contained chunk of information. A presentation needs a presenter.
-d
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:30 am
I like the idea of not having to get together if the presentation was enough.
Also, as context, for the point of letting people see if they want to attend or leave the presentation: that's more for conferences where the audience is surfing different sessions to figure out which one they want to attend. As you indicate, if it was an invite only meeting, using an agenda for that purpose is nutty
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:57 am
Cote,
I do find myself session hopping quite frequently at most conferences. I usually leave when I find out that either the presenter sucks or that the content is not the same as advertised in the session abstract.
I'm not morally opposed to agendas, but I find that they aren't a necessity in an interesting presentation that is relevant to what it says in the conference brochure.
Thanks for the comment.
-ewH
February 23rd, 2007 at 5:49 pm
The No-Presentation Rule for Presentations…
Seems to be a theme lately, in at least 4 conversations this came up this week and now a blog… maybe it's like the flu and everyone is gonna get it - it's certainly better than talking about "Google Apps going up against Microsoft" (I won't link…
February 23rd, 2007 at 5:59 pm
The problem is not you, the problem is The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint. And that's actually a document from Edward Tufte (http://www.edwardtufe.com) describing the problems and disastrous effects that Powerpoints can have.
My tip: avoid PPTs wherever possible and that means: always
February 24th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Mario,
Thanks for the reference to Edward Tufte. I read the available section of the essay The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint and it is very interesting. I am thinking of buying some of his books now. Is there any one that you can recommend?
-ewH
For other readers…the link above has a typo. It should be http://www.edwardtufte.com. Here is the link to the part of the essay mentioned: http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0001yB&topic_id=1
February 27th, 2007 at 8:42 am
[…] Je me baladais sur un blog expliquant comment utiliser la wiimote pour manipuler des données grâce à une application Rails, et je suis tombé sur un post qui parle encore des présentations allégées : The No-Presentation Rule for Presentations. Un jour, j'en suis sûr, ça me servira à quelque chose … […]
February 28th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Here is my rule of thumb when coaching executives who speak in public: Never default to a system that mandates the use of PowerPoint. If the technology makes sense in a given situation for a given audience, use it. If not, ditch it. Plus, there is no rule that says you must exhibit your slides during your entire presentation. Leave them visible to make a few key points, then black them out to put the spotlight back where it belongs — on you, the speaker.
As with most things related to public speaking, common sense should prevail.
Ed Barks
Author of The Truth About Public Speaking: The Three Keys to Great Presentations
http://www.TruthAboutPublicSpeaking.com
March 1st, 2007 at 12:46 am
Ed,
You make great points. It's amazing that the thing that is most lost in the majority of public speaking is, like you say, common sense. I would like to hear more of your thoughts. I just added your book to my Amazon wishlist. =)
-ewH