I’ve been on a huge book kick lately. It comes in waves. I’ll read things that have absolutely nothing to do with work for a few months and then it’s all about my work interests for a few months until it burns out again.
The latest: “Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery” by Garr Reynolds. I’ve been interested in learning to present better in every way. I’m always passionate about user experience on the web, so that’s what drives it. I ask questions. What’s the goal? What are we trying to do here? What should happen because of viewing this content or this image? What should happen with the business? Next?
So with Presentation Zen, it’s about taking that same thought process and applying it to the sorely neglected art form of digital PPT-style presentations. Wow! Throw out the bullet points and ugly backgrounds! What is your point? What are we trying to communicate? If the audience can walk away having learned 3 things, what should they be? Cut through the junk, keep it simple and on point. Communicate visually with concepts that make sense and are uncluttered. Use design to pull it together. Got it.
I want to absorb this book. Digest it. Inhale it. Hopefully when it has become part of my presentation-zen-mind, I’ll also have figured out how to relax and communicate with ease in front of people. Is that next? That may take some more work.
