I’ve seen Malcolm Gladwell speak and he’s quite good. So it was with interest that I read , The secrets of Malcolm Gladwell. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but I did find this last bit quite interesting. I tend to be the guy who doesn’t prepare (spontaneity is fun!), and I am believing that needs to change.

“I know it may not look like this. But it’s all scripted. I write down every word and then I learn it off by heart. I do that with all my talks and I’ve got lots of them”

…

He is not giving a speech or a lecture – he is giving a performance. And like any good actor, he knows that you have to learn your lines.

If you do any type of presenting I highly recommend picking up a copy of Presentation Zen. While you’re at it, check out Garr Reynolds website, www.presentationzen.com. My highlights from the book follow.

(more…)

As I mentioned awhile back I attended the Presenting Data and Information Seminar by Edward Tufte. I’m currently going through an exercise where I’m trying to best present information, so I thought it’d be a good time to revisit (and type up) my notes.

(more…)

One sunday morning a few months ago I was flipping the stations and The Christ Matthews show came on. During the broadcast, they mentioned something about Michael Sheehan, “…messaging guru and media trainer, Obama’s speech coach anddebate coach, to work with Geithner.” That blurb, along with “he does things like stand on your chest while you’re talking”, really got me curious about the guy. New York Magazine profiled Sheehan and how he turned Timothy Geithner’s presentation skills around.

He (Sheehan) has a glandular understanding of words, how they sound and what they mean, and teaches people, very effectively, how to deliver the words so that their bodies, their voices, and their overall appearances are emotionally consonant with the medium and the message. He has an unmistakable gift for wringing better performances out of his speakers, no matter how shy or introspective or simply not cut out for the public role they may be.

A couple year’s ago I attended Edward Tufte’s class Presenting Data and Information seminar (highly recommended). His seminar was very eye-opening and since then I’ve been quite a fanboy. I try to incorporate his methods in everything I do. I was pleased to find these copious notes on Tufte’s class. I took some notes and have spent some time highlighting passages from his four books that I’ll document at some point here. Also worth checking out is his essay on PowerPoint.

I understand that PowerPoint is a necessary evil, but I loathe the bullet-point heavy presentations most people put out there. (Hint, go check out Presentation Zen to change that). Edward Tufte (infographics rockstar!), who also loathes PowerPoint, notes that Microsoft is steering away from using its own product.