ffolliet

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.

Why do you have slides?

Why do you have slides in your presentation? Whether this is an in-person or online presentation, the answer to this question is foundational to any changes one would consider in the construction of a presentation. Using slides as a script,…

Schrodinger’s slides

Eminent physicist Schrodinger lecturing to a class, standing in front of a blackboard covered in formulae

Schrodinger's slides are both there and not there at the same time. Sadly, this analogy describes many presenters' approach to their supportive media; It is either there or not there....

Your message

shoreline image of a message within a glass bottle

Your message should identify the objective of the presentation. It is from your message that the audience will reconstruct the details of the presentation and may change their behaviour towards...

Podium problems

Many conference presentations are set up with a podium. Be aware that podium problems will affecting the p cubed value of your presentation.

Presentation paradox

Escher's drawing of a hand, drawing a hand, which is being drawn by the original hand

The presentation paradox is ubiquitous. Audience members, if questioned, will list the nature, content and delivery of a presentation that they dislike When their turn comes to produce a presentation, these same individuals will deliver a presentation with the same…

Practise, practise, practise

a junior golfer being coached during practise

To deliver an excellent presentation, one must practise, practise, practise. Focused, structured, and deliberate practise brings fluency, nuance, and passion to a presentation, elevating the whole beyond simple delivery. This is where confidence is founded. It is only through practise,…

Is there anybody out there?

music album cover, The Wall, by the band Pink Floyd

Is there anybody out there? Sometimes, when you’re all alone in the office, staring at the green dot, reciting meaningless text to an unresponsive void as an online presentation, you start to question your life choices. Is there anybody out…

Buffering

As a mobile device downloads information, it will not display the information until the whole data package is available. This delay is referred to as “buffering”. The human brain is the same. If an image requires more than three seconds…

Dance on the radio

dance, on the radio

Dance is a beautiful medium conveying story, emotion, and passion. Radio is ubiquitous, free, and a perfect way to communicate effectively, widely, and efficiently. Dance on the radio does not work, no matter how much we love both. Nothing from…

Remote control

a presenter remote control

A remote control is essential for changing slides. It is your responsibility to know how the one in your hand works and its range. Find this out before you take the stage. My best advice is to buy your own…