Having spent the majority of today creating Powerpoint slides, writing notes for Powerpoint slides, writing demos for presentations and creating more Powerpoint slides, my brain has nearly turned to mush.
Happy though I am with my actual presentation skills, this is the first time I've actually had to create the majority of material myself, and it's actually proving surprisingly difficult.
My first problem is coming from the fact that I'm pitching essentially the same information (either Visual Studio 2008 or a little internal thing called Metro), but to wildly different audiences, and have to therefore tailor it carefully.
For example, the account managers here don't give a toss about the efficiency of the new CLR 3.0, and neither do the CEOs I'll be talking to at certain events. Likewise, the techies I'll be talking to at the all day events hardly need to be told what the .NET framework is, and how it works, as they've all probably been using it for longer than I've known it existed.
My second problem, and the other reason I included the comic above (other than the fact it's just great) is that it's actually really difficult to cater to all of the 'learning' types. I forget the fancy names but you know what I mean - those who learn by seeing, those who learn by hearing, those who learn by doing etc. If I make my slides short and snappy, then I'm relying on my words getting through, if I fill them with the information I'm vocalising I risk being hated for simply reading out what's on the screen, and if I fill them with information different to what I'm vocalising, I risk just confusing the hell out of them.
Very tricky, I'm thinking that the answer may well be simply to put an amusing picture of a cat on every slide, and read out quotes from the Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. That way, everyone will leave happy. I'm sure there's probably a downside to this idea, but, as said, my brain's the consistency of porridge at the moment, so I can't see anything wrong here...
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Presentations, presentations, presentations
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'Learning Styles' - AAAAARGH!
My time in teaching has taught me that the best way to cater to visual and auditory learners is to give people something to look at, and at the same time something to hear (related to what they're looking at). Amazing eh?
Meanwhile have some lego or something available so those 'kinesthetic' learners can keep themselves amused!!!
The whole 'learning styles' thing has been totally misrepresented anyway. People don't 'learn by seeing' to the extent that they will never understand a concept if you tell them about it, but will certainly be able to understand if they see a diagram. The diagram merely enhances a verbal explanation, and vice versa.
It's all a question of degrees and most people lie nicely in the middle, able to cope with learning by seeing, hearing and / or doing.
Are you seriously suggesting I hand out lego to a group of software company CEOs to keep themselves amused whilst I present?
Because quite frankly, that's among the best plans I've heard yet for this gig ;)
I'm aware that these learning styles aren't (or, often aren't) extremes, but they can quite often be a very influential factor, and do need to be carefully considered.
You sound like my deputy head whose obsessed with the things!
Seriously, of course they're important, and you should always try to cater to all three (or four, or twelve, depending on which theory you like best)
Hahahahaha, funny stuff! Keep this up!
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