{"id":186,"date":"2013-06-06T13:49:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-06T13:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ffolliet.com\/staging\/2013\/06\/06\/read-these\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T11:15:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T11:15:40","slug":"read-these","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ffolliet.com\/staging\/read-these\/","title":{"rendered":"Read these."},"content":{"rendered":"

33 blog posts, about 80 page views a day and over 6500 total views suggest that some folk are interested in what is being written about here. It is a huge disappointment that there has been no discussion raised yet and actually only 3 comments but that may take time. Thanks for the support!<\/span>

<\/span>The aim of this blog has been to raise awareness of a different direction, share thoughts on why the current direction doesn’t work and hopefully help those interested to begin their own journey into better presentations. There hasn’t been a conscious plan to lead, step wise through this and it has become apparent that there is probably some value in offering a series of posts that might be considered essential reading for those interested in making significant improvements in their presentation styles.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span>1. Lost in time like tears, in rain<\/a>.<\/span>
Millions of presentations are given daily. In the majority t<\/span>he passion, the knowledge, the wisdom, the information is <\/span>“lost in time like tears, in rain<\/a>” simply because of the nature of the presentation. That needs to change. The value needs releasing, like the dove in the film.<\/span>

<\/span>2. The maths of a better presentation<\/a>.<\/span>
There are three parts to a presentation; the presentation, the presentation and the presentation. That is the story (p1), the illustrative slideset (p2) and the delivery of this (p3). Each is essential and together the product (not the sum) of these three factors gives the overall “value” of the presentation <\/span>(p<\/span>3<\/sup>) Thus to improve a presentation it is essential to consider improvements in each factor, not simply changing the slides.<\/span>

<\/span>3. Are you talking to me<\/a>?<\/span>
The first step in developing a great presentation is in considering what the audience require from you, not what you can tell them. The person sat in the back row, what do they want from this?<\/span>

<\/span>4. Download complete<\/a>?<\/span>
Transfer of facts is most easily done in a document. Recognition that what the audience requires is more of a url link rather than downloading a massive program file will liberate the presenter to engage and enthuse rather than simply try to deliver volumes of data.<\/span>

<\/span>5. Once upon a time<\/a>.<\/span>
Now good presentaions may begin. Consideration of where the audience are at the beginning of a talk, where the presenter feels they might like to be at the end of the talk and the travel between these two points is the journey of the presentation. Making this interesting and exciting turns a flat presentation into the arc of the delivery<\/a> seen in all great presentations.<\/span>

<\/span>6. Illustration not annotation<\/a><\/span>
The story is what the audience should take away with them. The facts may be delivered as part of this (p1), in a handout or as a download. The mistake is to merge these roles into the slideument, the bastard child of your script and your handout.The value of the slides is to support the speaker and the story not to be the script. People will read this and not listen. They will be hypnotised<\/a> like a chicken.<\/span>

<\/span>7. Design matters<\/a><\/span>
What is behind the speaker, supports the presentation. It should aid the understanding and recollection of the piece once the audience have left the room. As such good design makes a big difference. Design matters<\/span>

<\/span>8. Guns don’t kill, bulletpoints do<\/a>.<\/span>
By this point it will have become clear that bulletpoints have no place in a good presentation. They do not help tell a story, they distract from the speaker and they do not aid understanding or learning. And they’re boring!<\/span>

<\/span>9. It’s not what you said, it was how you said it.<\/a><\/span>
The delivery of your masterwork (p3) is not simply about the story (p1) or the slideset (p2) but how you actually deliver it on the day. This takes confidence and that comes from practise<\/a>. Running through the whole will allow you to fine tune the story, accurately determine timing and allow for your best performance. No one was born ready, they all practise. You won’t.<\/span>

<\/span>10. It’s not about the software<\/a><\/span>
The most frequent question is in regards to changing to alternate slideware such as Prezi improving you. If you’ve read and put into practice 1-9 above, it will be clear you can use anything to support your story whether that is a flipchart, visual aids or nothing at all. The slideware itself has virtually nothing to do with the overall success <\/span>(p<\/span>3<\/sup>) of the presentation save limitation<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

33 blog posts, about 80 page views a day and over 6500 total views suggest that some folk are interested in what is being written about here. It is a huge disappointment that there has been no discussion raised yet and actually only 3 comments but that may take time. 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