present with impact

UPDATE: The following event is the inspiration for the PresentationYOU program. If this page inspires you, and you truly want to get to the next level in your presentation approach, then go to the presentationYOU.com website and choose your path to presenting with impact.

 

For two years now I have enjoyed conversations with a group from Villanova University where we discussed ‘presenting with impact.’

evoke emotion – inspire action

You are presenting all day long. Every time you share an idea – whether with a group in business or with your best friend over coffee – you are presenting. Presenting is communicating an idea. How well are you communicating your ideas? Are you presenting with impact? Are you changing the world with your ideas?

Most of us learned about presenting in an academic setting with very little freedom to be creative. That same approach carried over into our professional lives via – PowerPoint! PowerPoint is a great tool created by engineers to communicate with finance and visa versa. It is NOT a great tool for sharing passion about an idea or for starting a movement!

My passion for communicating ideas started years ago. The journey continues and will continue as long as we humans grow and learn about ourselves and our community. On this journey, I am in search of a different way of thinking and communicating ideas. I am on a journey to inspire action with purpose.

The guidebook provided to the group is available at presentationYOU.com subscribers.

inspiration for thinking differently about presenting comes from the following

Identity 2.0 – Way back in 2005 Dick Hardt presented at OSCON (O’Reilly Open Source Convention) on the now infamous topic of Identity 2.0. Though now it seems old school for some, others are just now understanding the concept of digital identity. If you have never seen the keynote, please watch here.

TED.com – Ideas worth spreading. I don’t remember the first time I watched a TED video, but I do know that they are a constant source of inspiration and motivation for me and many others. In only 18 minutes, brilliant thinkers and creatives from all over the world are able to share their passion, evoke emotion and inspire action with the audience. That is creativity at it’s best! This is story telling at it’s best!

Garr Reynolds – author of Presentation Zen. Published in 2008, this book inspired many, including myself, to rethink how we approached presenting. Influenced by many others himself, Garr illustrates his mindset and approach to presentations with stimulating visuals and telling stories. He brings A Whole New Mind of Daniel Pink together with Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin, Nancy Duarte, and others. The book is a meeting of the creative minds – the thought leaders of our time. It is a great place to start

Nancy Duarte – A master story teller – passionate about presentations before being passionate about presentations was cool, Nancy Duarte is the queen of speech when it comes to both the art and science of communicating ideas through presentations. Her most recent book Resonate is an amazing work. Catch her in this TEDx video to get a quick lesson in storytelling and presentations that inspire! In her words: “You have the power to change the world.” For even more information and videos by Nancy, visit her website – and do so ready to learn, grow, and be inspired!

Edward Tufte - The master at presenting quantitative information in a meaningful way, Edward Tufte has influenced most of the other professionals listed on this page. The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint (pictured at left) is a great place to introduce yourself to the Edward Tufte way. And my personal favorite (because I live in a town of Rocket Scientists) is PowerPoint Does Rocket Science-and Better Techniques for Technical Reports.

Additional resources and recommended readings are listed on my Amazon public wishlist: Present With Impact.

There are so many more thought leaders who are teaching us every day as they discover new ways of thinking and communicating. Are you ready to think differently?