Comments on: Less is more http://www.daneahgalloway.com/blog/2009/10/less-is-more/ Pondering by the pool... Fri, 07 May 2010 01:15:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Kim Cofino http://www.daneahgalloway.com/blog/2009/10/less-is-more/comment-page-1/#comment-131 Kim Cofino Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:12:44 +0000 http://www.daneahgalloway.com/blog/?p=116#comment-131 What about if we don't view the presentation as a stand-alone item, but that it comes in conjunction with other resources (like a handout or a website)? I agree that a few choice words are often critical, but I still know that the brain can not read and listen at the same time, so presenting something that is full of words while reading them (or saying something different) is not any more helpful than having a slide with no words. I think an important aspect to consider is processing time - giving audience members, in this case second language students time to write down what they understand, discuss in partners, or just listen to others rephrase what is being said - during the presentation might be more important than making sure every word is written down. In terms of presenting myself, I also would love to have more notes on the screen because it makes it easier for me, but when I realized that the act of presenting shouldn't be about making things easier for me, but rather about communicating a message to my audience, I just bit the bullet and figured out how to do it without all my notes visible to my audience. It definitely is a process and it didn't all happen at once, but I sure could see a difference, both in my presentation style (much more clear and focused) and in audience reception (deeper understanding) after I made the switch. Looking forward to seeing your next Zen-style presentation :) What about if we don’t view the presentation as a stand-alone item, but that it comes in conjunction with other resources (like a handout or a website)? I agree that a few choice words are often critical, but I still know that the brain can not read and listen at the same time, so presenting something that is full of words while reading them (or saying something different) is not any more helpful than having a slide with no words.

I think an important aspect to consider is processing time – giving audience members, in this case second language students time to write down what they understand, discuss in partners, or just listen to others rephrase what is being said – during the presentation might be more important than making sure every word is written down.

In terms of presenting myself, I also would love to have more notes on the screen because it makes it easier for me, but when I realized that the act of presenting shouldn’t be about making things easier for me, but rather about communicating a message to my audience, I just bit the bullet and figured out how to do it without all my notes visible to my audience. It definitely is a process and it didn’t all happen at once, but I sure could see a difference, both in my presentation style (much more clear and focused) and in audience reception (deeper understanding) after I made the switch. Looking forward to seeing your next Zen-style presentation :)

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