Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Try The Zero Slide PowerPoint Presentation
You need boundaries. Boundaries can make you a happier, more creative person. Give yourself a boundary like a deadline, and you'll focus on your work. Create a boundary for your workplace -- like a desk -- and it will serve not only as a functional piece of furniture, but as a visual cue to get busy.
Some boundaries are better than others. When it comes to developing your next presentation or speech, try giving yourself a boundary. Deadlines and desks are great, but here ere are four more creative boundaries that can help sharpen your next presentation:
You need boundaries. Boundaries can make you a happier, more creative person. Give yourself a boundary like a deadline, and you'll focus on your work. Create a boundary for your workplace -- like a desk -- and it will serve not only as a functional piece of furniture, but as a visual cue to get busy.
Some boundaries are better than others. When it comes to developing your next presentation or speech, try giving yourself a boundary. Deadlines and desks are great, but here ere are four more creative boundaries that can help sharpen your next presentation:
- Limit Your Words. The winners of the Webby Film and Video Awards are restricted to 5 word speeches. Refreshing! Creative! The best speeches from the Webby event demonstrate personality and restraint. By purposely whittling away the non-essential, each word becomes more meaningful.
- Limit Your Graphics. Last month, I gave myself a goal of designing a one-slide PowerPoint presentation. It went so well, I gave myself another goal: a zero slide PowerPoint presentation. Relying on gestures, expressions, and words let my audience imagine what I dared not to show. (Note: some people call zero-slide presentations "conversations" or "performances".)
- Limit Your Print Outs. When audiences ask for a print out of a PowerPoint presentation, I usually provide a web address for them to download it online. If they really want it, they can have it. But because my slides are not my presentation, they provide very little context for my audience. Generally, I'm not going to kill a tree with a print out.
- Limit Your Animations. I'm usually so facially animated, that putting animations in my PowerPoint slides is decidedly overkill. Ditto sound effects. Earlier this week, I threw my head and arms backwards and yowled. If I made PowerPoint perform my animations and sound effects for me, I don't suppose I would have made my point!
Labels: PowerPoint Presentation
¶ 6/10/2008 12:25:00 PM
