p1

p1 is the basis of the presentation. It is the data, the story, the message that the presenter wishes to deliver to the audience. This section covers blog posts that address any part of the construction of p1; taking the “what” of the data and converting it into a “so what” for the particular audience. In particular, this covers audience needs, the value of a single, identifiable message, an elevator pitch, the arc of the story and development of sparklines.

The cornerstone articles on p1 are below but please surf through the links to gain a deeper understanding of why p1 (the story) is the basis of your presentation and must be the starting point in construction.

1.Hysteron proteron – the place to start with a presentation is the message.

2. It is not acceptable or valuable to just talk, you must have a message.

3. The aim and objective of a presentation are not the same thing.

4. The best presentations are planned analog. Shut the laptop and be creative.

5. Consider principally “why” you are presenting, not what to present.

p1 posts

Elevator pitch

In business there is a concept of the “elevator pitch.” Effectively, if you happened to get into a lift with a potential customer, could you deliver your pitch within the…

You’re boring me.

Seriously, I’ve heard this all before. You need a presentation on your cv You’ve asked the boss who said, “please review my last x cases of” something not very interesting.…

Creativity

“Could you give us a talk, about 30 minutes?” “Sure,” you reply, “no problem.” The facts are clear. The nature of the audience will affect the precise message to be…

Edward Tufte makes me feel guilty.

I’m currently reading “Beautiful Evidence” by Edward Tufte, a giant of critical thinking and a commenter on data and presentation, amongst many, many other things. In the introduction is a…

  • Sense you’re not making

    It supports delivery. Many fail due to lack of…

  • Baby steps

    It is often daunting when considering change, such…

  • If you are just presenting data, don’t bother.

    If you are just presenting data, don’t bother….

  • The sigmoid curve of preparation

    The (perceived) overall value of a presentation, the p…

  • Sparklines

    The most important part of your presentation is…

  • I need to present more data. You don’t

    A frequent question from clinicians about presentations involves…

  • Prepare for failure

    SO, the Chair has introduced you and you…

  • It’s for you…

    There’s a great post over on at http://kidocs.org/2015/09/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/ giving…

  • It’s .pptx not .docx

    A common mistake in attempting to deliver a…

  • Delete your slides

    I received a question via Twitter about #presentationskills…