Author Archive: ffolliet

p cubed presentations > Articles by: 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.

I’ll talk you through this data slide…

May 10, 2013 1 Comment

Data slides usually resemble a “Where’s Wally?” picture. Presenters either offer to “talk you through” something like the worst slide in the world or simply talk whilst the audience desperately scan graphs and columns trying to derive meaning from facts. This should…
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p2

Don’t put the cart before the horse.

May 10, 2013 0 Comments

To develop presentations, one must move away from the concept of looking at the text on a slide and asking how can this be improved by reduction and illustration. This is putting the horse before the cart. Change will only come…
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p cubed, p1, p2, p3, slideument

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They are all the same!

May 9, 2013 0 Comments

It is astounding that, right now, across the world, millions of people will be sat in front of a powerpoint presentation. That is a tribute to the marketing and genius that is Mr Gates and Microsoft. What is more incredible…
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p2

It’s not a powerpoint, it’s a presentation

May 8, 2013 0 Comments

When we talk of hoovering the lounge or of closing a package with selotape we are (frequently) using the generic name instead of the specific product;  it might be a vacuum cleaner made by Dyson or the ubiquitous “sticky backed…
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science of fail

Are you talking to ME?

April 23, 2013 1 Comment

In the movie “Taxi Driver” Rober de Niro as Travis Bickle envisages a confrontation with a mugger and the classic line, “Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me? In his mind he has worked through how the…
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p1, p2, p3

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Welcome to the 21st Century

April 22, 2013 0 Comments

Holding the door for a lady, dial up internet access, travellers’ cheques and a limited number of slides in your deck are definitely remnants of times past. Some of the behaviour of the 20th Century however still persists in 2013…
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slideument

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With images, it’s about focus

April 21, 2013 4 Comments

When is an image not an image? When it’s out of focus. The effective use of images in presentations is often bedevilled by presenters failing to obey simple rules, principally though ignorance. Some of the common mistakes are more obvious…
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p2

Add a picture, that’ll make it better!

April 21, 2013 0 Comments

Progress along the artistic journey from Death by Powerpoint towards a more expressive and creative presentation usually starts with the thinking that addition of images will make it better. The (ironic?) clip art issue has already been addressed, even if only briefly but…
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p2

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Why does good design work?

April 17, 2013 0 Comments

I have been struggling with the question of “Why does good design work?” All presentations (p2) are designed in that they didn’t just fall straight from the heavens. Some work and some don’t.  Those with bad design that are cut and paste jobs…
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p cubed, p2

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Good design is about function not decoration.

April 16, 2013 0 Comments

I recently spent some time discussing all things Presentation with an expert, Nicole Gugger. She had many insights into the nature and problems of presentation; she is an excellent presentation coach. One thing she made clear is that good design of…
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p cubed, p1, p2, p3

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