The Presentation Zen reading for this week really hit home today. We had an early release day in the district because we had a guest speaker coming to talk with us about professional learning communities. The presentation lasted from 1:45-3:30. Thinking about the book in a general sense, I found myself rating the presentation from the Zen point of view. The slides were heavy with text, the presentation seemed endless, and the handout was a copy of the PowerPoint slides. Prior to reading the textbook I would have been bored with the presentation. After reading the text I was bored because I knew there was a better way to present the information.
Specific to the reading this week, the speaker would have been wise to trim some of the fat from his presentation. I have a difficult time sitting for any length of time, but sitting in one spot for nearly two hours was an exercise in torture. I don't care how great of a presentation you have, expecting people to sit for that long and pay attention is silly. Our speaker had an excellent message, but with attention spans beginning to wane at about the 10-15 minute mark, I wonder what the audience learned from the presentation. By shortening the presentation, I believe the message would have been clearer, and the impact greater.
I love Ben Sander's emphasis, not on success or failure, but on contribution. None of the usual concerns that many presenters worry about are important. It doesn't really matter if we are a success or failure, because if that is our concern, we will not be effective. Sander also discusses the great concept of not taking ourselves too seriously. Obviously, we put extensive time into the preparation and polished delivery of our message, but that doesn't mean that we can't make mistakes. We should be able to laugh at ourselves within the context of doing our best. If we have that attitude, there will be a greater chance of a naturalness appearing in our presentations, and a better connection with the audience.
The Prezi tool is really fascinating because it is unlike anything that I have seen before. Having a giant canvas to put one's information, and then linking that information together seems like a really cool way to make presentations. That being said, I have found Prezi a little more difficult to use effectively than how it was described. But I suspect that my struggles revolve around having to learn a new tool and having high expectations for myself. I sometimes don't have the patience with myself to really give something a chance. I think with more use, Prezi will be a great tool to add to the arsenal.
The Pecha Kucha assignment has also been a little bit of a struggle, again because it is a new way of thinking for me. I like having the storyboarding ability in the planning analog stage, so when I go to the computer, my time will be spent more efficiently.
Overall, the week's assignments have been a challenge for me, but a good challenge. I think that I have found new tools that I will be able to share with my students, and hopefully I will remember not to take myself too seriously while I learn how to use the tools effectively.
I, like you, am finding some of the new programs a challenge. It is exciting to find new ways to do something, but then there is the expectation for ourselves that we should be great at it immediately. What I am hoping for myself is that I will give myself the slack to try to get better and not give up because my first presentations are really bad.
ReplyDeleteI think it is awesome that you are able to reflect on what you've learned and put that into perspective when observing others. If we aren't able to learn from the assignments we are doing I guess I just don't know what the point would be. I, ufortunately, am way behind, however, I look forward to someday getting back to where I'm on pace with the rest of the clan and can add inights along with you. Until then, I guess I will just have to live through you guys and learn from your comments so thank you for leading the way.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see that other schools do the same things that mine does. Every time we have a district presenter their presentations always are more than an hour long and the slides are overwhelming with text and information. How can our schools expect us to present information in an effective manner, when they bring in these fancy speakers that don't. I have always wondered if my school was the only one who punished us with these people. I found myself rating the sermon in church on Sunday so I know how you feel (the pastor did a good job).
ReplyDeleteI sat through a staff meeting last week, where the principal was reading tons of information off of his slides, and trying to point out data that was quite small, and unable to be seen by the vast majority of the staff. I think that this class has made me a better presenter, but it does make me critique presentations that I sit through! I am so glad to hear that I am not alone!
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