atw: Re: More on presentations

Hi Irene,

 

I think you will find that the paper to go in Conference notes has a
different purpose from what you actually present. If you have no
intention of actually appearing at the conference, then the paper is the
only record. But if you are going to present, then I would always have
something different from what appears in the Conference notes. What I
would submit in advance would be headings, possibly themes, contentions,
hypotheses and references - but not detailed argument.

I see a conference as a place and event at which I confer with
colleagues - consequently, I prefer an interactive style; this means
that I cannot predict exactly what will emerge as I navigate between the
shoals and rocks. Equally, the order of discussion may then wander
radically from what I submitted; so much the better - audience reading
ahead becomes much more difficult, so, why not join in the discussion
rather than be a passive absorber?

 

If you are going to read from your paper, that, to me is a Convention,
ie, an event that has been convened. Then there is no need for the
audience to attend - they can just pick up the papers and leave.

 

Compliance with the request for submission of your paper in advance is
always a choice, in my view. Whether you stick to what's in the prior
submission is another choice, too.

 

I don't believe that keeping the audience interested is outside the
scope of a discussion about PowerPoint. I reckon that what Craig
observed is that some people - I hesitate to call them presenters - got
too caught up in the economics of presentations and tried to make
preparation of their PP slides take over the function of actual
presentation. If, as a speaker, I can get many presentations out of one
piece of preparation, that is more economical. I normally spend about 8
to 15 hours in preparation for each hour of presentation - after I have
all my references organised. If I can make my preparation stand in place
of my ever having to present, wow, isn't that even more economical?

 

A similar argument applies in the music industry. For a good
performance, I would normally rehearse about 8 hours for each hour of
performance. Along came the recording industry and gone are most of the
live performances - now all we do is rehearse for the recording studio.
Alvin Toffler analysed this in great detail about 30 years ago. The
better musicians get more studio work and better pay, and those who get
the live gigs are at a lower end of the feedpipe. Isn't the same
happening with PP? Those at the lower end of the presentation scale
seldom get asked to make the same presentation again, and so feel
obliged to economise on preparation - hence the verbal diarrhoea on the
slides.

 

Brian.

 

________________________________

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Irene Wong
Sent: Monday, 22 May 2006 9:38 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: More on presentations

 


Brian 

As we all know though sometimes at conferences one is asked to submit
the paper before hand so it geos inthe conference notes. I understand
the logisitics of that and I try to meet those deadline. 

The big challenge is to keep your audience interested in you the speaker
and your words so that they are not bored and don't start reading ahead.
It is at this point that you personal presentation skill must take over.
And that's another issue beyond the Powerpoint debate.   

Weismann  has a movie and/or tv background and he talks about getting a
flow and  capturing your audience immediately. 

Talking of "flow" has anyone ready the book "Finding flow" by  Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi. I read somewhere that it was useful in helping to get
subject matter people to write. 

Irene Wong
Publishing Manager
Office of Public Affairs, Sydney
Australian Securities & Investments Commission
02 9911 2601   (internally dial 22601)




Hi Irene, 
Tell them about the existence of the handout material beforehand - hand
it out just at the point they need it for their own input. 
Hand it out any earlier and they'll read it when you want them to pay
attention to something else. 
Brian 
  
Irene said: 

A handout is the way to go. It doesn't have to be a full article. But it
should include what they need to remember. <snip>

The tricky thing is do you give it before or after you speak? 

 





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