Craig Jones: Simplicity Appreciation 101
Looking over my notes from an Edward Tufte course . . . Details lead to credibility. Every paragraph, chart, etc., should lend credibility to your argument and give your audience a reason to believe. Great design disappears; it gives itself up to the content. There’s no “right way” to display data. Try a few different approaches. Tables are often better than graphics. Don’t get it original, get it right. Don’t underestimate your audience. Don’t pander or patronize. Read more →
Looking over my notes from an Edward Tufte course . . . Show comparisons, contrasts, differences. Show causality, mechanism, explanation, systematic structure. Show multivariate data; that is, show more than 1 or 2 variables. Completely integrate words, numbers, images, diagrams. Thoroughly describe the evidence. Provide a detailed title, indicate the authors and sponsors, document the data sources, show complete measurement scales, point out relevant issues. Analytical presentations ultimately stand or fall depending on the quality, relevance, and integrity of their content. Read more →
Smarter Work: Why Social Networks Matter from Sacha Chua Read more →
Here’s a simple presentation tip that would help a lot of people: Get to the fucking point. At a meeting this morning, the company sick time policy was explained to 100 people over the course of 30 minutes time via two PowerPoint presentations by two different people. I’ll summarize it here: If you’re well enough to work, you should come to work. If not, stay home. BUT — if you stay home too much, it may negatively affect your annual performance review. That’s the policy. Let’s open it up for questions. Don’t take 15 minutes to say something you can say in 15 seconds. Don’t feel like you have to include a historical introduction to the topic, charts, graphs, trends, industry comparisons. Other people are not in love with the sound of your voice the way you are . . . Read more →
RT @presentationzen: 11 ways to use images poorly in slides http://snipurl.com/one4r [www_presentationzen_com] # Read more →
RT @KathySierra: Don't learn PPT/Keynote, learn how the brain works. Learn storytelling. Study filmmaking. Apply learning theory. Inspire. # RT @OCWeekly: A very special OC Weekly farewell to Gidget the Taco Bell chihuahua http://tinyurl.com/n6k4mq # Thank God it's Friday! Wait — what? # Read more →
@llangit 2 electrons walking down the street. 1st says “I think I lost an electron” 2nd: “Are you sure?” 1st: “I’m positive” in reply to llangit # @llangit I meant “2 *atoms* walking…” in reply to llangit # RT @KathySierra: Improving Presos: ditch the opening. All of it. Speaker bio/intro, background, overview… Think: action film, not academic # RT @KathySierra: don’t focus on making a better preso, or becoming a better presenter. Focus on making your participants better/smarter # RT @TinaFey: Even though it’s almost over, May the 4th be with you! # Read more →
Quotes & Lessons from "Comedian" from garr Read more →
Originally uploaded by Zach Graham. I was watching a webinar this morning and like a lot of presentations, this one had way too many words on the slides. They weren’t as bad as this but you get the idea. This approach is lazy, it’s insulting to the audience, and it makes everyone stupider. For anyone who aspires to do better, the best site I know of on presentations is Presentation Zen. Here are some sample slides for inspiration. Bonus link: The Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation Read more →
Below is a short film shot entirely on a cell phone. It uses an unusual technique — a very simple technique — to present a narrative without the use of an actual voiceover narration . . . Read more →
Via Presentation Zen: Read more →
As part of a presentation I’m putting together on managing software projects, I want to talk a little bit about what not to do and how things can go spectacularly awry. A great recent case study for this is the FBI Virtual Case File system, cancelled last year after spending over $100 million. The original slide I put together (click to enlarge) showed the basic facts of the case illustrated with a photo of a rocket sled crashing into a wall. The heading I put on there — “Another fine mess” — didn’t seem to add anything to the mix, and I couldn’t think of a better one, so I started to think about other ways to lay out the slide. In the second version, I dropped the header, used the rocket sled photo as the background, and overlaid the text on top of it. I think it came out… Read more →
Click on the photo to enlarge and feel the full horror. Originally uploaded by Zach Graham. Read more →
