Unfortunately, most presentations –at corporations,  conferences, etc– are like this. Boring, irrelevant, forgettable, useless… a total waste of time. This video offers a funny reminder and also a guide of the usual things you should avoid.

Video created by Habitudes for Communicators, who have recently launched a book with tips for avoiding presentations like the one you se above.

Hat tip to Laurent Haug for sending me this video.

I often speak about the need to challenge the basic assumptions of a conference in order to improve the event’s experience, and one of these assumptions is that you need a big screen so that the speaker can show his slides, etc.

A common deterrent to change the way an event develops is the lack of tools that conference organizers have access to, specially in events with small budgets. Now the “App Economy” is providing many of those tools at a very low price and Idea Flight (website, iTunes, twitter) is an example of his.

Idea Flight is an iPad App developed by magazine incumbent Conde Nast that enables a presenter to run his presentation from his iPad and have up to 14 other iPads following it through the same wifi network (or 3 in total via Bluetooth). While it’s not yet ready for being used in large conferences, it might become very useful in your next corporate meeting and maybe sometime soon enough it will scale up to allow more simultaneous users.

Idea Flight lets one person (the Pilot) use their iPad to control a presentation to an audience (their Passengers) to other iPads via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. This does not require additional cameras, equipment, dongles, connectors or wires. The transfer happens so the Pilot has complete control over whether or not the Passengers have access to a hard copy. As a Pilot, one swipes through their presentation at their speed and can lock and unlock the content for Passenger to browse at their will. Files can be accessed via Dropbox, iTunes file sharing, email, or Keynote.

Document Format

It currently only accepts documents in PDF format, which can conveniently be obtained by exporting a document from both Apple’s Keynote and Microsoft’s PowerPoint (and several other programs). Hopefully other formats will follow soon.

LinkedIn Integration

A nifty feature from Idea Flight is the integration with Linkedin profiles. Attendees can make their profile visible to the other attendees so that they can exchange their professional details without needing paper business cards.

Cost

The App is free for “passengers”, e.i. people that follow the presentation. To enable the “pilot” function you need to make an in-App purchase that costs 5.99 euro.

Limitations

As I mentioned before, for the time being the App is limited to only one format (PDF), one device (iPad) and the amount of people that can be included in a presentation (15 wifi, 3 bluetooth).

Fixes to increase the usefulness

Hopefully, Idea Flight will soon be available for other mobile devices (tablets) but also laptops. I often carry my 11″ macbook air to meetings, instead of the iPad.

Prezi (web, twitter) has been out for a few years now and while it’s been constantly improving, it’s major challenge according to co-founder and head of design Adam Somlai-Fischer (profile, twitter), is to keep on making the interface more and more intuitive, especially for newcomers.

The real innovation that Prezi introduced to the digital presentation software scenario, dominated by the PowerPoint/Keynote paradigm, is that of providing a broad canvas where you can arrange your ideas as if they were on paper. The hierarchy of these ideas can be managed by zoom-ins and zoom-outs, giving your presentation a multi-level dimension over a virtual 3rd axis (it’s all easier than it sounds). The content can be easily moved around and grouped without the constraint of having to stay inside a “slide”, a concept alien to Prezi. Once all your content is in, you can create a “path” to guide your storytelling.

In the following video, Adam describes how Prezi has changed the way of making presentations and the biggest challenge that lays ahead of them.

I’ve been using Prezi for a couple of years now and it’s just that elimination of the single slide container what makes me come back to it for most of my presentations. I’m no longer troubled by formatting, aligning or distributing content within each slide, a process that usually takes forever in PowerPoint. The auto-center and frame features of Prezi allow me to concentrate on the content and the flow I want it to have during the presentation.

Below is the Prezi that Adam Somlai-Fischer used for his talk at Frontiers of Interaction 2011, where we met for this interview.

I met Tara Hunt (blog, twitter, wikipedia) a couple of years ago at a party or something like that in San Francisco. At the time she had just published The Whuffie Factor, an interesting, an interesting book on social networks and business. Now, in this talk from TEDxConcordia, she delivers a passionate… no, a PASSIONATE speech on being an entrepreneur… on giving your whole heart to that unclear path, selling all your stuff to make that dream in your mind possible (up to the point of not being able to pay the rent on time or more).

She identifies three main characteristics: being delusional, audacious and dreamers.

I have added to my personal motivational kit (together with Baz Luhrman’s The Sunscreen, Steve Job’s speech at Stanford, GapingVoid’s cartoons, Seth Godin’s Linchpin et al and some other more personal things). Her presentation deeply resonates with me and gives me a kick in the butt to put the first two (delusion and audacity) to work in the third (my dream).

[Found via ReadWriteWeb]

Nancy Duarte (twitter, profile), founder of Duarte Design and author of the excellent books Slide:ology and Resonate has made her “Presentation Predictions” for the new year, which will probably (hopefully!) have an effect on the presentations of the speakers in your conferences. Follows a short extract, for the full article click here.

1. Tablet war will shape future of presentations

Tablets are hot and are creating new ways to engage customers with rich content and immersive experiences [...] But delivering a presentation on these devices requires different design considerations and a more immersive experience. [...] You want the folks at the table to hold the tablet and “see” what you’re saying quickly.

2. Authenticity trumps “spin”

The instability in our world continues to make people skittish about the future and skeptical about the “truth” they’re being told by government and business. That leads to an even greater hunger for authenticity and transparency in communication — “spin” is out, “sincerity” is in.

3. Hand made by [insert name here]

One way to come across as sincere and authentic is to present slides or sketches made by you.

4. Increase in NO SLIDE ZONES

Speakers will stand up and talk [...] without slides. We’ll see this more at the executive level and it will filter down through all layers of the business as well. People will get over the urge to sit behind the security blanket of a badly-designed [...] PowerPoint slide.

Full article on the Duarte Blog.

This interesting Ignite presentation (5 minutes preso, with 20 slides that advance automatically every 15 seconds) by Tom Scott was recorded at Ignite London in March 2010. Scott talks about a Flash Mob that goes wrong… or does it? I liked his storytelling and the visual aid of his slides. Most importantly, I appreciated the method he chose to make his point. Recommended watch… and btw it will only take 5 minutes!

The latest newsletter of SlideShare announces that they are working on some kind of non-Flash version in order to support iPhone & iPad browsing.

From the email:

If you have been paying attention to the excited chatter about the iPad, then you have probably know that one of discussed issues is how the internet will look on the iPad without Flash.

Well one thing is for sure – SlideShare will look snazzy. It’s still being tinkered with, and is in beta, but we expect SlideShare to be iPad friendly soon.

To check out the Beta, just click on a presentation link – give us feedback – tell us what you would like.

Rest assure, SlideShare will go everywhere you want to take your presentations.

This will be another step towards full-mobility and maybe one of the bricks necessary for a new format of events that does not require a central screen (more on this soon!).

To associate great public speaking with Steve Jobs is a recurrent cliché (I already wrote about it here)… but it’s undeniable that Jobs’ presentations are remarkable per se, not only in the corporate & technology world.

Carmine Gallo (twitter, website) -a famous communications coach, author and speaker- has made a colossal work by carefully dissecting Steve Jobs presentation techniques in his latest book “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs” (amazon link).

Gallo uses clear and direct language to explain the techniques that you should master and makes no secret about the fact that to achieve that mastery you have to practice, practice, practice… sorry, no shortcuts here. The book is divided in 3 parts or “acts”, each containing a series of short “scenes” that approach every aspect of the presentation method: from planning to writing a headline, from delivering the experience to refining your skills.

The author works as a director who first describes Steve Jobs style and then breaks it down into practical lessons with a theoretic background provided by other experts (graphic presentation gurus like Garr Reynolds and Nancy Duarte, scientists and other famous speakers).

“Presentations have become the de facto business communication tool” Nancy Duarte, presentation design guru – Slide:ology

Should you imitate Steve Jobs in every aspect to become a good public speaker? Absolutely not. While many of the lessons are there to help you “transform a typical, dull, technical, plodding slide show into a theatrical event complete with heroes, villains, a supporting cast, and stunning backdrops”, Carmine Gallo boldly emphasizes that you should pick on the best practices to create your own style. It would be ridiculous to think that by wearing a black turtleneck, jeans and sport shoes your image on stage would bring you near to anything but looking like a fool. Besides, let’s admit it, your company’s products or services aren’t as cool as those of Apple.

“It’s the story, not the slides, that will capture the imagination of your audience” Carmine Gallo

Some of the advice would risk to seem to classical like “to achieve success, do what you love” or “no technique can make up for a lack of passion for your service, your product, company, or cause”. The book avoids this common pitfall by giving you tools and a roadmap to apply them in a concrete way.

It also serves as an effective reminder to keep focus: “Answer the one question that matters most [...]  communicate it as clear as possible, getting rid of buzzwords and jargon… and repeat it it during your presentation”. Gallo describes how “Jobs takes the guesswork out of a new product by creating a one-line description or headline that best reflects the product. [...] He reveals the headline, expands on it, and hammers it home again and again. [...] The headlines [...] are effective because they are written from the perspective of the user“.

This is not a book on how to design a powerpoint presentation (though you’ll find some advice on it) but on how to deliver a successful experience to an audience through a live presentation.

“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good” Malcolm Gladwell

A final advice: have fun! “Most business communicators lose sight  of the fact that their audiences want to be informed and entertained”.

And if you made it all the way to the end of this article, why not refresh Steve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Speech of 2005 (video, transcript)

A few days ago I wrote about a book that presents an approach to making better presentations. Today I found a short video (less that 7 minutes) that dissects and teaches some of the main techniques used by Steve Jobs in his live presentations. Interesting and educational (found through Cordef’s blog).

Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds

Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds is a book but also a blog that deals with the art of making presentations that is inspired by Zen Buddhism and Reynolds’ life experience in Japan, where he currently lives. Presentation Zen is an approach, not a fail-proof list of rules, for better delivering your message independently of the slideware (PowerPoint, Keynote, etc) or other multimedia support that you might be using.

Often the weakest point of a conference is not the organizational or logistic aspects of it but the low quality of the speaker’s presentations. From the “death by PowerPoint” effect to poor public speaking abilities or lack of communication between speaker and audience.

According to Garr, a presentation should be like a Japanese Bento (the lunch box):

The bento is presented in a simple, beautiful, balanced way. Nothing lacking. Nothing superfluous. Not decorated, but wonderfully designed. A delicious, inspiring way to spend 20 minutes. When was the last time you could say the same about a presentation you saw?

The main idea is to save yours and the audience’s time by making a difference with your presentation, big or small.

I have compiled some of advice delivered throughout the book and I warmly suggest that you get it to improve your abilities (you can use my referral link on Amazon.com by clicking on the image above).

Preparation

Start with the beginners mindset, a fresh and enthusiastic mind is open to all the possibilities, ideas and solutions that it finds on its path.

In the beginners mind a lot of possibilities exist. In that of the expert very few.

Shunryu Suzuki

Limits and constraints imposed to you are a great ally as they will stimulate your creativity.

When planning your presentation, better do it in an analogic way: pen & paper, whiteboard, post-it are great tools to start. Remember to relax and to be alone during this phase (meaning to avoid external disturbances). Brainstorming and creating a storyboard usually develop better far away from the computer. Only once you have drafted these on paper you can transfer them to your preferred software.

The next important step is asking yourself the right questions like:

How much time do I have for my presentation? Where will it take place? At what time? What kind of audience will I have? What’s their background? What do they expect from me? Whay do I want the others to do? Which visual instruments are more appropriate for this situation? Which is the goal of my speech? What’s the story? And most important of all: what is the absolutely central issue of my presentation? Keep this in mind when asking yourself the last question: if the audience could remember just ONE thing from your presentation, what should that be?

Another key issue is that you don’t have to give out a printed copy of the slides you are showing. They should be an aid for you and if they are self explanatory… well, what are you doing in front of the audience? The presentation should consist of three parts:

1. The slides that you will show (they support your presentation)
2. Notes only visible to you (just in case you forget something)
3. a handout that you will give to the audience

The handout should be a brief but clear document containing the summary of your speech, complete with bibliography and links for further information. The handout allows you to keep the essential information on the slides. Remember to announce that you will give a handout with further details at the end of the presentation.

Design

Garr suggests to concentrate on simplicity, that can be reached by reducing everything that is not essential. According to him good projects are full of empty space.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo Da Vinci

These are some of the main issues regarding design:

• Signal-to-noise-ratio: the ratio between relevant and irrelevant elements of the presentation
• Don’t use images/graphs with 3D effects, it reduces legibility
• You don’t need to add your company’s logo on each slide. Taking it out increases empty space and simplifys the message you are trying to pass. Insert it only in the first and last slide
• Use the superiority effect of images: images are easly remembered than words, in particular when people are casualy exposed to information and this exposition is limited in time. If you can express what you are representing with written words using an image, do so!
• Inserting a quote occasionaly can reinforce your argument and give credibility to the story you’re telling
• A correct use of empty space gives elegance and clarity besides of helping concentration in one single element
• Contrast: create big differences between different elements
• Avoid using bullet points or drastically reduce them
• Use only high quality images (and try to avoid the defaul clipart)

A good source for images is iStockphoto and by using the address istockphoto.com/presentationzen you can get a bonus!

Presentation

• Be totally present! Don’t think at success or defeat but be present in the moment
• Prepare yourself well. If you practice enough you won’t neet to think at what you are doing during the presentation
• Be passionate of what you’re talking about
• Connect with the audience
• The duration of your presentation is important. Better to leave the audience hungry for more
• Remember that logic is not enough, it is not just about informing and you should concentrate on telling a story
• You should get into the others shoes to try to understand what they are feeling

For more presentation tips visit Garr Reynolds personal website and watch his speech at Google