Author Archive: ffolliet

At work I'm a Consultant Paediatric Surgeon. That involves Surgical Oncology, Neonatal Surgery and Trauma. There's also a lot of teaching and mentoring. None of this actually makes me particularly clever. I'm pretty heavily into improving presentations and long for the world to lay down the weapon of bulletpoints and embrace creative and engaging presentations. I lead presentation workshops and am currently working up a book on presentations. I did a wee thing at TEDx Stuttgart in 2014 of which I'm quite proud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFza3W87eDg Outside all of that I struggle to keep fit, cycle a bit and the odd triathlon. I'm a father, singer, laugher, learner, sharer, blogger, thinker, strummer and much more.

Tell me your data

Tell me your data so that I can understand your message. Any presentation, whether that is a scientific conference, a government briefing or a business plan relies on the data to support the single identifiable and memorable message. A graphical…
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Stop using templates

holby city nhs trust

Stop using slide templates. They reduce slide real estate, they are not effective at conveying the message you think they are conveying and they are visually distracting. It doesn’t matter that your boss insists on you using the corporate template…
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aaaaaaaaagh

aaaaaaaaagh

aaaaaaaaagh. My response to her Majesty’s Government Emergency Broadcast presentation regarding the 2nd Lockdown for Covid-19 at 7pm 31st October 2020. My response is not because I am against the lockdown. My response is not because I am so disappointed…
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Zoom, zoom, zoom.

zoom, zoom, zoom

Zoom, zoom, zoom seems to be all we hear about in the pandemic and as a company they certainly have done very well in the online presenting market place. I have personal issues with MSTeams and it has huge issues…
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Focus is key

focus is key

Focus is key in a successful presentation. During a live presentation this focus is principally under the control of the presenter. In an online presentation where distractions may be mutiple and outwith the control or even knowledge of the presenter,…
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p2 in a webinar

p2 in a webinar

p2 in a webinar should be no different than in a face to face presentation. And yet it will be completely different. The p2 that most presenters consider is principally the slides but online the media viewed will include slides,…
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webinar or online presentation

webinar

Webinars or online presentations are not simply presentations delivered online. In the current climate, many colleagues may be considering “distance” learning alternatives to a standard conference presentation. Specific issues must be addressed to make a webinar or online presentation an…
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starfish

starfish

A friend told me of a story heard as a small child about a little girl walking on the beach with her father. They discovered hundreds of starfish washed up beyond the tide. It appeared the starfish couldn’t make it…
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Advocacy needs more than numbers

advocacy requires more than numbers

The story of Ignaz Semmelweiss should be encouragement to many presenters that advocacy needs more than numbers to persuade audiences. Data alone, despite the underlying belief of many audiences, is not enough. Data requires context, connection and perspective. The skill…
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Shared emotion and vulnerability

sharing emotion and vulnerability

The presentations I have delivered with the most significant impact have been those in which I have shared emotion and vulnerability. Garr Reynolds in his book, “The Naked Presenter” draws the analogy that audiences truly value such a connection but…
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