Pres.+Zen

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by Garr Reynolds
 * //Presentation ZEN//**

The following are the chapter summaries from //[|Presentation Zen]//.


 * //Presenting in Today’s World//**
 * Like a [|Japanese bento], great slide presentations contain appropriate content arranged in the most efficient, graceful manner without superfluous decoration. The presentation of the content is simple, balanced, and beautiful.
 * Presentation Zen is an approach, not an inflexible list of rules to be followed by all the same way. There are many paths to designing and delivering presentations.
 * The “[|Death by PowerPoint]” approach is common and “normal” but it is not effective. The problem is not one of tools or technique so much as it is a problem of [|bad habits]. Though some tools are better than others, it is possible to present effectively even with older versions of PowerPoint (or Keynote, etc.).
 * In the “[|conceptual age]” solid presentation skill are more important now than ever before. Presenting well is a “whole minded” skill. Good presenters target people’s “[|left brain]” and “[|right brain].”
 * Live talks enhanced by multimedia are about [|storytelling] and have more in common with the art of documentary film than the reading of a paper document. Live talks today must tell a story enhanced by imagery and other forms of appropriate [|multimedia].
 * We’ve learned some ineffective habits over the years. The first step to change is letting go of the past (Reynolds, 25).


 * //Creativity, Limitations, and Constraints//**
 * Preparing, designing, and delivering a presentation is a creative act, and you are a creative being.
 * Creativity requires an open mind and a willingness to be wrong.
 * Restrictions and limitations are not the enemy, they are a great ally.
 * As you prepare a presentation, exercise restraint and keep these three words in mind always: simplicity, clarity, brevity (Reynolds, 43).


 * //Planning Analog//**
 * Slow down your busy mind to see your problems and goals more clearly.
 * Find time alone to see the big picture.
 * For greater focus, try turning off the computer and [|going analog].
 * Use paper and pens or a whiteboard first to record and sketch out your ideas.
 * Key questions: What’s your main (core) point? Why does it matter?
 * If your audience remembers only one thing, what should it be?
 * Preparing a detailed handout keeps you from feeling compelled to cram everything into your visuals (Reynolds, 73).


 * //Crafting the Story//**
 * Make your [|ideas sticky] by keeping things simple, using examples and stories, looking for the unexpected, and tapping into people’s emotions.
 * A presentation is never //just// about the facts.
 * Brainstorm your topic away from the computer, chunk (group) the most important bits. Identify the underlying theme and be true to that theme (core message) throughout the creation of the presentation.
 * Make a [|storyboard] of your ideas on paper – and then use software to lay out a solid structure that you can see.
 * Show restraint at all times and bring everything back to the core message (Reynolds, 97).


 * //Simplicity: Why It Matters//**
 * [|Simplicity] is powerful and leads to greater clarity, yet it is neither simple nor easy to achieve.
 * Simplicity can be obtained through the careful reduction of the nonessential.
 * As you design slides, keep the following concepts in mind: subtlety, grace, and understated elegance.
 * Good designs have plenty of [|empty space]. Think “subtract” not “add.”
 * While simplicity is the goal, it is possible to be “too simple.” Your job is to find the balance most appropriate to your situation (Reynolds, 117).


 * //Presentation Design: Principles and Techniques//**
 * Design Matters. But design is not about decoration or about ornamentation. Design is about making communication as easy and clear for the viewer as possible.
 * Keep the principle of [|signal-versus-noise] in mind to remove all non-essential elements. Remove visual clutter. Avoid 3-D effects.
 * People remember visuals better than bullet points. Always ask yourself how you can use a strong visual – including quantitative displays – to enhance your narrative.
 * Empty space is not nothing; it is a powerful something. Learn to see and manipulate empty space to give your slide designs greater organization, clarity, and interest.
 * Use the [|principle of contrast] to create strong dynamic differences among elements that are different. If it is different, make it very different.
 * Use the principle of repetition to repeat selected elements throughout your slides. This can help give your slides unity and organization.
 * Use the [|principle of alignment] to connect elements visually (through invisible lines) on a slide. Grids are very useful for achieving [|good alignment]. This will give your slide a clean well organized look.
 * Use the [|principle of proximity] to ensure that related items are grouped together. People will tend to interpret items together or near to each other as belonging to the same group (Reynolds, 163).

A good visual will enhance the speaker’s message. All that is needed for effective slides is PowerPoint or Keynote, with an image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. What you design your slides or other visuals to look like depends completely on your unique situation and your audience, but keep the following in mind:
 * //Summation of Effective Slides//**
 * Create visuals that are simple with clear design priorities that contain elements which guide the viewer’s eye.
 * Have a visual theme, but avoid tired overused software templates.
 * Limit bullet points or avoid them completely.
 * Use [|high quality graphics].
 * Build (animate) complex graphics to support your narrative.
 * Think “maximum effect with minimum means.”
 * Learn to see empty space, and learn to use it in a way that brings greater clarity to visuals (Reynolds, 179).


 * //The Art of Being Completely Present//**
 * Like a conversation, presentation requires your full presence at that time and place.
 * Like a master swordsman, you must be completely in the moment without thoughts of the past or the future, or of “winning” and “losing.”
 * Mistakes may happen, but do not dwell on past mistakes or worry about future ones. Be only in this moment, sharing and conversing with the audience in front of you.
 * You will make it look easy and natural by preparing and practicing like mad. The more you rehearse, the confident you’ll become, and the easier it will seem to the audience.
 * Though you must plan well, being fully in the moment also means that you remain flexible, totally aware, and open to the possibilities as they arise (Reynolds, 199).


 * //Connecting with an Audience//**
 * You need solid content and logical structure, but you also have to make a connection with the audience. You must appeal to both the logical and the emotional.
 * If your content is worth talking about, then bring energy and passion to your delivery. Every situation is different, but there is never an excuse for being dull.
 * Don’t hold back. If you have a passion for your topic, then let people know it.
 * It’s better to leave your audience satisfied yet yearning for a bit more of you than it is to leave your audience stuffed and feeling that they have had more than enough.
 * Keep the lights on; the audience must always be able to see you.
 * Remove any barriers between you and the audience. Avoid podiums (lecterns), if possible. And use a wireless mic and remote control for advancing slides so that you can move around freely and naturally (Reynolds, 211).

Reynolds, Garr. //Presentation Zen//. Berkeley: New Riders. 2008.