Presentation Zen

Calling an audible: The art of changing the play

Marketing guru (and hater of bad PowerPoint), Seth Godin, reminds us this week that the best presentation might be no presentation. If you are good at synching your slides effortlessly (a la Steve Jobs, etc.) and creating a more informal conversational tone and connection with your audience, then there is nothing wrong with using PowerPoint/Keynote. Visuals used this way can help. But there are surely times when even the best slides and brightest projector are just not appropriate. Sometimes, it may be better to just leave your cool PowerBook or SONY Viao in your bag. Here we can take a lesson from the best quarterbacks in American football (called "football" in the US): Sometimes it's best to just toss your plans and "call an audible."

A good presenter is like a good quarterback
Good presenters are like good quarterbacks: they are good at reading the situation live and making adjustments on the spot. Quarterbacks are not usually the best athletes on the field, but they are skilled at reading situations and being able to change plans under great stress. When the offense approaches the line, a plan (a play called in the huddle) is already set, but as the QB surveys the defense before him he may see threats or opportunities which require changing the play immediately. The QB then yells special code words or signals down the line to the left and right so that his players now know the new play. The QB uses "the facts" before him to make adjustments, but sometimes the decision to "call an audible" is based on a "gut feel" for the situation. Some of the greatest plays ever have resulted from the QB calling an audible and changing the play. Also, some of the greatest failures have resulted from the QB failing to adjust to the defense before him. Adjustments matter.

PowerPoint presentation or fireside chat?
I made a presentation for a user group in California shortly after I started at Apple where I "called an audible." I prepared a slide presentation on marketing and branding of organizations such as user groups for this particular group. I was really looking forward to the presentation and took care to make sure the visuals were in line with Apple's standards. But when I arrived at the venue the lighting and acoustics and the overall look and feel of the room were not what I had imagined. Nonetheless, I set up the equipment as planned.

I mingled around and talked to many members before the presentation. They were gracious hosts, a common characteristic of Apple user groups. During this time I realized that my "pre-packaged" talk -- as good as I thought it was -- was not going to be a good fit for this particular group. I was disappointed but was determined to push ahead with my presentation. After all, I was from Apple and people expect a kind of "mini-me" version of a Steve Jobs presentation, don't they? Still, somehow the projector-and-computer accompaniment did not feel right for the context.

At the moment I was introduced, then, I "called an audible": I put down the remote control and pulled up a stool and sat down in the center, close to the front row and proceeded to have what amounted to a fireside chat about Apple, usergroups, the group's needs, their complaints, etc. I listened more than talked during the hour. As I thought, the questions were quite different from the material I had prepared. Going completely naked and analog was a much better approach for this particular case. In this case, even the best PowerPoint slides in the world would have been a barrier between me and the audience.

It is hard to let go of our plans
Being fully aware of the "here and now" at this moment in time is not easy. Letting go of our carefully organized plans is hard. After all, we put so much time and effort into the plans. However, through experience we learn that clinging to preconceived outcomes can often cause great angst and pain, not only concerning presentations but in our lives in general as well. This does not mean we shouldn't plan. We must. But we must be mindful too not to let our own plans become a bondage of rules, limiting our ability to see the possibilities in the moment.

Related to this post
"Stop your presentation before it kills again" by Kathy Sierra.
"The best PowerPoint presentation is the one you don't have to give" by me.

Clear visuals with as little text as possible

In his book Multimedia Learning, University of California professor, Richard Mayer, discusses the idea of using on-screen visuals that are above all truly visual, with little or no text. Mayer offers good evidence that this approach is in many cases the most effective. This can be understood by examining two effects outlined by Mayer: The Modality effect and the Spatial Contiguity effect.

Under the Modality effect we can say that people understand multimedia presentations better when words are presented as narration (i.e, presenter speaking) rather than as on-screen text. Mayer says that we have two channels for processing information from a multimedia presentation: a visual channel and an auditory channel. In many cases, says Mayer, a person's visual processing channel will become overloaded if text is added to the on-screen image/animation resulting in less understanding. This contradicts conventional wisdom (and practice) that "more is better" -- many times it is not.

But this is not to say that you can not place a limited amount of text with an image or on-screen animation. Mayer notes, too, citing the Spatial Contiguity effect, that there are clearly occasions when people can benefit from text being included on-screen, so long as the text is near the image or animation, allowing learners to make clear, quick connections between text and images.

Jean-luc Doumont, an engineer with a doctorate in physics from Stanford University, speaking specifically about "PowerPoint presentations" says something very similar about using text and images on a slide in the February issue of Technical Communication (article available on Amazon). Doumont advocates maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio and advices presenters to "...express a message unambiguously with as little text as possible." Says, Doumont:

"Because visual codings are in essence ambiguous, effective slides almost always include some text: the message itself, stated as a short sentence (thus including a verb). Beyond this text statement, the message should be developed as visually as possible...."

I have said it repeatedly, as have many others before me: slides (if you use them at all) should be as visual as possible. The words come out of your mouth. An important on-screen word or two, or short declarative sentence placed near the image is sometimes helpful. But bulleted lists are almost never preferable; and they certainly need not be the default slide format as they are today in both Microsoft's PowerPoint and Apple's Keynote.

There are myriad ways you can use text along with images. Here are just five slides from a presentation I made a few weeks ago. These five visuals represent about 60-90 seconds perhaps. The first three slides appeared for a total of about 10-15 seconds; the Microsoft slide was on screen longer as I explained the difference between a company's website and a blogger's website who also happens to work for that same company. Later, I went on to explain what a "good blog" is covering such areas as the importance of updating regularly (using the shark analogy, one often used).

1.   2.

3.    4.
(Sample narration):You have heard me say before that "presentations are like conversations." Which is true, but (slide1) blogging is like "conversation" in a sense as well because.... But not just any kind of conversation (slide 2), "Naked Conversations"... In fact, that is the name of (slide 3) this great book.... But what's the difference between, say, (slide 4) Microsoft's website and famous Microsoft blogger, Robert Scoble's website....

5.
(Sample narration): Blogs are like sharks. Sharks have to keep moving...or die. A blog has "to keep moving," keep progressing, be consistently updated...or it will die (as many blogs have)....

Photos are from iStockPhoto, where I get most of my images.

Visceral design: do looks matter?

In Emotional Design, author Donald Norman asks if good-looking things (physical products, user interfaces, etc.) work better. As he outlines in his book, there is evidence that they do. But beyond functionality, do aesthetics of, say, a package or presentation visuals really matter? What about our emotional reactions to the visual presentation of a meal? A master chef labors to make the food delicious, but also takes great care to make the visual beautifully appealing. Norman argues in his book that the emotional aspects of a design may often be more important to the design's ultimate success than the practical elements. Says Norman:

"Attractive things make people feel good, which in turn makes them think more creatively...positive emotions are critical to learning, curiosity, and creative thought."

Presentation visuals must be free of errors; they must be accurate. But our visuals — like it or not — also touch our audience on an emotional level. People judge instantly whether or not something is attractive to them or not. This is a visceral reaction. And it matters.

Package design & presentation visuals
Just like slides are not the presentation, a package is not the product. The function of a presentation slide, for example, is to support a speaker's message, making things clearer for the audience. Fundamental functions of packaging include ease of transport (such as bottled water or a FedEx box, etc.), protection, and of course, identity and communication. Yet, customers and audiences also have visceral reactions to visual design in each case. Unattractive visual design can overshadow otherwise good content that may lurk inside. Poorly-designed visuals speak louder than words.

Last week I received several emails from readers about this parody video piece on YouTube. I first learned about the clip on Robert Scoble's blog. As Scoble said, "Honesty hurts. Ouch!" There is quite a discussion on Scoble's site and on Microsoft's Channel 9 site where Scoble first learned of the clip. While the piece is sardonic and exaggerated, many feel that there is a lot of truth in there as well. The video is certainly creative and a good bit of comedy. So what would happen if Microsoft re-designed the iPod package? Now you know. (Also here and here).

      
      
Above: These screenshots are from the video available on YouTube. Watch how the simple, clean iPod box goes through transformations that: "Make better use of empty space," and ensures the packaging is "on brand" and that the "richness of the product is communicated."

The dangers of design-by-committee
I work pretty well with people, but I'm not really a fan of committee work. Committees have their place, but often "design-by-committee" projects get watered down by excessive compromise as the great vision that may have been the genesis gets flattened so as to be more "marketable." Many people may have input into your presentation, but in the end, the presentation must have the look and feel of something designed by an individual (you) even if it wasn't. In the end, it's your presentation.

OK, this is not scientific or without bias, but I wondered how Microsoft executive presentation visuals compared with Microsoft's packaging? Is there an "on brand synergy" which subtly communicates consistently the brand's essence? And how might this compare with Apple? Below: Exhibit A (Microsoft) and Exhibit B (Apple).

Exhibit A:

   
    
Exhibit B:

   

   
Microsoft is by no means the worst
Some of Microsoft's packaging is good. And even their "bad stuff" is not the worst in the world. For that you need to come to Japan and visit a computer store. Below are just two boxes I pulled off the shelf and threw on the scanner in my office. I showed these two boxes to a student of mine, a graphic designer from the US. She was speechless for about ten seconds as she stared incredulously at the boxes in my hand. "I wanted to hit you when you showed me those %^$#@! things!" she said. Obviously a visceral response.

When in doubt, cram as much in as possible

   
  Sample hardware packaging in Japan

Some of the absolute best packaging design is in Japan. Also, we can see some of the worst here. The graphic extremes are what make Japan a paradise for those interested in graphic design.

NOTE: Packages and presentations are indeed different. Slides are more ephemeral and meant for one-to-many communication. Packages can be picked up and read and examined on all sides. In this sense package surfaces are one-to-one. But packages are also designed to get attention on a shelf and to be remembered; in this sense they are more like one-to-many. Slides and packages have many things in common too. The front of a package (like a 2-D slide) needs to be (1) noticed and (2) understood regardless of the visceral impact. The aesthetic of the package should be attractive, inviting people to pay attention and to pick it up. And just as unattractive, death-by-ppt visuals can undermine great content, a lousy package can sell a great product short. Likewise, a great package will not save a crappy product in the long run, and beautiful, incredible presentation visuals will not save an otherwise poor presentation. Visual design matters, but it is not a panacea.

  • Package Design Magazine on clean, simple, design.
  • Article praising Microsoft package design.

Links to those who "present different"

Are you looking to take your presentation skills to a higher level? Links to traditional "PowerPoint help" and "presentation tips" sites getting you down? Maybe you are looking in the wrong place. Here are a plethora of links to different styles of presentations you can actually watch online. We can learn a lot about presentation design and delivery by exposing ourselves to many different kinds of styles, Including (especially?) unconventional presentation styles.

Wikis, podcasting, blogging, business management, and other CRAP
Checkout ZDNet.com. This is a credible, professional website with a loads of free, short video presentations on such topics as: "What is wiki?" "How to podcast." "How to effectively use a whiteboard." "Network-centric computing" and many more. Besides the great content available here, there are some good examples of how using a whiteboard can actually work better than slides (especially the kind of slides your CEO is probably using). While the content may be largely introductory in these presentations, many of them are good examples of why a whiteboard used well can be a breath of fresh air. Now, why can't someone invent a cool four-color clickable whiteboard pen that won't dry up in ten seconds?

Here are some good ones (there are many more; scroll down to see videos available by category on the ZDNet site):

• Tagging 101
• Podcasting 101
• A load of CRAP
• LCDs cut energy costs
• Using RSS

Steve Jobs introduces new Apple products
Here is a short 12-minute clip of Steve (on ZDNet) presenting the new Apple products yesterday to the media in the Town Hall Auditorium located in building #4, Infinite Loop (and here's another clip). This is a really great little theatre. I've presented on that stage 4-5 times myself. Very nice setting for both the presenter and audience. I loved attending presentations there. The blue lighting looks like a temporary thing for this event. I think the room looks better without the artificial, cool, blue lighting (but no big deal). Here's a cool QTVR of the Town Hall Auditorium at #4 Infinite Loop. And here are some photos from the Apple media event from the ZDNet site.

Guy Kawasaki Live on the "art of innovation" at UCLA
Someday, Guy may have such powerful name recognition and authority that his keynote addresses may be no longer than these two simple words: "Guy Kawasaki." Until then, though, Guy can continue to enlighten, inspire, and educate audiences across the globe with his experience, wit, and candor. Although I have seen Guy do similar talks and know the material well, I still enjoyed watching him online (and learned a thing or two as well). His struggles with the PC are an amusing plus. If you are easily offended by non-conventional presentations, you may not like this one. And by Guy's own admission, he may have used the words "sucks" and "crap" more than in any previous keynote presentation in the history of keynote presentations. Get Guy's slides and the link to the online video.

Comedy Central
What the...? OK, I know what you are saying: "What do standup comedians have to do with presentation skills?" Standing up before an audience with nothing between you and the crowd except a microphone stand — and an audience expectation that you will make them laugh — has got to be one of the hardest things in the world to do. I do a lot of presentations and keynotes, but I do not think I have the grapes to do what some of these men and women do.

Great standup comedians are accomplished story tellers. We can learn a lot by observing their talents. I'm not suggesting that you be funny or that you tell jokes. For us non-comedians in professional settings, jokes or forced humor are usually disastrous. But what we have in common with professional stand-up comedians is that we too aim to evoke something from our audience. We hope, even in the tiniest of ways, to make a difference.

Take a look at this one by Lewis Black. Lewis has had it with Starbucks: "When you put a Starbucks across from another Starbucks — that's it! Game over! A sure sign that the end of the universe is here. I like this bit from Carlos Mencia (sorry, may be offensive to some people)  I also like the UK's Jimmie Carr. Simple one liners, good timing. Good use of the dramatic pause here and here. Mitch Hedberg has a unique style. The Daily Show and The Colbert report are also worth checking out for examples of how visuals and narration can be synched in harmony to evoke emotion (in this case, laughter).

I'd love to hear from you. Have any links to good examples of different presentation styles we can see? Please send me a note or add the link in the comments section.

"Presentation Zen" is increasingly becoming part of the vernacular it seems. Checkout the third line on the left of the table here. I love Kathy Sierra's writing and I am honored to be mentioned on the Creating Passionate Users website. Rock on, Kathy!