I had the opportunity this week to share a morning with some extraordinary educators in one of John Hendron’s summer tech classes. This one was specifically designed to enhance our ability to navigate Keynote and create more powerful, memorable presentations.
As always, John was stellar. The class was engaging and I learned a ton – namely:
- It cannot be said enough: less is always much, much more when designing slides. There’s nothing worse than a presentation in which someone reads a heavy-print slide to a heavy-laden audience…
- Look for themes in your graphics. Catchy, provocative images are useful – and always better than text – but they should, themselves, tell a story. Try to integrate them around a theme.
- Change is good. Don’t be afraid to use the transition effects to enhance your audience’s reception of your points, especially where bullets are concerned. Having key words dance behind you onto a tastefully sparse screen while you elaborate from your own anecdotes is energizing for your audience. Don’t just throw up a bulleted list – make it artistic.
I’m looking forward to my next presentation, putting to work the great tips I picked up from this class. We are fortunate in GCPS to have access to such exemplary training.
Thanks, John!
