This year's Internet Developer's Forum was a miserable place for presentations*. I will talk about what went wrong there in my next post, but I want to start on a positive note. The one shining light in the blue room yesterday was Filip Hracek, Developer Relations at Google. Out of all of the presenters, he seemed to be the only one that knew what a presentation should be and why it's so important.
There are three areas in which he excelled. Here they are.
Opening & Closing
I knew immediately when he began that his presentation was going to be a good one. He started off with a question and a brilliant set of photos. That got our attention and piqued our interest. He also looked directly at the audience and was clearly talking WITH us instead of talking TO us - there is such a difference!
He closed his presentation with a clear summary. His slide stated, 'What did I say?'. And, instead of just listing his agenda points, he told us what was important about them. Basically, he was telling us what we should remember about his presentation - that's exactly what a summary should be!
Interaction
He was the only presenter that truly connected with the audience. He understood who his audience was - young, tech-savvy individuals - and he created his presentation around that fact. He asked questions like, 'Does anyone already know this?' or 'Has anyone used this yet?' . When most of the people in the room raised their hands, he immediately modified his presentation to get to the heart of his point instead of explaining something that the audience already knew or had experienced. This is SO important in a technical presentation. Of course, you have to be prepared for the possibility that no one, everyone or half of the audience raises their hands, but the extra preparation can make all the difference.
Slides
Filip didn't use ONE bullet point slide. This was so refreshing after sitting through so many all morning. He used photos or just a few words on a slide. He also used his slides for some great quotations to make us think and to help him expand on his point. He jumped from the quotation to some very vivid examples. It was such an effective way to use this tool! Filip's example illustrates exactly the way slides should be used! Get your audience curious about your point and then TALK to them. Don't make them try to read and listen at the same time - it doesn't work!
Filip's performance proves that even a technical presentation doesn't have to be boring. There were a lot of possibilities for the sponsors of the Internet Developer's Forum to connect with their customers, share knowledge and expand their tribe, but the only company, in my opinion, that took advantage of this opportunity was Google. Sending Filip to be their representative for the day was an excellent choice. Bravo, Filip! Thanks for saving the conference for me!
*I am only referring to the presentations in the 'blue room'. There were workshops going on in the 'red room', but I couldn't be in both places at the same time...There are three areas in which he excelled. Here they are.
Opening & Closing
I knew immediately when he began that his presentation was going to be a good one. He started off with a question and a brilliant set of photos. That got our attention and piqued our interest. He also looked directly at the audience and was clearly talking WITH us instead of talking TO us - there is such a difference!
He closed his presentation with a clear summary. His slide stated, 'What did I say?'. And, instead of just listing his agenda points, he told us what was important about them. Basically, he was telling us what we should remember about his presentation - that's exactly what a summary should be!
Interaction
He was the only presenter that truly connected with the audience. He understood who his audience was - young, tech-savvy individuals - and he created his presentation around that fact. He asked questions like, 'Does anyone already know this?' or 'Has anyone used this yet?' . When most of the people in the room raised their hands, he immediately modified his presentation to get to the heart of his point instead of explaining something that the audience already knew or had experienced. This is SO important in a technical presentation. Of course, you have to be prepared for the possibility that no one, everyone or half of the audience raises their hands, but the extra preparation can make all the difference.
Slides
Filip didn't use ONE bullet point slide. This was so refreshing after sitting through so many all morning. He used photos or just a few words on a slide. He also used his slides for some great quotations to make us think and to help him expand on his point. He jumped from the quotation to some very vivid examples. It was such an effective way to use this tool! Filip's example illustrates exactly the way slides should be used! Get your audience curious about your point and then TALK to them. Don't make them try to read and listen at the same time - it doesn't work!
Filip's performance proves that even a technical presentation doesn't have to be boring. There were a lot of possibilities for the sponsors of the Internet Developer's Forum to connect with their customers, share knowledge and expand their tribe, but the only company, in my opinion, that took advantage of this opportunity was Google. Sending Filip to be their representative for the day was an excellent choice. Bravo, Filip! Thanks for saving the conference for me!
© 2011 Jeanne Trojan. All rights reserved
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