slide:ology

CREATED: 200910290720 ** Creating a new slide ideology

• 7 qns to know your audience ** what are they like? ** why are they here? ** what keeps them up at night? ** how can you solve their problem? ** what do you want them to do? ** how might they resist? ** how can you best reach them?
• create an audience persona slide

** Creating ideas, not slides

• avoid the pitfall of going with the first thing that comes to mind
• sticky notes allows ides to be captured, sorted, and re-arranged as needed
• sketching
• drawing stick figures: body, head, facial expression, legs, arms

** Displaying data

• data slides are NOT about the data
• they are about the MEANING of the data
• tell the truth
• get to the point
• pick the right tool
• highlight what is important
• keep it simple
• articulate the conclusions you want your audience to adopt
• make it easy for them to draw conclusions
• use the right tool (pie charts, bar charts, line graphs)
• just the conclusion + image OR showing all the data + highlights
• background, data, emphasis
• keep it simple (3 second rule)

** Arranging elements

• placement of elements creates meaning
• contrast, flow, hierarchy, unity, proximity, whitespace
• contrast: identifying the main point quickly
• “use just notable differences, visual elemtns that make a clear difference but no more…” - Tufte
• flow: ordering how information is processed
• images of people should look at the content instead of looking away
• hierarchy: seeubg relationship between elements
• unity: sensing the structure of information, grid system
• proximity: preceving meaning from location
• whitespace: visual breathing room
• finding beauty in design around you

** Using visual elements: bg, color, and text

• power in breaking the consistency
• think through what is really required in the bg
• consistency in: 2D or 3D, vanishing point, light source
• color: industry specific, audience
• using the Isaac Newton’s color wheel
• dark vs light background, take note of contrast
• assembling a color palette: 3-5 core colors, a neutral and a highlight color
• 3 second rule for slides
• proper typesetting
• no smaller than 28pt

** Using visual elements: images

• have a library of images with re-usable parts
• images of people should: reflect culture/ethnicity, represent real life situations, account for current era
• rule of thirds
• look cohesive

** Creating movement

• movements attract attention, use it carefully to avoid distracting the audience
• should look natural and alive, seem familiar and make sense
• hide slide elements until you need to refer to them
• natural motions: left to right, top to bottom
• content can pan from scene to scene using push left transition
• avoid visual vertigo

** Governing with Templates

• arm employees with templates to ensure consistency
• logo, color palette, grid layout, fonts, graphical elements
• types of slides: walk-in slides, title slide, quote slide, transition slide, Q&A

** Interacting with slides

• avoid using slides as teleprompters: reduce, record, repeat
• end on time and leave time for questions
• Case study: Pecha Kucha - 20 slides, each 20s
• visual pauses using blank slides
• top concern is how well you communicate, not how good you look (slide envy)
• 10/20/30 rule by Guy Kawasaki (10 slides, 20 minutes, font size at least 30pts)
• communication aids: flip chart, handout, mobile device, video, social network, web cast, projector, prop
• Case study: Jill Bolte-Taylor’s TED talk, few slides, hugh gestures, and a memorable prop

** Five theses of the Power of a Presentation

• Treat your audience as king
• Spread ideas and move people
• Help them see what you’re saying
• Practice design, not decoration
• Cultivate healthy relationships between you, slides, and audience