Download complete?

In considering the audience and what they expect from a speaker, too often the implicit understanding of the purpose of the presentation is of an information download. This directly affects the construction of the presentation with the speaker attempting to encompass all of the data required for transfer into the presentation and more often into the slideset. This becomes a slideument and a script and a backdrop and a handout and a handicap and a limitation to effective transfer of information.

Taking the analogy further however it is often the case that although a large quantity of information may be transferred as in downloading an executable file (presentation.exe) Of the three options noted in the download window for utilising this information it is usually Close that is selected and little value persists. How often have you left a presentation and actually used all of the information delivered, actually Run the programme? Infrequently this is stored but very seldom is Open Folder selected to review this information. How often do you actually make notes and refer to them later? Worse is that the download is frequently incomplete and therefore useless as an .exe file, essential components being lost in the process of transfer due to the attention of the audience being elsewhere during the presentation. Just for balance, Mac users, do you actually drag the download to applications?

One should consider the purpose of the presentation. Is it essential that the complete data set is transferred? Or might a more effective answer be to have understanding and analogously downloaded a link to this, a learning url if you like that. As such the whole presentation can be delivered in a completely different manner seeking learning and understanding rather than simply data transfer. Something as complex as

http://prezentationskills.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-maths-of-better-presentation.html

can itself be fashioned into something memorable and understandable.

http://tinyurl.com/betterpptnow


Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.