Thinking for a Change

Presentation Zen

Garr Reynolds has changed my world. By writing a blog. The wisdom in the blog is now collected in a handy book.

I remember a time when (Powerpoint) presentations were dull, mind-numbing things with bullets. Not much infomation was conveyed, but they were perfect to combat insomnia.

Except in some backward places, boring your audience is frowned upon these days. Real presenters have a message, a story, emotion and meaning. Presenting has become performance art. Presentations have become interesting and exciting.

The ideas that Garr promotes (“Simple ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery”), the examples he gives have inspired so many presenters to become better presenters. These ideas have inspired me to become a better presenter and have more fun doing it.

Playing with presentations

Last Tuesday, Stien and I hosted a “Presentation Zen” night at The Hub Brussels. Simone and Dieter again provided the excellent location and organisation.

The session was similar to the one Vera and I had given at XP Days Benelux. We first show clips of presenters using different presentation techniques. We let the audience analyze the presentations and note what they like and what they would do to improve the presentation. No negative feedback allowed!

Then, the participants form in groups and make their own presentations. Each group presents what they made and the other participants analyze and give (positive) feedback. The groups then improve their presentation and present the final result.

The teams at work

Stien and I put some skin into the game: I presented an excerpt from the “Toyota Way“; Stien and I did a “Go Naked” presentation, where we talked about our preferences and approach to presenting; we also did a “Pecha Kucha“.

Pecha Kucha

Pecha Kucha is a presentation format with very simple rules:

• You get to show 20 slides
• Each slide is shown for 20 seconds. The presentation auto-advances, the presenter is not in control.
• After 20 slides, the presenter(s) sits down and shuts up.

You can get a ‘taste’ of a lot of different presentations on a Pecha Kucha Night. If the subject or presenter isn’t interesting, another one will be along in 6:40 at the most. There are ‘Pecha Kucha Nights’ in most major cities. Go to one of these nights to get some new ideas.

The strict format forced Stien and me to be really clear about what we wanted to present. Our subject was the “creative process” from “Creativity Today“. We applied the process to come up with the presentation. The participants could use this process to come up with their presentation.

We had a lot of fun making the presentation. We played with the conventions of the format. We tried out all sorts of ideas. We included music and silence. We had a lot of fun doing the presentation.

Scary

Pecha Kucha is a scary format. You are not in control. The slides move on inexorably. You can’t hesitate or think too much, you have to present. You have to be present. You have to “throw yourself” into the subject, go with the flow and don’t look back. You have to trust in yourself. You have to trust the other presenter. You have to keep an eye out for your partner’s cues and build upon them.

Stien is a scary co-presenter. And I mean that in the nicest possible way 🙂

Stien is not afraid of improvising, of going with the flow, of trying something else, of moving off script (“Script? What script?”). I’m more the structured, rehearsed type. Our presentation content and delivery played on those differences. The creative process requires both. One without the other is boring or chaotic.

Passion

For me, it all comes down to passion. Talk about something that you are passionate about and let that passion shine through. Use personal elements and stories to connect with the audience. Apply Kanso (simplicity), Shizen (naturalness) and Shibumi (elegance).

Music

Two days later I went to a concert by Wim Mertens. The music was enthralling and moving. The setup was simple: a piano player and a violinist on stage. After a nervous start (this was the premiere of the tour) the playing was natural. The stage setup was simple and elegant. Both players were completely “in” the music, while being intent on the each other’s cues.

When not playing, Wim Mertens seems shy and uncomfortable on stage dealing with the audience’s applause. He looks as if he’d rather not be there, but at home composing or recording some new piece. He seems to play his music because he must. His passion for music makes him go on stage again and again.

If you’re going to do a presentation, do it because you are passionate. Do it because you must.