I think I witnessed the worst PowerPoint presentation ever!

This presentation was so bad that I found myself taking notes about the presentation and not about the content of the talk. Here’s what I wrote:

  • Arrived late.
  • Presenter was never in the room before so he/she didn’t know where the outlets were.
  • Presenter wasn’t sure of the level of the workshop that he/she was about to give.
  • Sat alongside table throughout.
  • Held up photos that were too small to see.
  • No apparent order to slides.
  • Unable to use the projector.
  • Rambling speech.
  • Showed pictures that were Googled…none of the presenter’s own (even though this was a photography workshop).
  • Computer’s screensaver was on for at least half of the presentation.

Unfortunately, I stayed until the end. This is why PowerPoint gets a bad rap. A tool in the wrong hands can be a terrible thing.

The most important 10 seconds of any speech…

The most important 10 seconds of any speech is not the first 10 seconds that you are speaking, nor is it the last 10 seconds. It doesn’t even occur during the speech at all! It’s the 10 seconds before you start speaking.

During that 10 second period you need to do 5 things:

1. Make sure you are set. The mike should be adjusted, your notes and/or props are in order, your computer and projector are set properly.

2. Make sure the audience is ready. If they aren’t silently wait.

3. Look out at the audience confidently. This isn’t a hanging! Remember, they came to hear you.

4. Think of what you want to say first.

5. Smile (unless it’s a sad occasion).

You’re ready…start!

10 Tips for Starting Your Speech

The first minute of a speech is critical. Here are 10 suggestions to make that minute better.

1. Be prepared! If you’re not prepared, you shouldn’t be there to talk!

2. Memorize what you are going to say first!

3. Before you say anything, make sure you are ready. They’ll wait for the few seconds it takes to get your papers or props in order.

4. Start with something catchy.

5. Don’t start by thanking people.

6. Look into the audience when you start talking. Don’t start by looking down at your notes.

7. Wear comfortable clothes. Don’t wear new shoes.

8. If you’re really nervous hold a pen and use it for gestures.

9. Assume that the President, the Pope, and your Mom are in the audience and do the best you can.

10. Before you say anything say to yourself, “This is going to be the best speech I ever gave! They are lucky to be here!”

You’re ready…go for it!

 

Mother Nature Knows

It’s been a crazy spring for the garden. Some plants are way ahead of schedule while others are behind. Mother Nature seems to know what she’s doing in spite of the fact that the weather isn’t behaving the way we expect. Temperatures are down. It’s too bad there isn’t a course in Mother Nature in school. We’d all learn plenty about creativity from her.

Actionivities for the classroom…

Action is needed in today’s classrooms. Here are some things that can be done that are interesting, educational, and fun!

Act out a play.

Apply for a grant.

Arrange a debate.

Build a board game.

Brainstorm it.

Conduct and evaluate a survey.

Construct a crossword puzzle.

Correspond with people far away.

Create a code.

Create a newsletter.

Create a timeline.

Create a Twitter project.

Create a Web quest.

Create a Web site.

Interview someone.

Learn HTML.

Let students teach it.

Make a game.

Make a video.

Make a Web Quest.

Mindmap it.

Organize a discussion.

Outline it.

Organize a Post-it project.

Prepare a speech.

Publish a newspaper.

Read a book.

Record your own radio show.

Send an email newsletter.

Surf the Smithsonian Web site.

Start a blog.

Use a Venn diagram.

Volunteer.

Write a historic novel.

Write a letter-to-the-editor.

Write a play.

Write a song and record it.

Write a short story.

Write an article.

Write an ebook.

Just one more day…

In the past week, I received two special emails. Both were pleasant surprises. Both asked me to do things that I would love to do. And both arrived at a time I was just about to pack in things I’ve been working on for years. I was even about to delete the email account that each of them was sent to.

Sometimes, I guess, hanging on for just one more day may be very worthwhile. It was for me.

As for the details of the emails…I’ll let you know about ‘em soon.

It feels a little like I’m writing a mystery story with my own cliff hanger. Stay tuned … :)

Does your school need a commercial?

220px-Sony_mavica_fd5_cleanedWay back in the late 1990s I suggested that teachers use Sony Mavica video cameras. Unfortunately, the Mavicas used 3.5″ discs (remember those). The problem was that you could only record for 60 seconds before the disc was filled. The solution that I suggested was that students could design a 60 second commercial about their class, school, or anything! Many teachers used the idea. Today, of course, videos can be as long as you want. However, the idea of creating a short commercial-like video still sounds like a good one … at least to me.

Try it in your classroom. You can your students might like it.

Memories vs. Art

What goes into a good photograph? For some folks, photography is simply the recording of memories. Getting it as accurately as possible is their goal. For others, photography is a way to express their artistic sides. They aren’t satisfied with merely recording a scene, they want to interpret it.

Over the years, the methods used to record images have changed drastically. In the beginning, photographers had to mix their chemicals. Later on film was invented making the process much easier, and much less deadly. Now we have digital cameras that make it even easier.

A strange phenomenon has taken place. The digital camera users seem to look down upon the users of film…and vice versa. Do they think that Mathew Brady or Ansel Adams would have insisted on using the cameras that they had and not use the modern digital cameras? Would Mathew Brady want to carry fifty or more pounds of gear and develop pictures in a tent rather than snap a digital image and move on? Would Ansel Adams want to carry his 8×10 view cameras and wait days or weeks before he could see his images rather than take a digital image and move on to the next mountain peak? Would either of them have hated Photoshop, even though it would have made their pictures better?

Photographers should worry less about how they take their pictures and more about taking good pictures. Both memories and art can be recorded with whatever camera you happen to be using, be it a Holga, Polaroid, Nikon, or iPhone.