Presentations Roundtable

Three More Keynotes

2008-11-17T04:04:00Z

How much did the professional presentations business change in the last year?

We recently sat down with three giants in the field of creating effective and compelling presentations; Slideology author Nancy Duarte, Distinction Services's Jim Endicott, and Julie Terberg of Terberg design - three keynote speakers at the PowerPoint Live 2008 conference.
It seemed like a great time to catch up on how the presentations business has been doing. Is "death by PowerPoint" in remission? Is there hope at last, and what role are colleges and recent graduates playing here? How do you calculate cost of a bad presentation? What's your pre-presentation game plan? What's different about web-based presentations?

We'll cover all that, and more in this episode.

Listen Now (click the play button below) or Subscribe!

Show Links

Nancy Duarte of Duarte Design
Jim Endicott of Distinction Services
Julie Terberg of Terberg Design
Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte
The Ted Conference
The Computer History Museum
Microsoft Roundtable
Cisco Telepresencel

Photos by Rik Flohr

What is MVP Disease?

2008-10-19T16:42:00Z

Echo and Julie		What is MVP disease? And more important, how do you benefit from it? The annual PowerPoint Live conference is a regular opportunity to catch up with some of our favorite presentations professionals, and to record a few podcasts of course. In this first of two episodes we sit down for a session with a record SEVEN commentators. These are the PowerPoint MVPs, an amazing group of volunteers who spend their time and energy helping you out with advice and solutions through web sites and the PowerPoint newsgroups. At PowerPoint Live they help keep the conference running by presenting and running an amazing help center for the duration of the conference, but they still found time to sit down for a great chat.
Troy and Steve		Listen Now (click the play button below) or Subscribe! Links The Microsoft MVP Program: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/ Finding help with the PowerPoint Newsgroups: http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00024.htm The PPT Live Conference: http://www.pptlive.com
John and Sandy		Dramtis personæ Echo Swinford www.echosvoice.com John Wilson www.PPTAlchemy.co.uk Julie Terberg www.terbergdesign.com Sandra Johnson www.presentationwiz.biz SteveRindsberg www.rdpslides.com Todd Dunn www.linkedin.com Troy Chollar www.tlccreative.com/
Ric		So long Brian... All photos by Troy Chollar, used with permission.

Delayed, but almost here...

2008-10-13T04:21:00Z

Well, the next podcast is in sight, delayed slightly, but worth the wait. A huge session with more speakers than ever, over seven guests talking about what it means to be in the PowerPoint MVP program, is in post-edit production. (Translation: the main show audio is edited, but I'm too sleepy right now to finish the production edit.

The show will post in a day or so, so come back and listen! In the meantime, here's a sneak peek from the show...

Left to right, John Wilson, Sandra Johnson, Echo Swinford, Julie Terberg, Ric Bretschneider, Troy Chollar, and Steve Rindsberg at the microphones. (Not pictured, Todd Dunn).

Photo and 3D stitching by Troy Chollar

Next up: Two New Podcasts from PowerPoint Live 2008

2008-09-30T14:36:00Z

OK, we're getting back to the roots here.

The first set of Presentations Roundtable podcasts I produced were recorded at the PowerPoint Live 2007 conference in New Orleans about a year ago. Well, September was a busy month, a lot of extra activity due to PowerPoint Live 2008. This year returning to San Diego California, we recorded two sessions which are currently in post-production.

The first is a pretty wild session with a large group of PowerPoint MVPs - these are the "Most Valuable Professionals" who, although they don't actually work for Microsoft, spend an enormous amount of time supporting the product and it's customers. You won't find a more concentrated group of true PowerPoint experts anywhere. And they're a pretty roudy group. We break our "number of people at the roundtable" record with this session!

The second session brings together three of my favorite experts on presenting and design. Julie Terberg, Jim Endicott, and Nancy Duarte reprise their recording session from last year. This is a great opportunity to reflect on the state of presentations and how it's changed over the last twelve months.

Expect to see the PPT MVP roundtable up this weekend.

-Ric

Remembering Brian

2008-09-28T21:56:00Z

I'm repeating a blog I wrote earlier this week for the PowerPoint Team Blog. I don't usually cross paths on content, but I hope you'll forgive me this one, personal moment. -Ric

Pardon me for a somewhat personal departure from our usual topics, but I think it’s important to note that Brian is no longer here to help us continue developing new versions of PowerPoint for you.

Brian Reilly passed from this world last week. Brian was a PowerPoint MVP; a Most Valued Professional. And you really should have known Brian.

In 2002 I took on the responsibility for managing the PowerPoint team communications with our MVPs. This was not a reward, we had a pretty rocky relationship with the MVPs at that time, mostly because no one on the team had really spent any time figuring out what the program was about or how we might profit from the relationship. That’s changed a lot over the years, but at the time it was a somewhat frightening assignment.

Most vocal among the PowerPoint MVPs was a guy named Brian Reilly. He had the reputation of being rude and annoyingly persistent, and of not taking no for an answer. His mails, the only contact I’d had with him, were very blunt in telling us where we’d gone wrong in developing the product. I set up our first MVP group phone conference with more than a little concern about what Brian would say.

The meeting started and after a few minutes of listening I realized one thing about Brian. It wasn’t that he was willfully rude or abusive. He was just a “typical New Yorker,” and there was nothing really personal in his assessment of our situation. I realized I could deal with this, and we went on to develop a really productive and enjoyable relationship.

Brian was loved among the MVP program, in the way you can only love a paradox. Impish and mischievous one moment, dead serious and analytical another, and always looking to make sure everyone was taken care of, that no one was left behind, left out, or unrecognized in their achievements.

In the last couple of years New York city has become a personal favorite vacation spot for my family. Brian showed up on our first day there teach us the city, walking us up and down the streets and avenues, explaining how they worked, how to ride the subway, how to get lost in Greenwich Village. To this day my son still quotes Brian about how “in New York, it’s dinner time when you want to eat dinner.”

I miss him already, and the thought that I will no longer get his insights and advice, or be the subject of his jokes or pranks… will have its effect for quite a while.

You should know Brian was a fierce advocate for you, the PowerPoint user. Your work in PowerPoint is made easier because he was just such a unique person. I’m sorry that most of you never had a chance to meet him, or thank him.

Brian is survived by his brothers Joe and Bill, and his sister Mary Horton. Those of us who knew Brian will be observing a minute of silence on Sunday the 28th, 8am Pacific in Seattle and California, 11am Eastern Daylight in New York and Cincinnati, 4pm British Summer Time in London and Surrey, and 8:30pm Coordinated Universal time +5:30 hrs in Chennai, India.

If you have the opportunity to join us for that moment, wherever you are, please do.

Ric Bretschneider
September 26, 2008

My PowerPoint Summer: Five Intern Tales

2008-08-27T03:51:00Z

What's it like to work on the world's leading presentation software program... for three months?

	This episode is a bit of a change of pace, as we take advantage of a pretty geeky opportunity to talk with five guys who chose to spend their summer vacation interning on the Microsoft PowerPoint development team. Direct from the Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus,
	we sit down with (pictured left to right) Trevor Florence, Nirav Sanghani, Mike Rodgers, Jesse Harvey, and Luiz Franca Pereira Filho to learn all about their Microsoft California Summer adventure. It's a fun and informative change of pace episode. Enjoy!

Listen Now (click the play button below) or Subscribe!

Links mentioned in the podcast, and a few more:

Microsoft's Silicon Valley Campus

PowerPoint Team: Introducing the 2008 Summer Interns

Nirav Sanghani

Jesse Harvey

Trevor Florence

Mike Rodgers

Luiz Pereira

How Would You Move Mount Fuji?: Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle -- How the World's Smartest Companies Select the Most Creative Thinkers by William Poundstone

Slide:ology - It's Out Now!

2008-08-13T03:21:00Z

The big brown UPS truck stopped by today. It always seems like a good omen when UPS rolls up the street - it's always something we want to see, to have, to share with others.

Today was no exception. A flat heavy box. Torn open... a very nice surprise: Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. After so many months of anticipation, here it is at last.

I know I've said this before, but this is a book you need. If you haven't listened to Nancy Duarte, Doug Neff, and Michael Moon discuss the origins, content, and future of Slide:ology, you should go back and check it out.

Still not convinced? Follow the link
to Amazon and click on the picture of the book cover marked Search Inside. Click the "Surprise Me" link in the table of contents. This will make a random jump into the book content. You'll have trouble finding a page that won't entice you to read further and further.

Ah the smell of a new book...

And the Duarte team keeps on giving. The Slide:ology web site and blog launched! Even without buying the book you can check out much of the materials that went into the book, along with additional content, training, resources and links, and a fairly regularly blog. Nancy, Doug and Michael have been tag-teaming through a series of personal, entertaining, and educational entries. Again, very much worth your time.

Now, for those of you who are saying "OK, I get it, I've ordered it, get on with the next subject!" Thanks for reading this far. Yes, I hear you. Moving on. The next podcast is recorded, being edited, and probably out after a short weekend trip. The biggest roundtable yet! Six voices all taking about their unique experiences with PowerPoint this summer. It s a fun change-up discussion that I'm anxious to share with you.

Until then, happy Summer reading!
-Ric

Slide:ology - The Duarte Manifesto

2008-07-28T05:55:00Z

If you remember one thing, it should be the title: Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations.

I've said before, you need this book. I've been fortunate enough to have read a recent draft and it's great: a visual and intellectual treat for the presenter. Whether you're a presentation novice, or feel like the podium is your home away from home, this set of tools for creating amazing slides is going to be your go-to reference and inspiration for a very long time.

What role did the Las Vegas Bellagio play in establishing the structure of the book. What's with that colon? How did a how-to book turn into a manifesto? Learn why slide composition is like theater set design, and how you might contribute to the future history of visual communications.

Slide:ology will be out in early August. For now, get a sneak peek into Slide:ology by eavesdropping on the folks who wrote the "The Duarte Manifesto."

Listen Now (click the play button below) or Subscribe!

Left to right, Doug Neff, Nancy Duarte, Michael Moon

And, as promised, here are the links mentioned in the podcast, and a few more:

Duarte Design

The Duarte Staff Page

     Slide:ology - The Blog

     O'Reilly Press

   O'Reilly Press Slide:ology page

     Duarte Webinar for VizThink

     Duarte Keynote for PowerPoint Live 2007

     The Bellagio - Las Vegas

Slide:ology will be available in early August

The Book You Need

2008-07-13T20:53:00Z

Remember this title: Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations.

You need this book.

Unfortunately you can't get it yet, because it hasn't been published. I've had the chance to check out a pre-publication draft and it's amazing. Simply put, I can't think of any presenter who won't benefit from reading it.

Nancy Duarte is the author. Yes, that's the same Duarte of Duarte Design, the firm behind the graphics and slides Al Gore uses in his Inconvenient Truth presentation and movie.

Nancy Duarte

In Slide:ology, Duarte takes on the problems of presenting by defining process; isolating each step in conceiving, composing, and delivering great presentations. And of course, the clear communications style defined is an aid beyond presentations, applicable to just about any form of communication.

It's a stunning book, visually and intellectually, and if you're a presenter worried about "Death by PowerPoint" it will change your world. Some of the book's two-page spreads are just aching to be framed and hung in your office. Am I exaggerating? No, not at all.

Slide:ology will be available in early August

And the next podcast...

I'm planning on bringing Nancy Duarte back to the Presentations Roundtable microphones in a few days. Nancy was on episode one, and I think she's way overdue for a visit. And of course, Slide:ology will be a big focus of that visit.

Be sure to pre-order your copy. This is a must buy for anyone who wants to produce professional presentations.

And, hey, just in case you don't know Duarte, here are some links to check out:

     Duarte Webinar for VizThink

     Duarte Keynote for PowerPoint Live 2007

     Duarte Designs

Slide:ology

-Ric Bretschneider July 15, 2008

All Present, Standing Up

2008-07-13T20:19:00Z

Listen Now (click below) or Subscribe!

Our recent visit with Presentation Zen's Garr Reynolds was somewhat longer than most, so it was originally published in two parts. This edition combines them into one file.

In one of the most popular roundtables so far we caught up with Garr and learned how the Presentation Zen book has been doing, heard all about his intercontinental road trip.

We were joined by Howard Cooperstein, software designer and stand-up comic, for a discussion of humor in presentations and the relationships between stand up comedy and stand up presentations.

It was a fun and funny discussion, and surprisingly full of good presentation advice you can immediately apply in your own work.

If you already caught the prior sessions, this is simply a different edit of the same material, but you may still enjoy listening to the discussion uninterrupted.

Mentioned in this episode:

Presentation Zen - The Blog
Presentation Zen - The Book
Presentation Zen on Flickr
Sir Ken Robinson - TED Talk
Radio Lab WNYC
Don McMillian
Drennon Davis
Tim Lee
Garr Reynolds Presents...
Richard Quest
Safari Books Online
Peachpit
New Riders

Still Standing Up, Presenting

2008-06-28T04:36:00Z

Listen Now (click below) or Subscribe!

This is part II of our most recent visit with Presentation Zen master Garr Reynolds.

In part one we caught up with Garr, learned how the Presentation Zen book has been doing, and heard all about his recent road trip. Howard Cooperstein, software designer and stand-up comic joined us for this episode, which took an interesting swing into a discussion of humor in presentations and the relationships between stand up comedy and stand up presentations.

If you haven't heard part one, I suggest you listen to it first, but that's not absolutely essential. It's still available at the Presentations Roundtable web site, or through iTunes, Zune marketplace, or wherever you got this episode.

The world of stand-up comedy and stand-up presenting have some amazing parallels, and the discussion produces some very interesting insights you can put to use in your own presentations.

Mentioned in this episode:

Presentation Zen - The Blog
Presentation Zen - The Book
Sir Ken Robinson - TED Talk
Radio Lab WNYC
Don McMillian
Drennon Davis
Tim Lee

Stand-Up Presenting - Part II Tomorrow

2008-06-27T05:35:00Z

Update: Server problems all fixed.

Podcasts, the direct links, streaming and the RSS feeds are all back on-line.

Finishing the edit on part II of The Zen of Stand-Up Presentations episode. Expect a post tomorrow.

Temporarily Silent...

2008-06-24T14:45:00Z

Update: The server is back - but I'm going to leave this notice up for a bit in case things go south again.
In the meantime, the podcasts are back on-line.

	Thanks to Marcel for letting us know there's a problem with our media server. Podcasts, the direct links, streaming and the RSS feeds will all be unavavailable while the problem gets fixed. ETA: Hard to say exactly, but should be back later today. Apologies in the meantime. -Ric
			Actually we have plenty to say, but apparently we're going to be mute for a bit.

The Zen of Stand-Up Presentations

2008-06-23T03:08:00Z

Listen Now (click below) or Subscribe!

It's officially summer, and time for the Presentations Roundtable to come back from our spring hiatus. And what than to bring back one of our favorite people, Presentation Zen master Garr Reynolds.

We catch up with Garr, how the Presentation Zen book has been doing, some notes from his recent road trip, and hear some exciting news about the Presentation Zen movie. Yes, that's right, the Presentation Zen movie. Don't believe it? Listen!

And we're very happy to bring fan favorite Howard Cooperstein back again to the mics. Howard and I worked professionally together for years, and continue to be best buds, so when you hear us talk a little smack back and forth, don't worry - we're just having fun. It's always great to have Howie around.

Left to Right:
Garr Reynolds
Ric Bretschneider
Howard Cooperstein

As mentioned, the session starts with a little catch-up on Garr's activities, but then moves into the very serious subject of humor in presentations and the relationships between stand up comedy and stand up presentations. It's a big conversation, so big I'm cutting this recording up into two parts. Check back in a few days for part two, or subscribe through iTunes, Zune Marketplace, or by clicking the Podcast RSS button on any Presentations Roundtable web page. It's a terrific episode, enjoy this now and make sure to come back for part two.
-Ric

Mentioned in this episode:

Presentation Zen - The Blog
Presentation Zen - The Book
Presentation Zen on Flickr
Garr Reynolds Presents...
Richard Quest
Safari Books Online
Peachpit
New Riders

ZERO1 is Coming...

2008-05-23T18:08:00Z

The Presentation Roundtable podcast summer hiatus continues for a bit longer. (Yes a Caribbean cruise is a great way to slough off stress, but paradoxically it puts you way behind in your work. Still, highly recommended.)

I wanted to drop this note to you by way of thanking you for your continued patience.

Just in case you are in the Silicon Valley June 4th through 8th, make sure to put some time aside for the ZER01 festival in downtown San Jose. The events come alive at night in particular, supported by the surprising number of museums, art galleries and clubs that San Jose has to offer. Head downtown, park the car, and just walk from exhibit to exhibit - a great group activity as well.

It's a unique opportunity to explore so many blendings of technology, art and design that you won't want to miss.

For more details visit http://www.01sj.org/

overview from the site...

The 2nd Biennial 01SJ Global Festival of Art on the Edge is North America’s newest and largest festival of digital arts, and a great deal more. From a hip hop, multi-media meditation on Antarctica to robot art, from conversations with artificial intelligence to operatic performances of Google headlines about the environment, from avant-garde cinema to new musical forms - well over 100 artworks, performances, screenings, talks, and workshops will be featured at 01SJ. Festival organizers expect it to be a perspective-altering experience that entertains, enlightens, educates and involves attendees in a new understanding of our changing world.

Busy busy busy...

2008-05-09T16:35:00Z

Hi, we've been busy. You too? Guess it's going around.

Someday I hope I can tell you about all the cool stuff I'm doing right now in my "day job." But that day isn't today. I can tell you it's been busy, and very exciting.

So, this is just a short message to let you know that:

The Roundtable is still active
We've still got big plans ahead, some exciting conversations to come
We appreciate your patience!

Also, if you've got any feedback so far, like do more of this, less of this, talk to these people, talk to me... please let us know!

In the meantime, vacation time is upon us and we'll be away from the mic for about a bit longer, but we're anticipating a new episode not too long after we return.

Almost done, just a second...

In the meantime, we got this in the mail recently. It's made the rounds before, but is still very funny, and actually kind of helpful in getting you to think about your slide graphics. Hope you enjoy it.

Picture Perfect Presentations

2008-04-13T22:20:00Z

If you've read any recent book on improving your presentations, you're probably already thinking that you need to get more photographs into your slides. Photos can add to your presentation's message, connecting directly with your audience without having to wade through yet another slide of bullet points.

It's compelling, and yet for so many presentation authors, a scary proposition. Make no mistake, just inserting photographs in your slides is not a sure-fire cure for your presentation blues. And whether you're creating or buying, eventually using photos as slide content is an art.

However, it's not an art out of reach.

This episode we invite professional photographer and computer graphics expert Mark Jaremko to the mics for a roundtable conversation about the pitfalls of using photographs in presentations, and advice about how you can avoid them. And as a bonus, we're joined by Howard Cooperstein, another talented graphics professional and good friend who you may recall from our first episode!

Clockwise from left:
Ric Bretschneider and Howard Cooperstein at the mics, and Mark Jaremko enjoying our pre-podcast dinner.

Photo of Mark Jaremko by Ric Bretschneider.
(Which is why it's not as good as the other photos which are by Mark Jaremko.)

It's great to sit down at the mics with a couple of friends, and we had a terrific time putting together one of the best roundtable recordings yet.
Hope you enjoy this episode. -Ric

Listen Now (click below) or Subscribe!

Links mentioned:

Mark Jaremko Photographic		http://www.markjaremkophoto.com
MSN Mobile		http://mobile.msn.com
Photoshop Disasters		http://photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com
Presentation Zen		http://www.presentationzen.com
iStock Photo		http://istockphoto.com
Photo Spin		http://www.photospin.com/
Vanity Fair		http://www.vanityfair.com/

And for those who've been paying attention, the outtakes for this episode start at 56:30.

Picture Perfect

2008-04-06T20:56:00Z

Photographs lend much to any presentation. Watch the room relax as the presenter moves from their fifth bulleted list in a row to a full screen photographic metaphor. Most any presentation expert will comment on how people learn and respond more positively to illustrations, especially photographs.

Great, so you're convinced. You've decided to jump into using photographs as a substantial part of your presentation content. So how do you avoid creating a presentation reminiscent of the neighbor who tortured your parents with those carousel rings full of vacation slides from Indiana? (No offense intended to our Hoosier friends.)

Well, next episode we invite professional photographer and computer graphics expert Mark Jaremko to the mics for a roundtable conversation about the pitfalls of using photographs in presentations, and advice about how you can avoid them. We'll be joined by... well, that's a surprise. This episode features the return engagement by a Presentations Roundtable favorite contributor.

Join us in a few days for this Picture Perfect Podcast.

Mark Jaremko shooting off Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay
Photograph by Ric Bretschneider

World Wide Makeover... or Why You, Too, Should Kiss Your Frog!

2008-03-24T00:50:00Z

This episode is the promised published version of the "live show" we did earlier this month with Geetesh Bajaj and Echo Swinford, authors of The Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit.

Yes, that makes two shows in a row about new books, and I really don't intend for the podcast to focus on book reviews. I think we'll be looking at a change of pace for the next episode.

More on that in a few days...

Listen Now (click below) or Subscribe!

Links from this episode:

Indezine
Echo's Voice
Que Publishing
Julie Terberg, Terberg Design
Slideshare
Ethos3
PhotoSpin
Safari Books Online

Call in Tonight - Live Presentations Roundtable Broadcast

2008-03-09T23:40:00Z

Tonight, Monday March 10th, is the big experiment.

We'll be hosting an interview with Echo Swinford and Geetesh Bajaj about their book Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit over the Talk Shoe network.

Talk Shoe is a free conferencing system, and we invite you to call in and contribute with your comments and questions. Besides being accomplished authors, Geetesh and Echo are presentation specialists, Microsoft MVPs who specialize in solving user problems.

So join us. The Talk Shoe address for the show is http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/14426

You can download the Talk Shoe client software and join via your computer, or simply call in from your land-line or cell phone. See the links above for more information.

This is a real late-night talk show, starting at 8:30PM Pacific, 11:30 Eastern, and 9AM in Mumbai (that's Tuesday March 11th in India!) Why are we pointing out the time in India? More on that during the show!

Hope to see you there.