And one more thing...

A couple of quick links and bits:
I've done more presentations in the last three months than in all my previous years combined, so I've been learning a lot and have a deep appreciation for the people who are really good at this. And I've also gone from hating slides to loving them--I used over 200 images in my one-hour talk at SXSW.

You won't find any bullet points or paragraphs on my slides (done in Apple's Keynote app)--they're mostly graphics and a word or two.

I still say that anyone using slides as a crutch or to simply recreate their words on screen should be (metaphorically) shot. But in the right circumstances, slides can definitely add value for the listeners. The reason I started using them is because I recognize the importance of visuals both for audience enjoyment and to increase understanding, retention, and recall. Plus, in a room of over 100 people, I don't make much of a useful/good visual just standing up there talking. The back of the room sees nothing if I don't use slides (although occasionally, depending on the venue and whether I'm tethered to a mic, I walk out into the room rather than being stuck to the front).

Later, I'll have a lot more to say about experimenting with ways to involve your audience more -- to treat them not as passive listeners but active particpants, but that's for another post.

Tim Baxter sent me this link to yesterday's Businessweek post on How to Wow 'Em Like Steve Jobs that packs a lot of really good info in five little tips. It's definitely worth a read if you're a geek and not a markter, and not just for presentations but in the way you communicate with your users.

Tip one, for example, is Sell the Benefit, and includes

Steve Jobs does not sell bits of metal; he sells an experience. Instead of focusing on mind-numbing statistics, as most technologists tend to do, Jobs sells the benefit. For example, when introducing a 30 GB iPod, he clearly explains what it means to the consumer -- users can carry 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos, or up to 75 hours of video.

And even though you've all seen this one by now, you can't read it too many times: Gates, Jobs, & the Zen aesthetic from Garr Reynold's Presentation Zen blog. (In his post for today, Garr offers his own comments on the Businessweek article).

(And for presentation tips, be sure to check out the 43 Folders post Open Thread: Your best tip on doing presentations.)

Next up: the Apple site features a story of skater Rob Dyrdek making a documentary about an amazing project:

For a decade Dyrdek has dreamed of the solution: a radical new design modeled on the urban environment. And in June 2005 his vision came to life with the opening of the Skate Plaza in his hometown of Kettering, Ohio. “It’s not a skate park,” insists Dyrdek, “but a park that people can skate in.” A beautifully landscaped public space built with funds from Dyrdek, his sponsor, DC Shoes, and the city, it’s open to strollers, picnickers, concert-goers. “The ultimate goal is to coexist with people,” says Dyrdek.

Here's a link to The Skate Plaza Foundation, which will get you to the film trailer.

The skate culture has always been of great interest to me because I am a skateboarder (for the last 25 years), Skyler's boyfriend is a sponsored skater, and because some of the best artists, designers (graphic and fashion), and filmmakers are a part of this world. There's a lot more going on there than I think many non-skaters may realize, both good and bad.

I am deeply disappointed that there aren't more female skaters today--in what is now called the "old school" (dogtown and z-boys era) days, women represented a much higher percentage of skaters than today. That's for adifferent discussion -- but for now, there are some bright spots, like The International Society of Skateboarding Moms. (Here's something from NPR on it... they mention the oldest member is 80!)

But for frick's sake, I still cannot do a proper olie, a relatively newer trick. I'm having fun watching and learning from The Book of Cool, though. So perhaps one of these days...

In the meantime, I suggest that any non-skaters who have teens and twenty-something users, or who are simply interested in the cultural impact of skateboarding (again -- much greater than many people seem to realize), to visit your nearest skateboard shop and appreciate the back-of-the-board artwork, or check out the Installation Shoe Gallery, a Boulder skateboard shoe+art gallery. Very fun. (I talked about their Art Battle in my Creativity on Speed post).

[Steve Jobs pic borrowed from Presentation Zen]