In the last two weeks of class, we have talked about effective presentations in preparation for our client presentations at the end of the semester. And I have to say, I wish I had known about ted.org sooner. Browsing through the “ideas worth sharing,” I stumbled upon a talk by Jonathan Harris, entitled “The Web’s Secret Stories.” While there are a few problems that I have with his presentation style, such as the many, many “um”s, overall, I thought the presentation was a wonderful example of different ways to present data.
Most of his presentation focused on a site called “We Feel Fine.” This site looks at blogs posted throughout the world every few minutes, and picks up on any sentence that includes the phrases “I feel,” or “I am feeling.” From here, it creates a database represented by floating orbs that characterize this unique blogosphere into the different feelings that are actually being felt. It is a unique way to present data that encapsulates so many people and emotions in one cohesive, easy-to-manage site.
Harris also spoke of an event in Albuquerque, New Mexico that featured a world-wide time capsule projected into the night sky. Here, Harris presented photos to capture the mood of the event and of the project. These photos were very effective in presenting an event that focused on significant moments throughout the world. He used no text in his presentation, but instead used media and photos to accompany his spoken message.
Since our discussions in class on effective presentations, what ideas have you come upon that are inspiring to your client presentations? What do you feel is an effective way to present data, and make it memorable? Share links to your favorite presentations that you can see really affecting your future presentations.
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At first, his presentation almost lost me. I was confused where he was going with it, but once he got past the first few minutes and the initial “ums” I found myself completely captivated. The 17 minutes felt like five because that’s how good it was. As far as my own client presentation, I felt from his presentation I would use alot of graphics to keep the audience’s attention as he did. I was not a fan of his shirt, so I’m sure I would wear something more appealing. Also, I found myself laughing quite a bit during his presentation, and humor is definitely something I would like to add. However, one way I would make my presentation memeorable which, I thought he could have used in his, is audience participation. Other than that, it was put together well and effective in telling his message.
Comment by ambrewe1 — October 7, 2008 @ 8:56 am |