Would you like to win a Macbook Air?
An iPod Touch?
An Amazon Kindle?
A copy of Presentation Zen?
The World’s Best Presentation Contest is returning to SlideShare for 2008.
Get creative, enter the contest, and you can win one of those prizes.
Leave a comment linking to your entry. If a number of Six Minutes subscribers enter, I’ll feature those entries in a future article.
When Steve Jobs speaks, people listen.
Why?
No. You can easily learn these techniques and present like Steve Jobs.
In this video from bnet.com, communications coach Carmine Gallo provides an insightful synopsis of the methods that Steve Jobs uses to captivate his audience.
Visualizing Information for Advocacy: An Introduction to Information Design teaches you how to visually communicate your ideas.
This free ebook was created by John Emerson as a tool to help advocacy groups:
You may not speak on behalf of an advocacy group, but every time you speak, you are attempting to deliver a message. Your message will be more compelling if you understand and apply the visualization principles in this guide.
I previously reviewed the fabulous Presention Zen book by Garr Reynolds.
My favorite aspect of the book was the hundreds of sample slides which illustrate design principles, particularly those illustrating before versus after transformations.
I’ve just discovered a great online resource from Garr Reynolds which contains a representative sample of the book contents.
This article reviews a fantastic talk by Majora Carter titled “Greening the Ghetto” at TED. I loved this emotionally charged talk detailing her fight for environmental justice and her efforts as director of Sustainable South Bronx.
Majora Carter’s TED talk has both incredible strengths — passion, energy, authenticity — and one unfortunate weakness — rapid speaking rate. Both extremes are worthy of public speaking analysis.
It turns out that your public speaking phobias and fears are unwarranted.
Web comic xkcd has charted the number of deaths from numerous activities, but no public speaking deaths have been reported.
As I write this, Google searches demonstrate that public speaking is a non-life threatening activity. All of these return zero results:
Presentation Zen book reviews, to be more accurate. Lots of them.
In the spirit of Rotten Tomatoes - a site I always check before buying or renting a movie - this article gathers book reviews from public speaking experts and fellow bloggers.
A summary of their opinion is simple: buy this book and the slides in your next presentation will benefit.
Hans Rosling presented a fantastic talk at TED. The delivery was inspiring, the mood was electric, and it was all about statistics. Yes, statistics - a topic most often associated with dry and boring presentations.
Hans Rosling uses six simple techniques for presenting data which transform a run-of-the-mill presentation into a must-see presentation.
J.A. Gamache demonstrates how to complement strong writing with powerful body language in a speech titled “Being a Mr. G.” that took first place in the 2007 Region VI Toastmasters speech contest.
This video critique analyzes many noteworthy elements of the presentation, including:
Steve Jobs wrote and delivered the commencement speech “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” to the graduates of Stanford University on June 12, 2005.
The style and content are very different from his Apple product launch presentations, but no less worthy of study.
Noteworthy elements of this wonderful speech include:
This article examines Al Gore’s presentation from TED in 2006. My aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the presentation, not to express scientific or political opinion on the content of the message.
This was a fantastic presentation worthy of study. There is much to be learned from analyzing what Gore did well, and what he could have done better.
Ever wonder what the audience really wishes you would do better when you speak?
Chris Brogan conducted a quick and informal survey asking the question:
Quick: Give me YOUR 3 things you wish speakers would do better, or not do at all!
Want to learn how to execute a great Q&A session? Watch Toastmasters International President Chris Ford.
Last weekend, I attended an educational seminar led by Chris Ford. He was masterful in how effectively he encouraged audience participation.
A great Q&A session (#16 on my list of 25 essential skills for a public speaker) does not materialize just because you (or the event organizers) include it on the agenda.
A great Q&A session - one that adds value to your presentation - requires planning and thoughtful contributions from both the audience and the speaker.
Inspired by 25 Skills Every Man Should Know, I pondered a list of the 25 essential skills every public speaker should have. How did I do?
