Crappy Presentations...

I work with some of the smartest people on planet earth, and yet...

And yet, the presentations that I have to sit through can only be described as torture. Well, not for everyone. Most people just look away and tend to their computer or blackberry.

But for anyone who makes an effort to stick through the presentation, it's somewhat akin to that scene in Clockwork Orange where Malcolm McDowell gets his brain pummeled with degenerate images.

Wait... did I say 'somewhat akin'? Umm, no - it's exactly like that. Or worse?

Please don't do that to anyone, I beg you.

Buy slide:ology, Presentation Zen, and Beyond Bullet Points -  and then practice their theories.

Promise me... please?

12 Types of Story: from Beyond Bullet Points

I had lunch with my buddy Bill Wundrum the other day - I love Black Angus' Cheesy Steak Sandwich, by the way - and we ended up talking about presentations.

At some point, I was telling Bill about Beyond Bullet Points, the excellent book by Cliff Atkinson . Cliff wants us to throw away our bulletpoints, and embrace a storytelling approach.
And you know what? I agree.

I'm tired of doing all the heavy lifting and trying to figure what the hell the presenter is trying to say, as he/she buries me in animations and data.

One of my favorite parts of this book is when Cliff points out 12 types of story.

1. Historical Narrative
2. Crisis
3. Disappointment
4. Opportunity
5. Crossroads
6. Challenge
7. Blowing the Whistle
8. Adventure
9. Response to an Order
10. Revolution
11. Evolution
12. The Great Dream

Before you create your presentation, ask yourself, "Which of these stories do I want to tell?