People ask my why I get so enthused about presentations. My answer is that stories are important. Through them we gain chances of understanding, change and emotion. The current means of communication (with powerpoint) hugely limit these opportunities.
In the closing scene of the film, “Blade Runner” the Nexus 6 robot Batty laments his situation. It struck me that this soliloqy beautifully encompasses my feelings about presentations. Batty speaks of seeing amazing things, attack ships on fire, c-beams, things “you people wouldn’t believe.” For me, these are every single presentation made, wonderful things people have learned and want to share, stories of passion and change, wisdom, insights, plans and thoughts, all of which are “amazing.” And yet, because of the nature of their delivery and despite their deeply personal and valued creation they are lost, washed away as insignificant as tears in rain. Their passion and value diluted to uselessness as if they never existed. This is my sadness.
The speech doesn’t end there though. Batty looks at Deckard, sent to kill him and smiles. “Time to die,” he says and bows his head, decomissioned. The hope, which is my hope, is that clutched in the embrace of Batty is a white dove that, as he dies, is released. If we can address the way we communicate, share better ways of doing this and change then the “passion, change, wisdom, insights, plans and thoughts” that we all have and seek to share will be released like the dove and fly free.