Presentation Zen

"Dimensionalizing the paradigm" and other marketing speak

When I was with Apple, I worked in marcom (Marketing Communications). This is where I first learned to speak like a real marketing genius. For example, I learned to use the term "best practice" instead of the more common place "effective," "efficient" or..."good." In the old days we'd say something like "Let's identify what works and what doesn't." Or perhaps "What sucks and what kicks butt." But then I attended my first meeting to "identify best practices." I'm still not sure what it means, but I've been able to survive for the past few years in business without ever having to use the phrase again. And I hope that neither you or I ever have to see the phrase in a PowerPoint slide.

And speaking of marketing hubris (I mean genius), did you ever see this great video by Aquent. Before the Microsoft parody of marketing communications and design, there was this great clip available on the Aquent site. Beautiful.

"Why squander [negative space] when you can use it to generate an incremental cross-brand revenue stream...?"

                                          - Harold Moonbayer

Transformation marketing
Brand managers need to become creative geniuses, not just marketing strategists, says Harold Moonbayer. Watch as Moonbayer enlightens you on how to communicate brand integrity, how to inspire creatives, and how to communicate brand essence. You'll also learn a bit about what makes an effective typeface, how to eliminate negative space in your designs for greater impact, and how to add balance to your design with a more strategic logo placement.

Just in case: backing up with the iPod

So you're going on the road to give an important presentation? What are you doing to backup your presentation visuals? What can you do to minimize the possibility of technical failures derailing your talk? Besides having a hardcopy of your main points (just in case all technology fails), what steps can you take just in case your notebook computer or PowerPoint/Keynote file decides to comply with Murphy's Law...and fail at the worst possible time? Whatever we do, we want to avoid putting ourselves in situations like this poor guy featured in this 1995 Apple TV commercial.

It's great if you can have two laptops connected to your projector, both with your slides open and ready to go. This way if one of your laptop freezes up, you can just switch (or toggle) to the other computer without missing much of a beat. Audiences understand that "stuff happens," and they will appreciate it if you show you've planned ahead and have a backup plan. Wasting time messing around with your computer, restarting, etc. will test the patience of your audience (to say the least).

Above: July 2001, New York City. Here my slides are running off the PowerBook on the left, the Mac on the right is connected and ready if needed (it never was).

If you do not have two laptops or do not want to be burdened with the weight on the road, what can you do? One option is to connect an iPod (which can display photos and has video out) to your projector and run your slides off of it in the unlikely event that your computer or PowerPoint has trouble. You connect your iPod to your projector (or TV) via the composite video cable.

The iPod does not run PowerPoint/Keynote directly, of course. Instead you export your slides to images (or Quicktime) and then import them into your iPod. You can advance your photos one at a time just like in PowerPoint. Go to Take Control of Your iPod: Running Presentations by Steve Sande for more details on how to do it. Engadget also had a post on this a couple of years ago. With the iPod connection kit, I should be able to use the dock and Apple remote to advance the slides on the iPod. I'm heading to Hawaii Saturday and then California later in the week for presentations, so I'll pick up the connection kit and see how it works.

 
Above: The iPod is placed just out of sight, connected and ready just in case.

Even if you never plan to connect your iPod to the projector, at the very least it's another hard disk where you can store another copy of your PowerPoint file and take it along on the road with you. I also export my Powerpoint/Keynote files to Quicktime and to PDF just in case "all hell breaks loose" and my computer won't work -- any PC notebook onsite should be able to "play" a PDF of my slides on full screen mode.

Export your slides to PDF and you can run it on virtually any computer in full screen mode. Your audience will not even know it's a PDF.

There are myriad things you can do to backup. For me, one benefit of backing up is the peace of mind I get knowing that there is a plan B (or plan C, etc.) just in case. Worrying if the technology will work or not just adds too much stress to an already stressful situation. Anything you can do to relieve that stress is worth the time and effort.

Related video below.

Thoughts on backing up with the iPod (test video)

Below is a 3:30 min low-resolution video (taken with a still camera) where I show how you can present off an iPod. I'm just testing audioblog to see how it works. The video is pure "amateur hour" (I said "projector" and "PowerPoint" when I meant to say "PowerBook" for example) but it took only minutes to make. If audioblog works out, I'll use it to post better, more useful videos in future.

                     
                Recorded in my office late last night in Osaka, Japan.

No excuse for tedium: Advice on giving technical presentations

Long before there was "death-by-PowerPoint," there were bad presentations. Really bad presentations. So don't blame the software or Microsoft; the genesis of painfully dull presentations predates the computer. No one knows this better than scientists, researchers, and academics, etc. who have always been required to attend numerous conferences each year, conferences which typically feature a keynote speaker and scores of shorter presentations by others in their field.

I've been very interested to hear from people with technical backgrounds about what is a good presentation and what is not. I've heard from many of you over the year -- doctors, researchers, scientists, programmers, etc. -- and your comments have been very helpful. I've also been studying several presentation books specifically designed for scientists and others who need to give more technical presentations. Here are three:

• The Craft of Scientific Presentations
• Scientific Papers and Presentations, Second Edition
• Communicating in Science : Writing a Scientific Paper and Speaking at Scientific Meetings

Scientist offers his presentation advice
Yesterday, while on the train to the office, I found a wonderful essay in the appendix section of "Scientific Papers and Presentations." This editorial essay was written by Dr. Jay H. Lehr, an engineer and scientist with a Ph.D. in Ground Water Hydrology who has attended scientific presentations since the '50s. The title of the essay, which appeared in Ground Water in 1985, is "Let there Be Stoning!" This should be required reading for all academics and business people, especially those who are to present at a future conference. And perhaps proof that there is a God, this 21-year old essay is available for download (here) from the Western Washington University website, and  (here) from the Washington State Dept. of Ecology. So spread the word.

As you read the editorial, please keep in mind that it was written by a professional with an engineering and scientific background, not by a "right-brain creative type" (like me) who knows more about design and communication than about scientific investigation and processes for evaluating empirical knowledge. Here are just a few highlights from Dr. Lehr's editorial:

On dull conference speakers:

"They are not sophisticated, erudite scientists speaking above our intellectual capability; they are arrogant, thoughtless individuals who insult our very presence by the lack of concern for our desire to benefit from a meeting which we choose to attend."

On the importance of presenting well at technical conferences:

"Failure to spend the [presentation] time wisely and well, failure to educate, entertain, elucidate, enlighten, and most important of all, failure to maintain attention and interest should be punishable by stoning. There is no excuse for tedium."

On reading a conference paper:

"There is never an excuse to read a paper.... Better to lower the level of verbal excellence and raise the level of extemporaneous energy."

On using slides (35mm and OHPs in those days):

"They must be brightly lit and convey a simple thought. If you need a pointer to indicate an important concept or location on a slide, it is probably too crowded or difficult to comprehend."

Please read the whole editorial when you get a chance. And if you have any success stories or details of great presentations you've seen at technical conferences, please feel free to share your wisdom
here.

Related posts
How to run a useless conference by Seth Godin.
How to kick butt on a panel by Guy Kawasaki.
M.D. gives advice on presenting technical information, Presentation Zen.
How to lecture and keep 'em engaged, 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.

PowerPoint / sans PowerPoint

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!