Steal this presentation

While I agree with "ditch the notes", I can't say that I agree with "use images to remind you of each point".

First, most of us don't have the luxury of a bank of monitors at the front of the stage facing us ala Ted Talk. And God forbid you stand behind a lecturn that holds you laptop. That leaves turning your head to look behind you, taking you away from your audience. Your voice drifts off as your mouth is facing the wrong direction, even with a lapel mic.

Second, using your slides as a crutch results in a choppy presentation, with too definite of a transition between topics. Worse, you come off looking like, "Uh, where was I. Oh, yeah."

Since Steve Jobs appears several times in that slideshare, it's worth noting that he will rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse some more. Sure, simple memorization can lose spontaneity, but if you memorize more that just your words - your delivery, your inflections, your movements - you can appear very spontaneous. But you also must know your subject matter so you can improvise through technical snafus.

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your comment.

You're right. These slides very much reflects my personal presentation style and it was by no means meant to be a 'these are the rules' type presentation :)

Since I usually get overly excited about the ideas i'm talking about (which leads to talking fast) i have found the break between images to be a good thing. It allows me to catch my breath and for the audience to soak in what I've just said.

You're also right about having monitors or standing behind the lectern. I also don't have those luxuries (yet) when i present, so I usually put my presentation full screen on my macbook and place it right beside the projector, which is usually a few feet in front of me, which then allows me to make eye contact with my audience and step away from that lectern.

It's very interesting to watch Steve Jobs present, because you're right he is so well rehearsed.

I tried to stay away from public speaking skills in these slides and focus more on design. But i very much appreciate your feedback and i hope you'll comment again on part 2 ;)

Thanks again!

Jesse

Great stuff Jesse. And Jan, thanks for tipping us off to the other geniuses of design.

The highest praise I can give: really, REALLY, useful

Hi Jesse, thx for stopping by.

Hi Jan. Thanks for all your great tips - I appreciate your blog. And I especially enjoyed this guest presentation. I got a lot out of it that I will refer back to and hope to use in the future.