Assignment Four: Presentation Zen

Presentation Zen
Chapters 1,2,3

We have “our own attachments to things that are inconsequential“ (Reynolds). This is aimed at most powerpoint presentations where there is overkill on the screen. It’s been proven also that people cannot process information when they are being spoken to and they are reading it on a screen at the same time.

Daniel Pink states there are six “right brain directed aptitudes.” They are design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning. Design takes into consideration your audience and your objectives.

Story – make it yours by adding your personality to it.
Symphony – choose what’s important and make it all fit together.
Empathy – be the audience and know when it’s all working for them and when it’s not
Play – Just because it’s serious it doesn’t mean it’s good. Add some humor.
Meaning –connect and make a difference.
Seth Godwin states in Presentation Zen, that there should never be “more than six words on a slide” (Reynolds).

Be open to new ways and ideas and don’t just rely on the old ways things were done. Keep a “beginner’s mind” (Reynolds). Be different and use your creativity. When working under time constraints, your creativity is super charged. It boils down to less is more.

Don’t create on your computer – use pen and paper first. It’s more of a right brain connection. Take “alone time” to think things through and let your creativity blossom. It’s important when preparing your presentation to know what your point is and also why it matters. Try to think like the audience. Can you name the main points and give your talk in a few minutes compared to the full length of time it was planned for? What is not on the screen but in your talk, leave it in a handout for after your talk is done. Don’t hand them out first.


Dustin Wax, contributing editor and project manager at lifehack.org has ten tips to follow for effective PowerPoint presentations. He emphasizes that only one thing should be on the screen on a time – the one that you are talking about. Otherwise the audience is reading ahead and “waiting for you to catch up rather than listening with interest to the point you’re making (Wax).

People seem to have a different take on whether or not to add humor to a presentation. In an article, 8 Secrets to a Knockout Business Presentation, the author says to “forget comedy”. It could be due to it being a business presentation rather than for a classroom of students or coworkers (Zahorsky).

In another article, the author states, “good presenting is about entertaining as well as conveying information”…”people retain more if they are enjoying themselves and feeling relaxed” (Presentation Skills Training).

In a 2007 article called PowerPoint: Boon or Bane, the author says to avoid the temptation “to tell the audience everything you know about the topic. The article also states that PowerPoint is “only a visual aid”. It should not overshadow the speaker.

"Presentation Skills Training." Businessballs Free Online Learning for Careers, Work, Management, Business Training and Education: Find Materials, Articles, Ideas, People and Providers for Teaching, Career Training, Self-help, Ethical Business Education and Leadership; for Personal, Career and Organizational Development. A Fun Free Online College of Ethical Life and Work Education, for Self Help, Teaching, Careeer Development, Distance Learning, Organizational Development, with Team Building Games and Exercises, Free Self-help and Training Ideas, Free Management Theories, Free Diagrams, Templates, Samples, Examples, Materials and Tools, Free Child Development Activities and Adults Development Exercises Ideas. Web. 21 Oct. 2011.

"Powerpoint: Boon or Bane?" Presentations Magazine Articles on TrainingMag.com. 1 Aug. 2007. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. .
Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Pub., 2008. Print.
Wax, Dustin. "10 Tips for More Effective PowerPoint Presentations." Your Daily Digest on Productivity and Life Improvements - Stepcase Lifehack. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. .
Zahorsky, Darrell. "Business Presentations - 8 Secrets to a Knockout Business Presentation." Small Business Information – Small Business Help, Resources and Tips for Starting and Growing a Small Business from About.com. About.com. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. .