Presentation Zen

Carolyn Knox, Ph.D.April 2007

Lawrence Lessig

(Stanford law professor)

created a

new presentation style.

CEO Dick Hardt built on Lessig’s presentation style.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Author Seth Godin’s presentations tend to be spare, to the point, and dramatic--like this…

http://www.sethgodin.com/ideavirus/presentation/sld001.htm

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Venture capitalist and author, Guy Kawasaki, reveals good PowerPoint design in this progression…

This hard-to-read slide with irrelevant clipart…

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

…and this almost equally inelegant slide…

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

were changed to this slide and…

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

…to this slide (used with a good handout) and…

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

…this slide and…

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

…this slide.

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

A Japanese programmer, Masayoshi Takahashi uses only HUGE TEXT in his presentations…

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

…emphasizing only the most important words. This slide means, “easy to see.”

This slide means, “history.”

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Presentation zen is about being simple not simplistic:

a few words

clear, simple images

at the top,

all aligned around one line.

Each slide has a clear message.