July 28th, 2008

PROPECIA FOR SALE

in: Communicate, Standing out

In conjunction with Bitcurrent PROPECIA FOR SALE, , Syntenic, IDG, Flow Consulting and others, we're helping to run a weekend-long conference in Montreal in September. It's called Bitnorth. It's an informal take on conferences, where the attendees are expected to provide much of the content.

One of the ways they participate is by delivering Short Bits, After PROPECIA, 10-minute long presentations on a topic they care about. This year's general theme is The Other 99 Percent, and we're looking at how technology has changed non-technologists' lives.

Getting an idea across cleanly is always hard, and presenting is a challenge for many people, PROPECIA FOR SALE. So for those folks presenting (and anyone else who cares abount communicating) I decided to try and summarize the process of creating and delivering a presentation. I'm constantly humbled by great presenters (and there are some links to noteworthy ones at the bottom of this entry.)

It boils down to knowing what your point is, and getting it across memorably, canada, mexico, india.

First: What's the point?

Many people don't know what the point is. What are you trying to achieve. PROPECIA FOR SALE, What behavior would you like your audience to exhibit. What should they do right after leaving your presentation. Do you want them to tell a friend. Buy no prescription PROPECIA online, Buy a product. Sign a term sheet. Change their lifestyle, PROPECIA FOR SALE. Many people will be tempted to choose several answers, but you can only choose one.

In other words...

Have one idea. Really, low dose PROPECIA. Just one. PROPECIA FOR SALE, Ask yourself, "when someone's done, what's the one idea they'll tell their friend this presentation was about." And then worry about that one idea and communicating it well.

If you haven't already devoured Made To Stick, possibly the best book on the subject ever, do so. Order PROPECIA from United States pharmacy, I spend most of my time working on this with clients. Once you know the point of the presentation, know how your slides help make that point, and know the point of each slide. "If you could say only one sentence per slide, what would it be?" Then go ahead and say only one sentence, PROPECIA street price.

If you remember nothing else about this (lengthy) entry, it's this: Have one idea, PROPECIA FOR SALE.

Then: Put the pieces together

Now you know the point, develop the structure. Most arguments can be split into several statements. Take, PROPECIA gel, ointment, cream, pill, spray, continuous-release, extended-release, for example, "blogging is good for business." How might we subdivide that idea.

Take a look at the diagram on the right. PROPECIA FOR SALE, Each statement can be broken down into subordinate statements, often several times. In this example, we've broken the presentation into eight sub-statements. That could be eight slides, online buying PROPECIA hcl. The point of each slide is a single statement, and the point of the deck as a whole is that blogging is good for business.

I love this approach because it ensures that you're starting with the point you want to make and working back. Just don't feel the need to keep subdividing: When a point can be made on one slide, you're done, PROPECIA FOR SALE. For example, PROPECIA price, if it's inherently clear that "engagement makes buyers more attentive,"you probably don't need to go further.

This can sometimes lead to a lot of slides.

Which brings me to my next point...

Don't worry about slide count, worry about simplicity. Dick Hardt and Lawrence Lessig (whose eponymous style is now legend) know this well, where can i order PROPECIA without prescription. PROPECIA FOR SALE, They have hundreds of slides, but there's often one word on the slide.

If someone says, "that has to be ten slides or less" it's because they're assuming you'll spend two minutes on each slide.

So ...

Don't spend two minutes on a slide. Guy Kawasaki has a 10/20/30 rule here; he says 10 slides, PROPECIA duration, 20 minutes, 30-point font. Which means 2 minutes per slide. I tend to disagree, PROPECIA FOR SALE.

Guy is a VC. And VC meetings tend to have a lot of interaction. If you'll be discussing a slide with the audience, japan, craiglist, ebay, overseas, paypal, assume it will take five minutes to do so. This is why VC presentations often run over: Everyone wants to chime in. PROPECIA FOR SALE, So for interactive presentations, the 10/20/30 rule works.

But for other situations if you're going to spend less than two minutes per slide, you can have more slides. Online buying PROPECIA, It's all part of your personal style.In this age of short-attention-span, fast and entertaining works well.

Until this point, you're just working on structure. Plain text on a plain background, until you know what you're going to say, PROPECIA dangers. To make that entertaining, and to support your content, it's time to add some personality, PROPECIA FOR SALE.

Strive to ...

Edutain. This is a strange word we use a lot when talking about Interop (where I've been chairing and presenting tracks for the past few years.) Edutainment is a recognition that presenting is as much about entertainment as education. If you're not entertaining people, PROPECIA without a prescription, they'll tune out. PROPECIA FOR SALE, You'll be forgettable. One way to see who's paying attention is to plant easter eggs -- for example, stuff some Klingon currency in there and out the Trekkies in the audience. It also keeps people engaged.

(I was going to call this piece "presenting like a rockstar" until I started looking and found a blog entry with that title, which makes many of the points about entertainment, purchase PROPECIA for sale. "Channel your inner David Lee Roth," encourages Chris Brogan.)

But don't use pictures for pictures alone ...

Images should add context. If you're talking about the world's currencies, shots of money show there are many currencies, PROPECIA FOR SALE. You don't need to name them, or explain what denomination they are. PROPECIA from mexico, The simple fact that there are many currencies has made your point. The audience understands it in half a second. Then they're ready to hear what you have to say. PROPECIA FOR SALE, Which you will say succinctly and clearly, because your audience is already wondering where their next coffee is coming from.

Which means...

Be surprisingly brief. For Bitnorth, the Short Bits will be ten minutes long, buying PROPECIA online over the counter. That's enough time to get up, make a point, and sit down. It means your slides better be ready, PROPECIA class, your throat better be clear, and you'd better be on.

I once gave a speech that everyone expected to take thirty minutes, PROPECIA FOR SALE. It was a university affair, with about three thousand people in attendance, many of them families. They were bored by this point, PROPECIA images, and it was the closing speech. I started with the words, "I do not wish you good luck." That got their attention. Then I spoke for three minutes, PROPECIA recreational, and got off the stage. PROPECIA FOR SALE, I made one point, and it was over. You have no idea how grateful people were.

Cleanup: Sweating the small stuff

Once you've got your structure and story done, it's time to put on an editorial hat. Here are some quick things to look for.

Take out half the words. When you think you're done, where to buy PROPECIA, remove half of them. Start with conjunctions: And, the, but, with, and so on, PROPECIA FOR SALE. Seriously: Count the words, then tell yourself you're going to remove half of them.

If you have a list, My PROPECIA experience, it's sub-bullets. In other words, if I have a bullet that says, "Food is tasty, filling, and expensive" then make a slide called "Food" and put three bullets in: "Tasty", "Filling", PROPECIA pictures, and "Expensive". Now you have room for some graphics too, if they help make your point.

Use 24 point font, PROPECIA wiki, at a minimum. Bigger is better. PROPECIA FOR SALE, Keynote, Apple's presentation software, actually makes it hard to have more than three bullets (whereas Powerpoint automatically shrinks font size to accommodate verbosity.) I'm convinced that this, not the flashy graphics transitions, is what yields better presentations.

Don't break the flow. In addition to keeping it simple and telling a story, Ron Shelvin makes the point of knowing your transitions, because nothing sucks as much as watching someone try to remember what they were going to say. Awkward transitions take the audience out of the flow, PROPECIA maximum dosage. Is everything a logical segue. If you have a presentation tool that supports a speaker's view, seeing the upcoming slide can be particularly helpful, PROPECIA FOR SALE.

Keep it visually simple. Don't choose fancy fonts, themes, and layouts. Online PROPECIA without a prescription, More than one font makes a slide look like a ransom note. And unless you're a graphic designer, too many pictures looks like a terrifying neon Myspace page. Neither are pleasing to look at. PROPECIA FOR SALE, Volumes have been written on slide design, but when all else fails, choose a dark or light background and a contrasting light or dark font sans serif font in a strong weight.

Now it's the big day

Get to the venue early, scope it out. If possible, PROPECIA cost, stand at the podium and imagine the room full of people. If you can, check the mic and slide clicker if there is one. This will help cement things in your head, About PROPECIA, and should make you more comfortable.

Get them to pay attention. Your first mission is to get them to look up from their PDAs and notebooks, PROPECIA FOR SALE. If they don't, they won't learn. Say something controversial, or better yet, PROPECIA pics, call them out on it.

Jonathan Zittrain, who I first saw at Web2Summit a couple of years ago, was astonishingly good at this (in fact, PROPECIA used for, his presentation ranks as one of the best I've seen.) He started out talking about how he had to "earn the right" for people to pay attention to him, in a slightly self-deprecating tone, that immediately made people pay attention. I wish I could find a recording of it somewhere.The next best thing is his blog.

PROPECIA FOR SALE, Early on, set the ground rules. Will you take questions at the end. If so, PROPECIA dose, tell them, so they're not waiting to ask them.

Don't read your slides. Everybody warns against this, and everybody does it anyway. PROPECIA from canadian pharmacy, The best example of how not to read your slides is Stephen Colbert's The Word. Seriously, watch a clip: He's not reading. He's not even saying the same thing as his slides, PROPECIA FOR SALE. They're disagreeing with him, mocking him. Heck, even Seth Godin thinks the best presentation might be none at all, PROPECIA blogs. Besides, if you just read your slides, you may as well sit down and hand them out. Your audience can read just fine.

PROPECIA FOR SALE, Respect your audience. PROPECIA use, They're giving you their time. Make it worth their while. If you can make it personal, and relate to them well, it will help a great deal. This often means a dialogue (not just a show of hands) that lets them know you care about their opinions.

One of the hardest things to do when presenting is to anticipate the audience, PROPECIA FOR SALE. What questions would they want to ask. How does the slide you're on relate back to your main point. Much of this can be gleaned from subtle cues: Are they engaged, or distracted. Are they looking at you, or the slide.

Finish early. PROPECIA FOR SALE, Leave room for questions, let them know how to contact you, and leave them wanting more.

Some more stuff to get you going:

Here are some links to great posts and outstanding presentations that will start your juices flowing.

• The ten best presentations: From Steve Jobs introducing the Mac to Gladwell's Blink. Some overlaps with stuff mentioned above. Great inspiration.


• Why bad presentations happen to good causes: Recommended by Seth Godin, this is a free downloadable book on presenting.


• Stepcase Lifehack on the best presentations. More from Chris Brogan.


• The best kept secret of great presentations. Surprise, it's that persuading others isn't easy, PROPECIA FOR SALE. But read this (awesome) collection of tips and samples and you'll have a head start.


• Everything I know about presentations, I learned in Theatre School: A great piece by Darren Barefoot, a fellow Canadian based in BC.


• 43 folders' take on making presentations better: With links to Presentation Zen, Beyond Bullet Points, and others. Plus (damn him) he already used the Colbert example. Sigh. Are there no original ideas left?


• Practice: There are lots of high-pressure presentation games out there (Powerpoint Karaoke is a great way to warm up. Slideshare even has a Powerpoint Karaoke Generator!) O'Reilly runs Ignite, an after-hours event where presenters talk while their slides advance every 15 seconds. Talk about forcing you to make your point.

Bitnorth's going to be an amazing event, and some of the presentations are sure to be memorable. With only 10 minutes to speak, we're hoping even first-time presenters can make their mark. And if they have one idea, and commnicate it clearly, they'll rock.

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