enteRETAINment

Presentation Tips

Presentation Zen is a blog  by Garr Reynolds that I have been reading for some time that I feel is a great resource on presentation design. Learning content designers/developers can take a lot of info from this blog. Yesterday 's "Zen" posting titled BusinessWeek: Rethinking the Presentation mentioned a very brief article in BusinessWeek with tips that can easily be applied to learning whether instructor led or e-learning:

• Prepare in analog. Most professional designers plan on paper, not by opening their slide software.
• Cut the noise. "Noise" refers to elements that distract from the central message of your slide. Minimize the noise by eliminating inappropriate charts, lines, shapes, and symbols.
• Avoid bullet points. Use bullet points only in rare circumstances and only after you have considered other options to display the information visually.
• Picture superiority. Pictures are more easily remembered than words, yet most PowerPoint decks contain far more words than images. Create presentations that have more in common with a documentary film than an overhead transparency.

Reynolds also shares a video clip by communications coach Carmine Gallo on learning how to present from Steve Jobs that includes tips like:

• Create a headline that sets the direction of the presentation
• Make it easy for your listeners to follow your story
• Make numbers and statistics meaningful
• Make it visual
• Paint a simple picture
• Identify a memorable moment and build up to it

Nine Old Men

This past Monday, Ollie Johnston, the last of Walt Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” died at the age of 95. Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” were the pioneering animators responsible for Disney feature-length animated classics including “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio,” “Fantasia” and “Lady and the Tramp.”

In his April 16th blog posting, Todd Leopold, CNN.com Entertainment Producer said “Today we live in an age of computer animation, technologically spectacular but sometimes wanting creatively. Too many films substitute artistic detail for story, something that Walt Disney didn’t tolerate, especially in the early days.”

Leopold’s comment can be applied to training and education, specifically e-learning where a common weakness is to use new technologies, in your face graphics or animations, and other bells and whistles in an attempt to engage the audience. The lesson we all can learn is to follow the "Nine Old Men" and Walt Disney’s lead and focus on story.

Meet The Greens

While reading the TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design) blog I discovered a kids website created by WGBH in Boston called Meet The Greens. The TED conference is a supporter of this website that teaches kids how to live green. They have some short educational Flash animations that use storytelling to teach kids how to care for our planet.

Why Stories Matter

Seth Godin recently wrote a blog entry titled Which comes first (why stories matter) in which he talks about how the work we do every day tells a story, but if we haven't taken the time to develop a good story to wrap around our work first, before the work, then the work can be random and the story confused, bland, indifferent, or doesn't spread easily. I see a great correlation there with e-learning courses. Most courses start off with objectives . . .

What you will learn

• Recording Sales Transactions
• Submitting Sales Transactions
• Sales Transactions Resources

. . . then it goes right into the meat of the course . . .

"When recording your sales transactions . . .  it is important that all sales associates record and submit sales transactions within 24 hours. This is done by clicking on the Sales Transactions icon . . ."

Try dropping the objectives and start with a powerful story that engages the audience while sharing what they will learn. The story will stick and the association between the "storified" objectives and the content will be locked in . . .

"John Smith is a new hire that wasn't sure how to correctly record his daily sales transactions. One day, John got a call from the accounting department . . ."

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko

Author Dan Pink's new book The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need launches on Monday and it promises to be a good one. Dan uses the Japanese comic format known as manga to tell the story of Johnny Bunko and the six essential lessons for thriving in the world of work. Check out this great trailer for the book . . .