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.”

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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

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

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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

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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

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.

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.

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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

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.

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.

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

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or Download!

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.