PIXELATED CONFERENCE - Creativity, Inspiration and Productivity

David Allen - Speaking on GTD

Garr Reynolds on Presentations

Merlin Mann -Inbox Zero

Richard St. John - 8 Secrets of Success

Jonathan Harris - Stories of the Internet

Anand Agarawala on the Bump Desktop

Jeff Han - Touchscreen Technology

Thanks to Chris and Mitch for passing this on.  If you have a collection of conferences you'd suggest, post them in the comment section and let's share.

"Absolute PowerPoint: Can a Software Package Edit our Thoughts?"
Ian Parker

"In Defense of PowerPoint."
Don Norman

"Top Ten Slide Tips."
Garr Reynolds

"From design to meaning: a whole new way of presenting?"
Garr Reynolds

"The power of tbe visual: Learning from Down Under promotion videos."
Garr Reynolds

"Where can you find good images?"
Garr Reynolds.

"The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within."
Edward R. Tufte

This selection has one point, amplified by constant reiteration, that PowerPoint (PP) is a deficient style of presentation. It's not just user error, Tuft asserts. PowerPoint is, in Tuft's estimation, cognitively flawed since it forces people to condense complicated thought to bullet point phrases, and arbitrarily breaks texts into disjointed chunks due to the size of the slides. And, as the title of the essay intimates, this cognitive deficiency is passed onto all participants within a specific rhetorical situation. The information passed on by the presenter is informational thin, the audience is unattentive and receiving bad information, and PP is constantly reified--through use alone--as the one way to present information to groups of people. Tuft explains:

PowerPoint's convenience for some presenters is costly to the content and the audience. These costs arise from the cognitive style characteristic of the standard default PP presentation: foreshortening of evidence and thought, low spatial resolution, an intensely hierarchical single-path structure as the model for organizing every type of content, breaking up narratives and data into slides and minimal fragments, rapid temporal sequencing of thin information rather than focused spatial analysis, conspicuous chart junk and PP Phluff, branding of slides with logotypes, a preoccupation with format not content, incompetent designs for data
graphics and tables, and a smirky commercialism that turns information into a sales pitch and presenters into marketeers...And, in presenting words, impoverished space encourages imprecise
statements, slogans, abrupt and thinly-argued claims. (4,5)

To demonstrate this fully, Tuft uses the Columbia space shuttle disaster as support for his claim. Tufts recounts the incident, explaining "after liftoff, a 1.67 pound (760 grams) piece of foam insulation broke off from the liquid fuel tank, hit the left wing, and broke through the wing's thermal protection. After orbiting the Earth for 2 weeks with an undetected hole in its wing, the Columbia burned up during re-entry because the compromised thermal protection was unable to withstand the intense temperatures that occur upon atmosphere re-entry" (8). This event may seem unrelated, but is for Tuft since he demonstrates how this problem was examined and information concerning it was disseminated: PowerPoint. The Boeing Corporation made presentations to the NASA management team using PP slides, and due to the "corporate marketering" this form of composition engenders, all pertinent information from the Boeing engineers, which had the air of caution and warning, was swept under the Boeing managerial staff's presentation mode of coporate good speak and "thinly argued claims" (for a complete and illuminating breakdown of an indivudal slide see Tuft 9-11).

Tuft continues on to claim (and argue well) that PP is the product of a large, bureaucratic corporation, and therefore, breeds a cognitive routine and culture that is a "faux-analytical, with a bias towards promoting effects without causes" (16) filled with information transactions which are filled with "content-free clip art...statistical graphics [that] don't show data, and...text [which] is grossly impoverished" (15). Tuft uses the remaining space of the selection to hammer this point home using different examples, and these are the solutions I glean from his text to combat this shoddy method for sharing information (in bullet points no less, how ironic!):

• Serious problems require a serious tool: written reports. For nearly all engineering and scientific communication, instead of Power Point, the presentation and reporting software should be a word-processing program capable of capturing, editing, and publishing text, tables, data graphics, images, and scientific notation. Replacing PowerPoint with Microsoft Word (or, better, a tool with non-proprietary universal formats) will make presentations and their audiences smarter. Of course full-screen projected images and videos are necessary; that is the one harmless use of PP. (14)
• For making serious presentations, replace PP with word-processing or page-layout software. To make this transition in large organizations requires a straightforward executive order: From now on your presentation software is Microsoft Word not PowerPoint. Get used to it. (30)
• At a talk, paper handouts of a technical report effectively show text, data graphics, images. Printed materials bring information transfer rates in presentations up to that of everyday material in newspaper sports and financial pages, books, and internet news sites. An excellent paper size for
  presentation handouts is A3, 30 by 42 em or about 11 by 17 inches, folded in half to make 4 pages. That one piece of paper, the 4-pager, can show images with 1,200 dpi resolution, up to 60,000 characters of words and numbers, detailed tables worthy of the sports pages, or 1,000 spark line
  statistical graphics showing 500,000 numbers. That one piece of paper shows the content-equivalent of 50 to 250 typical PP slides. Thoughtful handouts at your talk demonstrate to the audience that you are responsible and seek to leave permanent traces and have consequences. There is also a chance that the act of writing sentences and preparing a technical report will make for a smarter report, an opportunity unavailable to those preparing PP slides. (30)

So, as these bullet point show, the best bet is to return to written reports, or at the very least, the use of technology that allows for a composing situation where all types of notation, cognitive styles, and displays of information are possible. And, in yet another move to be smarmy, here's Tuft's major claim--and is presented in total disregard of his well-written, well thought out composition, and emulates the reductionist thinking/presentation/culture he is fighitng against (notice the use of a bullet point again):

• [F]ormats, sequencing, and cognitive approach should be decided by the character of the content and what is to be explained, not by the limitations of the presentation technology. (6)

Not touched on but important: Throughout the piece Tuft makes the running observation that PP is presenter orientated and not audience orientated; this, too, he ties back to the Microsoft corporation, and is the reason the essay opens and closes with the doctored image of a Stalin era Soviet military parade. It's an interesting juxtaposition, not so much for the fascism/corporation binary, but for the communism/corporation binary.  Tropes evolve and change (think Burke), and so now the fat capitalist pig technocrat-noveauaristocracy image is gone and replaced with the image of a bloated, overbearing, communist regime.   This is, I suppose, based in the experience and ideology of the writer and his sense of what the audience will perceive as evil and not worthy of identifying with.

"Absolute PowerPoint: Can a Software Package Edit our Thoughts?"
Ian Parker

This article is from the New Yorker and a continuation of Tuft's train of thought. The main difference would be (well, besides origin) would be Parker finds and interviews the people responsible for PowerPoint (PP) and talks to influential figures about how they use PP and how it affects the way they present information to their respective audiences--making this a more explanatory than argumentative/analytical essay.

Parker's most interesting claim (for me at least) is that "PowerPoint had been created, in part, as a response to the new corporate world of interdepartmental communication" (pdf 4). Why I find this interesting is because I think it merges and complicates Tuft's claims about PP. To paraphrase Tuft, he explains at the end of his article that using PP for inconsequential meetings or pitches. While Tuft questions the purpose of such a meeting, I think here is the way to understand how PP is intended for use. It is about dumbing down things since you could have engineers talking to advertising personnel, and all they (the writers from advertising) need to know is the basics so they can create a pitch. The complication comes with Tuft's idea of a corporate pitch culture, and Parker complicates this by bringing in the concept of audience via his interviews. As Parker recounts by talking with Robert Cialdini, the audience now expects PP if the speaker is to be taken seriously:

“It’s frightening,” Cialdini says. He always preferred to use slides when he spoke to business groups, but one high-tech company recently hinted that his authority suffered as a result. “They said, ‘You know what, Bob? You’ve got to get into PowerPoint, otherwise people aren’t going to respond.’ So I made the transfer.” (7)

This is also echoed by Clifford Ness, a professor at Stanford University. Ness explains that it's now impossible to not use PP, nor deviate from the slides if you are--even if you have an amazing moment of invention while lecturing. Ness recounts how he had an epiphany while lecturing on the definition of the human applied to computers, and laments that this could never happen now, since the students in the lecture hall would complain and ask "Where the hell is the slide?" (pdf 7).

I think these two examples complicate Tuft since it places the abuse of PP into a more ecological system of composing than what he (Tuft) outlined in his essay. For Tuft, the PP dilemma seems more like a moment of vulgar Marxism; Microsoft controls the economic base, and therefore, the superstructure, so this means Microsoft is to blame for this entire cognitivemess we're in now. While nice and clean for the purposes of an academic argument, it dismisses the impetus for continued use of PP: the audience now wants PP, and there are professional consequences for not providing it. It will take more than just people standing up and rebelling against PP to stop PP's control over how information is shared. This isn't to say Microsoft isn't a major player in this phenomenon, yet it does, I think, point to the idea the wider culture was primed and ready for such a concept like PP thinking. Microsoft didn't create a culture ready for PP, it just appropriated a product that met the narratives of a society. For years public education in the US has coerced citizens into believing the world can be described and understood in positivistic ways; that the best style is plain style; that anything that is long and complex can and should be summarized for better consumption; that there is only one "right" way to see a problem, ergo, only one right answer to solve the problem. It will take either the discontinuation of PP or the dissemination of new ways to use PP to reverse the cognitive fascism both of these selections see as the outcome of PP use.

"In Defense of PowerPoint."
Don Norman

This blog entry is the answer back to Parker and Tufte. Norman points out

We have had poor talks long before PowerPoint. We have even had bullet points long before PowerPoint—long before computers. In the old days, people typed, stenciled or hand-lettered their slides onto transparencies which were shown with the aid of overhead projectors or wall charts, or photographed them on to glass-plated photographic slides and then, later, 35 mm. slides. These talks were also dull and tedious. (1, pdf)

Norman claims that readers and listeners are two very different audiences, and that listeners "cannot absorb too much information at once" (2, pdf), meaning that the style of a talk should not be too dense--this is better left to readers who have (to paraphrase Norman) time, proper lighting, and a comfortable chair in which to pour over and revisit the information provided within a text. Here's Norman advice about how to use prep time and technology when speaking, in its original arrangement:

Readers should get good clear information, with sufficient background presentation that they can re-interpret and re-analyze the material presented to them. Readers are not listeners. This means that speech giver should really develop three different documents.

1. Personal notes, to be seen only by the speaker, and used as a reminder of the topics and key points, or perhaps of the "bon mot," the clever, felicitously worded phrase that can appear spontaneously witty to the crowd, but which works best if it is prepared and practiced in advance, for few of us are good enough to actually think of them on the spot.

2. Illustrative slides. These slides should illustrate the major points and help motivate the listener. Tufte is apt to complain that this is simply "entertainment," but I respond that if the audience is not entertained, they are not apt to listen, and what good is a cleverly drafted talk if the audience is not listening. The illustrations should be relevant. They should convey new information. But they need not have words. They might have data, they might have graphs, they might have photographs of the product, equipment, phenomenon, or other aspect of the point under discussion. They should add to the talk, not distract from it.

3. Handouts. Here is where the speaker can put the references, the data, the appendices to the talk. Here is where one should indeed follow Tufte's advice and provide clear, detailed information that the reader can use later on to remember the points of the talk as well as to go on to further study and analysis.

Three separate and very different documents: Personal notes, illustrative slides, and handouts. Don't confuse one for another. And don't blame the tool for a poorly prepared, poorly presented talk. (3-4, pdf)

Norman closes the entry taking Tufte to task for his use of hindsight as foresight.

This selection is based on the concept that the good speaker speaks well and uses available means correctly to persuade her audience. This seems like good advice, and Norman's closing list seems the way to combat the cognitive fascism Parker hints at and Tufte outright names and attacks.

Questions for class: So does this mean we should consider the rhetorical situation of Paker and Tufte's articles (intended audience, publication, professional/personal background) and see their reactions as colored by the cult of literacy? Are their responses the same responses that have always accompanied new meaning making technology, just in a new form with a new enemy? Or is there a middle way, one which acknowledges the pitfalls outlined by Parker and Tufte that also enacts the advice given by Norman?

"Top Ten Slide Tips."
Gary Reynolds

This website page is exactly what it sounds like, so it's a pretty easy read. What's interesting is the stress Reynolds places on keeping things simple. Here's an example of what Reynolds means:

The bottom version of this slide is what Reynolds recommends. Placed in conversation with Tufte, this advice is combative. Tufte argues for complexity, and this is summed up by his assertion that "Less is bore" (Tufte 16).

The reason for such a different take (btw, Reynolds actually invokes Tufte's advice against over-saturation of useless "chart junk" in this selection) is because Reynolds stresses the importance of the speaker; the speaker is the foundation of the presentation; the speakers words and knowledge is what moves the audience, not the images provided by PP.

"From design to meaning: a whole new way of presenting?"
Garr Reynolds

In this blog entry Reynolds stresses the importance of being a good rhetor. Know your audience, read your audience, adjust to your audience, know your material, present well, use all available means (including all forms of technology) of persuasion well, and adapt your presentation as you give it depending on audience reaction. Reynolds doesn't place his information, which by the way is a book review of A Whole New Mind by Danile Pink, in the outline I just gave, but that's basically what he's saying. I'm just giving it an interpretation I'm more comfortable with and more apt to remember. Reynolds briefly talks about design, too, echoing the talk of Wysocki and the New London Group. Design, in Reynolds estimation, is more than mere icing and makes up an integral part of the message and meaning making that occurs within presentations. Form and content are inseparable; both together convey the speaker's message to the audience (Reynolds evolves this claim into other claims, asserting that the best presenters are the ones who can speak/design and create empathy, which I translate into the creation of identification by the audience with the speaker via the speaker's work).

What I find interesting is the slide show within the entry Reynolds has going on at each topic. The slides are small and unobtrusive, and in my opinion downright hokie when it comes to the stock photo images used, but effective. Also, they fit Reynold's prescription for how a good slide should be designed.

"Gates, Jobs, and the Zen aesthetic."
Garr Reynolds

This blog entry uses Zen design and the Zen garden as the metaphor and design example for all good design. His points re-affirm his previous talks about less being more, and tend to make sense if you go along with his number one rule: the speaker is the important element to the presentation, the design should compliment and add, not detract, from the speaker's ability to connect with the audience. While at times Reynolds seems to lapse over into Orientalism, his ideas make sense in the concept of effective presentation that isn't dumbed down by the use of PP.

"The power of tbe visual: Learning from Down Under promotion videos."
Garr Reynolds

The important lesson here is to use "the rule of thirds." This allows for the illusion of movement and the possibility of transformation (change). As Reynolds explains "If you try moving your subject away from the center... nearer to one of what are called "power points" (where the gridlines intersect), you can create a more powerful or interesting visual by creating a bit of tension or even drama" (3-4, pdf).

A larger, more important point Reynolds brings up is the idea of good design; the concept that people don't have to be professionals to create good compositions, they just need to notice, articulate, and use the good design they see around them everyday.

"Where can you find good images?"
Garr Reynolds.

This is list of websites where designers can get good, mid to high quality photos for free or at little cost.

I had a talk about community marketing with two friends of mine and was amazed to see that three people that are only 10 years apart from each other can have such a different perception of the Internet and its potential. Demographics: John, 20, student & musician; Stephen, 39, full-time musician; me, 30, marketer & musician. Stephen grew up without Internet and was not exposed to Internet marketing until he turned 30. John grew up with the Internet and knows how to navigate and use every angle of the net. I started my electronics technician apprenticeship in 1994 with the Internet in its baby shoes, and when I was done with my studies in 1998, the Internet was omnipresent and I already had made good money with my very first online business.  

What also struck me was that Stephen doesn’t want to be exposed as a private person on the Internet—he is a popular musician in Switzerland—but understands that it is important to promote his band on the worldwide web. John, on the other hand, finds it very important to follow his friends on Facebook and keep them posted on what’s going on in his life. He also writes a blog but doesn’t feed his readers that much. John rather reads blogs. And, that is where my generation comes into the pictures—the MTV Generation, a neologism for Generation X, referring to people born from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s. Kyle Lacy writes in his blog entry Is Generation X the Blog Generation? „Many of the individuals I follow on FriendFreed, Twitter, and through Google Reader are over 30. Is micro-blogging/twitter/sms more of a communication medium rather than blogging for the millennial generation?“ Lorraine Ball comments on Kyle’s entry, „[W]hen did they start blogging? Were they in their 20’s? Good blogging requires a consistent effort. Is it that younger folks don’t blog now because of time, distractions, shorter attention span (that may or may not improve with age) or is it that they truly never will?“

According to eMarketer.com, ‘a BIGresearch study found that the average age of adult bloggers [in the USA] is actually 37.6.’ As Kyle stated, the people he follows are over 30. The same is true for me. Authors 30+ write most blogs I read on a regular basis, even though I have recently become a regular reader of blogs written by Gen Yers like Sarah Austin, Katie Rogers, and Greg Rollett. Nonetheless, my favorite blogs are still written by Seth Godin, Chris Anderson, and Garr Reynolds—young Baby Boomers.

David Wilson, author of social-media-optimization.com, wrote in his August 11, 2008, blog entry, „Consumers between 18 and 42 are driving the technology revolution and agenda today,“ which, I think, is still hard to handle, because there is a very big difference in how Gen Yers and Gen Xers use the online world. In Gen Y Is Setting the Tech Agenda, a BusinessWeek.com article, Charles Golvin, principal analyst at Forrester Research said the key distinction between Generation X and Y is that Generation X uses technology when it supports a “lifestyle need” whereas tech is “embedded into everything Gen Yers do” making them the first “native online population”.

However, Gen Yers still rely on input of older bloggers, since older bloggers are more experienced and blog more frequently. One day, Gen Yers will be the experienced bloggers passing on their knowledge to the next generation—Generation Z. Until then, my peers and I will keep blogging, sharing what we know and have to say, and motivate younger generations of bloggers to be persistent with their blogs.

And never forget: “You are what you share.”

Quite a few interesting stuff happening though in life one could say. One being a pretty oversized desk in office - yes it is cut off and one needs to squeeze to get in. Loving it completely. Headphones (the killer Bose ones) repaired after a long time - it bangs bro! YEAH!!! \m/

Started off on Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds and finished it in style. Completely on a powerpoint trip now. Still finding a lot of rigidity among people to move out of their base and try something new. Fear of being different is as big as Fear of death I believe. Well, does it matter really. Do check out this shit called Pecha Kecha. This is more like a PPT challenge one would love to see. As interesting as a bloody rock show. 6 minutes 40 seconds to sell a PPT! Not a second more. A big "FUCK YOU" to all the 80 slide 'Death by Powerpoint'.

- A general effort on the Pecha Kucha lines.....

General scrathing around on the web also happening in one way or the other.

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Coming back from Iojima, a very nice island of the coast of Nagasaki, Japan, I saw a sign written in hiragana stating a boat’s name: ‘biggu a—su.’ I immediately turned to my fiancée Aya—she is Japanese—asking her why anyone would name their boat Big Ass. Aya laughed and said that the boat's name is Big Earth, not Big Ass. My Japanese is not that good but I can read hiragana and understand some Japanese. My next question was, “If ‘biggu a—su’ is Big Earth, how do you write Big Ass in hiragana or katakana?” Aya thought about it for a while and said, ‘biggu a—su.’ So, it’s the same. Intriguing but funny, I thought.

After this episode I remembered a Presentation Zen post by my friend Garr Reynolds where he discussed McDonald’s McWrap in Japan. Garr wrote in his 'What's in a name?' blog entry, "The product name in Japanese (the katakana below the English type) is pronounced "Makkurappu" which sort of sounds like "Mac Wrap" but it sounds something close to "Mai Crapu" as well to non-Japanese speakers (listen for yourself)." Who wants to eat a sandwich that is called something like 'My Crap'?

La gente de SlideShare ("el Youtube de las presentaciones" si me permiten la expresión) organiza un concurso anualmente para descubrir "La mejor presentación del mundo". Los usuarios votan y nominan (para bien) las presentaciones que más valoran y el jurado de la edición 2008 fueron los destacadísimos  Guy Kawasaki, Nancy Duarte, Garr Reynolds y Bert Decker de Slideshare.

Aunque los ganadores se hicieron públicos hace más de un mes, he descubierto hoy mismo la presentación que se llevó el primer premio y me gustaría compartirla con vosotros. Trata sobre el problema de la escasez del agua, está en la categoría de educación y se llama Thirst. Su autor es Jeff Brenman.

[slideshare id=504408&doc=thirst-upload-800x600-1215534320518707-8&w=425]

Una vez vista, comparadla con alguna presentación que hayáis hecho vosotros mismos o que hayáis visto a otras personas.

• ¿Dónde estan las listas sin numerar ("viñetas" en castellano, "bullets" en inglés)?
  
• ¿Dónde estan las diapositivas con gran cantidad de texto?
  
• ¿Dónde están las imágenes prediseñadas de tipo ClipArt?
  
• ¿Dónde están las diapositivas recargadas con mucha información de texto, imágenes y gráficos?

Aunque realizar una presentación como la que os comento conlleva mucho tiempo y cierta maña, podemos intentar aplicar ideas similares para nuestras próximas presentaciones. Seguro que nuestra audiencia lo agradecerá.

Por cierto, en esta página podréis ver los otros ganadores de la edición 2008.

Friday again. Today was a wonderful day at our school. It was House Drama and Variety day, a day that is steeped in tradition and gives our students an opportunity to display their creative talents through drama and dance. It's a highlight in the school calendar as far as I am concerned. Houses compete against one another and the students create a production that melds dance, comedy,  some lip syncing,  some hammy acting and most importantly, loads of fun. It does interrupt our curriculum, but it provides the connective experience that I think is vital for schools - it is a day they will all remember, long after they leave the place.

Wouldn't it have been great if we had uploaded some of this wonderful creaative work to YouTube so the world could see how great they are and they could help to foster a positive digital footprint of themselves. Maybe next year....

So, because we can't see Tripp house's brilliant retelling of Peter Pan, we're watching Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. This was broadcast on US television last night and is the first of a series of commercials to try and get the public to see Vista in a new light. It's a bit obscure at the moment - as the series unfolds I'm sure the story will gel. I can see they are taking principles that Garr Reynolds would no doubt find interesting. They are relying on story and the connectedness that forms through this to imprint their message. Will be interesting to see how the story unfolds. (Just as an aside, apparantly Jerry was paid 10 million dollars to appear in the ads . Nice little earner!)

Enjoy your weekend. Spring is here in Melbourne and the air feels warmer. Ain't life grand!

Well, at least I did not use clip art. I did not use overly wordy slides. I did not use wild wipes and noisy animations. I knew those were non-nos. And I had some very lovely photographs to illustrate some of my points.

But now, having poked around a bit on the web for Powerpoint pointers, and discovering two of Garr Reynolds' websites, I see I have miles to go.  I'm not talking about doing fancy photoshopped art, jazzy fonts, fades, etc.  It's about simplicity, using the least possible material in the most impactful way. (His blog is called Presentation Zen - way cool. He has a book by the same name which I just ordered. I know when I need to eat humble pie.)

In one set of three slides he shows about gender inequality in Japan. First example is typical headline and bullet points. Next example says, "72% of the part-time workforce in Japan are women,"  over a dark background with a woman off to the side.   Final example (same background of woman) in HUGE text : just says 72%.   Pow!  The slide emphasizes the message graphically, but YOU are the messenger.

I'm excited about improving my skill with inspiration like this.

On Wednesday I got to hear (in person) Ewan McIntosh. He's a challenging and thoughtful educator who actually wants us to focus on the teaching and learning -with web tools, if necessary, but not exclusively and certainly not at the exclusion of deliberate and purposeful thought. His thoughtfulness came through in his post-keynote session to his respose when asked what "effective technology use" looks like. His response was elegantly complicated: there's no one way; it depends on what the teacher hopes to accomplish. These aren't his exact words, but I believe the paraphrase encapsulates the thinking there.

Earlier today John Davitt delivered his keynote about everything and nothing in a sort of stream of consciousness approach. His British wit, subtle and engaging, left the gears turning. For a bit of "what if" be sure to check out his Learning Event Generator on his main page. If you have some of your own, find his contact information there and send him an email.

Later I attended a Marc Prensky session titled "The Death of the Classroom and the Rebirth of Learning in the 21st Century: How Technology Changes the Meaning of Teaching." Especially in the past few years I've read Prensky, read what others have said about, but never heard him directly. Now I have. [Warning: Fit ahead in case you've missed the blog title above. I may have to apologize for being critical, but I can't let some of these things go.] I'm not sure my personal opinion matters too much, but I was, on a fundamental level, offended.

I regularly use my laptop to gather some background information on a speaker and this time was no exception. I found Marc Prensky's site and clicked on his blog link. At first I thought I was having connection troubles because no headings came up and no recent entries, but that's how it shows up. I'm not sure if he's changed his blog lately, but articles can only be accessed by the archive link. I couldn't use the link at the bottom to subscribe either. Okay, we all have tech issues sometimes.

Prensky has lots of experience behind him and has received a certain amount of attention for the Digital Native/Immigrant ideas. Far too many people absolutely stuff themselves with this artificial, divisive, and damaging distinction. Several, including George Siemens, Jamie McKenzie, and Gary Stager, have been critical of the distinction and David Thornburg even apologized for using it. One of my issues here is that by setting groups against each other with this kind of language only serves to widen a divide between teachers and their kids, producing at best, adversarial relationships founded in insecurity and assumed expertise. Additionally it provides some with excuses not to change by allowing them to sit back and point at the "immigrants" and how there's so much to know so why bother at all. Further, any kind of language which has such polarity becomes prejudicial, judgemental, and discriminatory. Immigrant/Native language smacks of racist talk and all we have to do is look to most any example from history to see categorizations have significant negative impacts for the categorized. By the way, teachers who struggle with new technologies are not new: did anyone else help out with the film projector, slide projector, opaque or ditto machines? I mean all the Web 2.0 items are projectors in themselves, right? I wonder if there are any documented cases of some student helping her teacher out with that new fangled fountain pen? Nothing new, Mr. Prensky.

He calls himself a visionary and futurist but used a PowerPoint with distracting animation, overused sounds, and far too much text which he often rushed through to plug his upcoming sessions. Has he read Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen? How many of us have worked with kids who discovered animation and sound effects but didn't realize how distracting they were and counseled (taught) them they could do better? The horns and excessive buzzes were annoying and many times condescending because we ignoramuses obviously couldn't get the point -maybe because we hadn't finished reading the slides. I also found it ironic hypocritical that for all his proclamations of the death of the classroom and teaching -gravestone graphic included -he still found it necessary to address us, via direct lecture and 20th century PowerPoint. Revolutionary...

Despite all these things, he received quite an ovation from a very crowded room. And, as people dispersed I heard many accolades and I wondered if some had finally found the excuses they were looking for and were relieved an MBA from Harvard and MAT from Yale told them they didn't belong in this digitally-racist world and that it was okay because the kids have all the knowledge they need.

As long as educators continue to thoughtlessly buy the immigrant/native schism, they will undermine their own credibility, impair their abilities, and destroy their capacity.

The friend.

First things first. I have to thank my great friend Helen who was kind enough to accompany me on the trip. Helen has been a close friend of mine for many years now; she knows me well and is a tremendous support to me. She always knows when I am in need of support and has been a rock. I'm deeply grateful to her for agreeing to join me. We had a wonderful time together. Really good friends are hard to find; Helen, please know how much I value you.

The presenter.

Garr Reynolds was presenting at the Wesley Conference Centre in Pitt Street. Step Two designs had organised the presentation and I was very keen to attend. I've been reading Garr's Presentation Zen blog and have watched his Authors at Google talk. His ideas make sense to me and I've tried to apply them to presentations I've made. I wanted to see if he had more to share in a 'live' presentation.

The conference room was packed. A sold out presentation. Garr looked relaxed and was an at ease presenter. Exactly the kind of message he sends out about how to present effectively. Early in the presentation he showed a slide with pictures of people reading his book 'Presentation Zen' in different locations. A woman from the audience yelled out 'that's me' and Garr asked 'Are you the teacher?' She replied, 'no' and I piped up, 'I'm the teacher'. Garr said, 'Is that you Jenny?' I couldn't believe he had remembered who I was! What a moment for a low profile blogger like me. He had us talk to other conference participants on a couple of occasions and each time people started the conversations with, 'So you're the teacher...' The audience seemed to be more the corporate set - I think I was probably the only secondary school teacher there! 

What were the things I took away with me from Garr's presentation? The idea that story is central to any presentation; story connects you to your audience and will help hold their attention. Eliminate wherever possible too much text on slides - don't follow the templates provided in PowerPoint as a guide. Probably the strongest message was to follow doh - meaning 'the way' and not the Homer Simpson variety of d'oh. Garr's doh is to follow these three principles for presentation;

Restraint

Simplicity

Naturalness

Take a look at any presentation Garr has made and these principles are obvious. I need to take note of restraint- was too tempted by the cool transitions in SlideRocket and used them too frequently. Will take note of this advice for future presentations.  

Garr spoke of books he's read that have had influence on his ideas. These included 'The McKinsey Mind', 'Rules for Revolutionaries' by Guy Kawasaki, 'Word of Mouth Marketing' by Andy Sernowitz, 'Multi Media Learning' by Richard E Mayer, 'Brain Rules' by Dr. John Medina and 'Made to Stick' by Chip and Dan Heath. Brain Rules is sitting on my bedside table as we speak and I must get to the Heath Bros. book -that's the second or third reference I've heard of late to that book- a sign I should be reading it!   

Garr was kind enough to speak with me at the end of the event and was obliging enough to have a photo taken with me. I was very pleased that I had made the effort to get to Sydney to hear him speak. Even though you can glean a vast amount of info from the Web, nothing beats human face to face interaction.

The Bridge

My last visit to Sydney was seven years ago with another good friend. She chose to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge while we were there, but I didn't do it. I was scared of heights and felt it was something I wouldn't be able to do. This time I decided to have a go at it. My Mum encouraged me; she felt I'd get something from it that I need at the moment. I'm still scared of heights, but I did some pretty serious climbing up a very steep mountain in China last year and thought I'd be able to do it. So I plucked up the resolve and booked myself in for a bridge climb.

I had an 8.55 booking so set off from the hotel at 8.20 to walk to Cumberland Street at the base of the bridge. I must have walked at least a kilometre when I realised I was heading in the wrong direction! Thank goodness for the constant supply of Sydney buses - got to Circular Quay and ran to Cumberland Street - a sight in itself! Was puffed and anxious when I got there. 10 of us had lined up for the 8.55 climb - families and couples and another solo traveller - a lovely lady named Sheila - we encouraged one another. It takes an age to get ready for a climb; you have to gear up in all manner of things and everything needs to be attached to you - there can be no possibility of anything falling off that bridge.  You do some preliminary training! and then set off. You're tethered at all times so there's no possibilty of stubling over the edge.

What an amazing experience. I didn't suffer any effects of vertigo like I thought I would. I felt pretty safe and just loved taking in the incredible views. It was a perfect winter's day -blue sky and not a hint of wind. Ed, our guide for the climb, told us that they climb even in high winds. Can't say I'd be too keen on getting up there in conditions like that. It was an empowering experience and I'm proud of myself for having a go at something that I didn't think I could do.

The blogger.     

To cap off a great day we met up with Chris Betcher in the afternoon. I first heard Chris talking in one of Jeff Utecht's SOS podcasts, and I was impressed with his depth of knowledge. I kept seeing betchaboy appear on Twitter and in blog comments so checked out his blog. It became pretty evident that this was a guy who knew what he was talking about. Chris has been participating in the Oz/NZ educators flash meetings and we've had an opportunity to see and hear one another via that medium. We made some tentative plans to catch up and I'm so glad that Chris took some time out to catch up.

We met on George Street. I was betting that Chris would be wearing a long sleeved white T-Shirt and jeans. Wrong. Black short sleeved T-Shirt and camoflague pants! Always hard to identify someone when you haven't met them face to face before but Chris was easily spotted. He looked like he does in our flash meetings and was tall as I had assumed he would be. The conversation flowed naturally from the start. At Chris' suggestion we went to the Apple store to check things out. Chris and I were heavily engaged in conversation and it was up to Helen to do the shopping!

We moved on to a coffee shop and discussed all myriad of techhy bloggy things! I had a great time; it's wonderful being able to share ideas with someone who 'gets' the things I go on about. My friends are fantastic and tolerant, but I think they get a bit bored when I start talking widgets and wikis. Chris has a wealth of knowledge and such enthusiasm; the time flew too fast. He's coming to Melbourne in August for a IWB conference so a catch up is essential.

What a wonderful three and and half days Helen and I shared. Offline for most of it, but online in terms of connections to the world we live in.  

Soeben habe ich die Lektüre beendet und möchte meinen letzten Beitrag hiermit abrunden.

1) Schau das Video

Reynolds lässt in diesem Video (Link) tatsächlich die Katze aus dem Sack. Wenn man es aufmerksam verfolgt, hat man die meisten Gedanken bereits gehört. Diese Video ist eine sehr große Hilfe für jede/n, der/die "vorne steht"!

2) Studiere das Buch

Im Buch gibt es noch verschiedene nützliche Designtipps. Vor allen Dingen bietet es super Beispiele, wie man es machen kann oder auch nicht. In Buch selbst arbeitet Reynolds mit den Methoden und Hilfen, die er vermitteln möchte.

3) Besuche seine Homepage

Auf Presentation Zen bloggt Reynolds relevante Beiträge. Wer sich für's Präsentieren interessiert, bekommt dort sehr gute Gedankenanreger und Links zu wervollen Seiten!

Zum Schluss noch etwas Kritik?

Wirklich nur ein wenig =) Reynolds betont das Geschichtenerzählen sehr. Grundsätzlich stimmte ich ihm da zu. Nur sehe ich andererseits darin auch eine kulturelle Grenze - oder vielleicht nur eine persönliche. Mein Eindruck ist, dass Angelsachsen sehr zum Geschichtenerzählen tendieren. Ich sitze dabei aber manchmal wie auf heißen Kohlen und denke: "Nun sag schon endlich, was Du willst!" Ich brauche Fakten. Viele Geschichten können mich auch müde machen.

Naja und die Sache mit dem Zen kann man auch übertreiben. Sie passt marketingmäßig derzeit gut nach Amerika und Europa. Aber Zen ist immer noch Zen und Design immer noch Design. (Ja, er schreibt im Vorwort extra, dass sein Buch, kein Zen-Buch ist).

Fazit: Dieses Buch ist ein riesen Augenöffner. Ich hoffe, dass es unsere Präsentationen und unseren Bezug dazu dauerhaft beeinflussen wird. Denn wer mag das nicht - eine richtige gute, begeisternde Präsentation?

(Bild: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/92297)

I just watched authors@google with Garr Reynolds. This man is unreal. He has a book out called

 Presentation Zen:

Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery 

and I can’t wait to get a copy of it. After watching his presentation at Google I picked up a few tips and ideas for future presentations of my own. There were some basic concepts that I had a good understanding of. Then there were some very new and innovative presentation ideas that I will not forget. I know the clip is a little lengthy but take it from me, it helps!

We all do presentations everyday whether it is one on one or in a large group setting. 

Please Stop Being Boring!

Make a few notes and tweek skills. It's a way of selling yourself and it's important.Make a few notes and tweek skills. It's a way of selling yourself and it's important.

Remember, this world is too flat to be boring!

Ich hab mir dazu ein paar Stichpunkte gemacht. Viel Spaß beim Lesen!

(Ach so... unbedingt DJs Blog lesen!!! Er schreibt jede Menge gute Beiträge)

Exzerpt von der Präsentationseinheit: Authors@Google: Garr Reynolds

- Leiter / Anleiter

o Muss kommunizieren können

o „sichtbar“ sein

o Seine Geschichte an die Leute bringen

- Präsentation macht einen Unterschied. Der Inhalt kann der gleiche sein. Das "Extra" kommt von der Präsentation. So bleibt Dein Beitrag den Leuten im Kopf.

- Menschen, die lachen, hören zu.

- Presentation Zen / Grundlagen

o Schlichtheit (simplicity)

- Design

- Inhalt (eher kürzen)

- Schlichtheit bedarf Kreativität

o Beschränkung/Einschränkung

o Natürlichkeit

o Schönheit und Nutzen gehören zusammen.

o Kreativität

- Mut zu Fehlern

- Nicht wie ein Experte, sondern wie ein Kind auf Dinge zugehen, eröffnet mehrere verschiedene Blickwinkel.

- Praktische Tipps

o Vorbereitung

- „Einen Schritt zurück“ machen. Im Abstand nachdenken.

- Was gehört dazu, was muss raus? Auswahlprozess.

- Was ist Deine Geschichte? Welche „Essenz“ möchtest Du transportieren?

- Wie prägt sich Deine Geschichte ein? Auszüge aus dem Buch „Made to stick“:

· Schlichtheit

· Unerwartetes

· Konkretion

· Glaubwürdigkeit/Vertrauenswürdigkeit

· Gefühl/Emotion

· Eine Geschichte/Handlung/Story

- Auszüge aus dem Buch „A whole new Mind“:

· Design

· Geschichte/Story erzählen

· Symphonie

· Empathie

· Spiel

· Bedeutung

- Präsentationen zeigen heißt, in erster Linie Geschichten zu erzählen! Nicht mit einer Sammlung am Computer beginnen.

- „Analog“ (Stift und Papier/Tafel) beginnen. Die Präsentation aus dem Kopf auf das Papier bringen. Das hat auch den Vorteil, dass man bei Computerproblemen trotzdem seinen Vortrag halten kann. Schließlich hat man ihn im Kopf.

- Braucht Zeit! Also diese Zeit einplanen!

o Visualisierung

- Zen Ästhetik

· Einfachheit, Schlichtheit, Klarheit, aufgeräumt

- Design ist nicht Dekoration. Design geht tiefer!

· Lies Deine Präsentationen nicht vor!

- Einen Gedanken auf die Seite stellen. Weitere Gedanken oder Stichpunkte, können im Anmerkungsteil stehen, der für das Publikum nicht sichtbar ist.

- Bilder und Text müssen eine Einheit sein. Bilder sind keine Dekoration.

- „Philosophie“ statt Methode

o Darbietung

- Nicht überziehen! Eher knapp drunter bleiben.

- Mit dem Publikum kommunizieren. In Verbindung treten.

· Gefühl/Emotion, weil Logik nicht alles ist.

o Leidenschaft, Enthusiasmus

- Ganz in der Darbietung sein. Alle Konzentration auf die Präsentation legen.

- Nicht nur am Podium stehen

- Fernbedienung nutzen

- PowerPoint bedeutet nicht Präsentation. Du bist die Präsentation.

]]> http://andrewsbookshelf.wordpress.com/?p=29 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:05:19 +0000 Andrew Lightheart http://andrewsbookshelf.com/2008/07/01/presentation-zen-simple-ideas-on-presentation-design-and-delivery-garr-reynolds/

(Link to Amazon.com - Link to Amazon.co.uk)

The book on PowerPoint that blew me away.

I saw so many people struggling with terrible PowerPoint presentations that I devoted my professional life to enabling people to NOT use it.

Garr devoted HIS to enabling people to use it as a thing of beauty.

It was such a relief to find someone talking about PowerPoint (or slideware - I know!) in a truly intelligent way.

The only book about PowerPoint worth reading. At all. Ever. Times infinity. Ever.

Genius.

I don't know quite what happened, but in 2001 I started to realise that the plan was OK, but there had to be a bit more to it. I started by moving out of my comfort zone and seeking work in new locations. I wasn't moving very far afield, but I was challenging myself by placing myself in new situations and seeing how well I coped. I found I coped really well and, in fact, I was relishing the challenge new situations presented to me. It wasn't always smooth sailing and I did encounter setbacks which knocked me around a bit, but they seemed to teach me a little more about myself and I grew in confidence as a result.

Late 2007 I started reading blogs and was subscribing to them via my Google Reader. This was a turning point for me because I started to entertain the idea that I might be able to contribute to the conversations I was reading about. So I started writing. I had no plan, other than to share knowledge. And you know what I've discovered? I've discovered that pursuing something because you have a passion for it with no predetermined outcome can take you in directions you never really thought possible.   

What's led to this moment of self reflection? It's the reading of Johnny Bunko: The last career guide you'll ever need  by Dan Pink.  I first heard about this from Garr Reynold's blog, Presentation Zen. Garr created a great slideshow about Dan's book and this prompted me to get a copy to read for myself. (Garr is conducting a seminar next Friday -4th July - at the Wesley Convention Centre in Sydney. I'm flying up to attend. Can't wait. If you're in Sydney I'd recommend you check it out. Garr has fantastic ideas about how we should present information. Invaluable for teachers.)  Here's the slideshare presentation;  

[slideshare id=372443&doc=careeradvice-1209142144854362-8&w=425]

You must read this book. IMHO, it should be required reading for students contemplating career choices. I'll certainly be plugging it at my school. For that matter, I think it should be requred reading for everybody- we all can learn from the advice metered out by Dan.

If I'd read this book in my youth perhaps I wouldn't have been so focused on the plan and would have paid more attention to the kinds of things Steve Jobs refers to in the slide above. (from Garr's presentation) Along the way I've done some of this, and following my gut has been something I've relied on more heavily as I've aged. Maybe this comes from maturity and really knowing ourselves; understanding that inherently we have some sense of what is right for us. Maybe I just needed someone to point this out to me earlier. Don't get me wrong, the plan hasn't worked out too bad; I've got two great kids and a supportive husband who is understanding throughout this blogging journey that to some extent pulls my focus away from the homefront. I feel incredibly fortunate.

Here's another slide from Garr's presentation that maps out the six key lessons from Dan Pink's book. My advice is watch Garr's excellent presentation and go and buy yourself a copy of the book. I think you'll like it.

Ela fala sobre apresentações em uma conferência transformada em podcast que pode ser assistida por completo na VizThink. Eu acabei de escutar todo ele no meu mp3 player (leia: mp3 player da minha mãe), mas tenho certeza de que com o visual deve ficar muito melhor.

A conferência pode ser assistida aqui.

Obrigado ao Garr Reynolds da Presentation Zen por apontar para esse podcast.

I’ve been thinking about that for the past few days as I’ve kayaked on Long Island Sound, just out of Mamaroneck Harbor.

Otter Creek, behind our house, is a tidal creek that serpentines out to Mamaroneck Harbor:

Some of the many types of birds and water fowl that hang out on the rocks:

Long Island Sound, facing Long Island – Larchmont, New Rochelle, and eventually NYC to the right; Rye and Greenwich to the left:

Greeted by an egret upon returning to Otter Creek (yes, it's said there used to be otters swimming in this creek):

There’s no doubt that my most creative thinking happens when I am not thinking about the topic in question. While that could be during any number of activities, it typically seems to be during recreational moments, such as kayaking or lap swimming or taking long walks. Interestingly, when I’m fully engaged in yoga, the breathing has me so focused that there is no room in my brain for any other thoughts to enter. The same is true for when I'm drawing or sketching; I am so absorbed in the process that my brain silences all other thoughts.

The June/July 2008 issue of Scientific American Mind includes a panel interview with three people who focus on creativity: John Houtz, psychologist and professor; Julia Cameron, poet, playwright and filmmaker; and Robert Epstein, former editor of Psychology Today and currently a visiting scholar. How to Unleash Your Creativity is an interesting discussion between the three of them and interviewer Mariette DiChristina, executive editor of Scientific American and Scientific American Mind.

Each of these individuals has similar approaches to stimulating their creativity, and all of them seem to get off the grid, meaning they walk away from whatever it is they are thinking about. They “take breaks and learn to use them strategically; use daydreams as sources of new ideas.”

I spend a lot of time using my computer, not only related to school but also writing and blogging, and communicating with friends and family via email, iChat or web pages. In this past year much has been written in the press about email and related technology information overload; it’s even become a big topic on the tech listservs I read.

The solution – Get Off the Grid. It’s not quite as easy as it sounds, but for those who manage to do it, I’m willing to bet all sorts of interesting ideas will pop into your head.

Things have changed for me in terms of presentation style since Adelaide. I've become a convert of Garr Reynold's approaches to presentation and as a result have spent some time reworking the slides so that it is visual rather than text driven with bullet points. I've also had access to SlideRocket so have reworked the presentation using this new application. (Reading their blog suggests that the public beta release may be soon!)

SlideRocket continues to impress me. I'm loving what you can do with images. When you insert a picture you can upload from your computer or can select to upload from Flickr or Yahoo. If you choose Flickr you can select to use creative commons pictures. The pictures to select from load from within SlideRocket - far easier than moving out of the application to Flickr itself. You can easily scroll through options. When you find what you want you double click on the picture and it uploads to your slide.  When you hover your mouse over the image the photo credit details appear. Brilliant! Acknowledgement for the creators is immediately apparant.

Each time I use it I discover more cool features. It doesn't support wmv files so I've had to convert the files i'm using to flv format. I did this by uploading them to YouTube and then saving them as an flv using keepvid. Zamzar probably would have been faster, but i've never uploaded to YouTube before so have learnt something that will be useful in the process. Now when I get students to upload I'll know what I'm doing. Always an asset to look knowledgeable! 

When I've finished I'll upload the presentation here so you can take a look. Not tonight - getting very late again!!

I came across this fascinating presentation via Garr Reynolds Presentation Zen blog.  If you're not reading Garr yet you should be. He's coming to Sydney in a couple of weeks and I'm hoping to get there to soak up his Zen advice about presenting and engaging your audience.

The video is a Cisco presentation held in Bangalore, India. John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, has Marthin De Beer, Senior Vice President of the Emerging Technology group,  appear on stage using Telepresence. Marthin was in San Jose at the time and appeared on stage as a holographic image. It's very effective and opens our eyes to the potential use of technology like this. It would enable us to have face to face conversations, interacting as we would do in any real life situation except for the ability to physically touch the participant.

The Human Productivity Lab explains how they did it;

The Musion display technology is similar to the tech that telepresence provider Digital Video Enterprises uses for their seamless tele-immersion room.  A sheet of Musion's patented, transparent Eye-liner foil is stretched across the stage.  The ultra high-definition image of Marthin De Beer and Chuck Stucki are captured in San Jose and the images of the virtual humans are then transported over the Human Network to be displayed in Bangalore.

Imagine the impact on conference participation. Keynote speakers wouldn't have to jump on planes and travel halfway around the world. You'd just need a venue and your session leaders could particpate using telepresence. I'm going to be watching the NECC conference with interest; I'm not going, but I'm sure that I'm going to feel like a part of the event with participants ustreaming, live blogging, posting detail on Wikis and tweeting what they're learning to their networks. In years to come will we even have to go to conferences like NECC, or will we be able to have a virtual presence using these new and innovative technologies?

There is a longer version of the Cisco Telepresence presentation that you can watch here.  John and Marthin talk of how this technology is going to transform business and the length of time it will take to get product to market. They also refer to the use of Wikis as a mass collaboration platform to enable creativity and innovation. Cisco has an internal ideas wiki that has apparantly led to new innovations taking root. 

Watching this has cemented my belief that it is necessary to empower our students with an understanding of these networking tools. We have many wikis in operation at our school now across many year levels. They're still a new idea for many and some work better than others, but I think it's essential that our students learn the nature of them and how to utilise them to best effect to benefit all. This is the business model they will be walking into when they enter their working life. Surely they are going to be a step ahead of the pack if they have exposure during their formative years.

Isn't it our job as educators to prepare them for the future? We need to be making sure our schools are shifting into this 21st century. Let's use the tools they are going to find when they start their working life. Let's make school relevant.  

Bert Decker

Bert Decker is a national communications expert, best selling author and entrepreneur, founding the communications training company Decker Communications, Inc. He has been featured in the NY Times, Business Week, 20/20, as well as being the communications commentator for the NBC TODAY Show for the Presidential Debates. Bert wrote this great post on the 10 Best and Worst Communicators of 2007

Top Ten Best (and Worst) Communicators of 2007

This year's List of Top Communicators highlights the best (and worst) from business, politics, entertainment and sports. Take a look to see how communications skills helped make or break these notable individuals.

THE BEST

1. Gov. Mike Huckabee - What but for communicating would get a presidential candidate so far so fast?

A few months ago Huckabee was almost an unknown. Now he is a front runner for the Republican Presidential nomination, and“ probably the fastest rise ever from relative obscurity to the cover of the weekly newsmagazines. Governor Huckabee is open in style, authentic, natural and amazingly great at thinking (and speaking) on his feet. He tells stories, and connects with people. (See more detail here.) Powerful tools when you have to build trust and credibility visually, quickly and mostly through TV. And powerful tools for a leader. Although he has a conservative constituency, they alone could not get him this far this fast. It is his communicating.

2. Dr. Mehmet Oz - He became "America's Doctor" in one short year, because of his communications (and Oprah of course.)

He is a unique personality, fast eyes, crisp words forcefully put - when he talks about alcohol he says œhangover with a hard G. The communication experience he delivers is a man of the people - trusted by the people. He makes a good case for Dress & Appearance - always in surgical scrubs when on Oprah. He is able to synthesize complex health/medical discussions into something tangible - he talks at our level. Add to that straightforward and down to earth advice, funny and real - you have a real (and media) superstar.

3. Al Gore - even if he hadn't won the Academy Award, Al Gore would get the communicator's comeback of the year award.

In a few short years he transformed himself as a speaker by becoming open vs closed, vulnerable vs. distant, fluid vs. stiff. He worked at it, and even though he did not 'invent the internet,' he did invent 'global warming.' Or his film 'An Inconvenient Truth' gave it the exposure to get in the popular vernacular. But it was Gore himself as narrator of the film who did the job (with a little help from our friends at Duarte Design (see Best Communicators #9 for the importance of visual support in communicating.) Some people think Al Gore deserves the Presidency. I don't know about that, but he does deserve his many awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize and a top communicator of the year. Who would have thunk it?

4. Ben Zander -“ this great musical conductor is not only brilliant, he is one of the most sought after speakers on the 'circuit.'

Contrary to popular belief, there really is no 'speaking circuit,' as groups and organizations hire speakers very independently. But if there was one, Ben Zander would be the darling. He speaks on leadership, teamwork and creativity in an original style, yet he is a world-renown musician and conductor. A master at creativity

- he expresses himself with reckless abandon - and makes the case as well as anyone that communication rides energy. As one audience member said, "Trying to describe what Ben Zander does in front of a large audience is like trying to capture the essence of electricity - it crackles, it sparks..."

5. Maria Bartiromo - recent controversy aside, Maria Bartiromo is one of the most articulate, attractive and animated TV commentators around.

She knows her subject well, and has ridden her stint as financial commentator to a news anchor and respected interviewer on CNBC and nationally. Her distinctive style, with a slight New York accent, powerful voice, and eye communications are even more causative of her rise to fame than her full lips. Even when confronted with recent controversy, her confident communicating enabled her to overcome adverse publicity. She will be around for a long time.

6. Tony Dungy - a quiet style, he speaks softly yet carries a big stick.

He was the first NFL Coach to defeat all other 32 NFL teams. He won a Super Bowl and his Indianapolis Colts are contending again this year. Author of the best selling "Quiet Strength," Tony Dungy is forceful as a person, coach and man. When his son James tragically died in 2005, he spoke up about it, and was vulnerable. When he wanted to put his beliefs up front, he did so with firm conviction. For when he speaks, he is low key but carries a big stick. Big enough to tame the mightiest of football players.

7. Glenn Beck - an unknown except in radio until the last couple of years, Beck is really made for TV.

'First Brain Friendly' is a term almost invented for Glenn as he always has a ready smile even amidst strong diatribes. The first communicator to get his own steady hour show on the instant and pop-corny CNN Headline News, he interviews extremely well, is fast on his thinking feet, and is personally vulnerable, which make for great communication attributes.

8. Dr. Jim Dobson -This conservative Christian commentator speaks out on unpopular issues with a force and power of content that belays his soft and humble style.

I heard Dr. Dobson in a speech this year and was amazed at his impact without seemingly raising his voice. He would just be a good ministry leader if he did not shy away from also being an active voice. He embodies our leadership concept of 'œforward lean.' In this blog account, there are more reasons Dobson excels as a communicator in person, on radio and in print and books.

9. Steve Jobs, Guy Kawasaki, Garr Reynolds - power in supporting visuals.

Here we have three top notch communicators at varying degrees of public impact, but ALL sharing brilliant use of visuals as PowerPoint (or Keynote) support. Steve Jobs was singled out as #1 of the Top Ten two years ago, and could justifiably be so again with his brilliant introduction of the iPhone. Guy Kawasaki was in the Top Ten last year, and deserves it again for consistency of speaking, knowing speaking, and knowing human impact. (And having the biggest blog in the communications arena.) Garr Reynolds is new to the list, but probably is the best at knowing all there is to know about design and PowerPoints, and is just out with his great new book 'Presentation Zen.' (See his blog of the same name so you too can use PowerPoint support the way it's supposed to be used.)

10. Oprah Winfrey -“ the only reason she's number 10 this year is because she's been on the list in past years.

And she probably deserves to be on each year's Ten Best Communicators list since she is so good, so versatile, and rather than reinventing herself she builds on what she has already created. She isn't afraid of risking, in communicating and in life. She spoke up sharply and with power when there was scandal in her Foundation, and no doubt will continue to be a role model for great communications because of her energy, vulnerability and consistency.

Continue on for the Ten Worst by clicking the linkHere