We are getting very close to the end of our class now. We have completed the majority of our assignments. In fact, other than a couple of discussions and blogs, all of the written assignments are now complete. I have to admit that it takes a little bit of pressure off when I look at my overall grades for the class and realize that I could technically not complete any other assignments and still pass the class. That isn't to say that I would accept that as a reality. I am not a quitter and I don't see how doing just the bare minimum academically will benefit anybody.
Though all of the written assignments are done, there is still one beast of an assignment - my presentation. I need to take my action research report - my "research paper" for the class - and turn it into a presentation. This would not be a monumental event if I had the technical expertise to make a nice presentation to put online. As a certified teacher and former instructor, I am used to giving live presentations. I have no problem making my little PowerPoint slides and getting in front of a class and teaching but this will be different. I have to figure out how to convey my entire message without physically being present. I have a few ideas for a YouTube video but even that will be difficult as I don't think that I have the proper video equipment.
Regardless of how I do it, the purpose of this post is to ponder on what makes a good presentation and what makes a bad one. I am sure that we have all been there at some point in our professional lives where we had to endure the most brutal presentations and we feel like we got nothing from it. I experienced that just yesterday, actually. We had some battalion training that almost required toothpicks for me to put in my eyelids. I do not know why but people that give presentations in the military tend to hate to use microphones. I don't know if it is just a cockiness issue or pride or what. However, we have the technology. I wish that people would use it. Yesterday, we were in the drill hall. Our Commander and Command Sergeant Major both have very powerful voices. When they speak, they honestly don't need the microphone. However, the briefer that followed does not. He actually held the microphone at his side through the entire presentation. He thought that he was pretty awesome but nobody could hear him. So the first element of a good presentation is being able to actually hear it! It kind of makes you wonder how Jesus gave the sermon on the Mount of Olives or how Moses delivered the Ten Commandments. Maybe God just amplified them.
Keeping right in line with being able to clearly hear the presentation, the one giving the presentation must also know the material. I saw a few people say that on the discussion board this week. That isn't to say that they have to know every single detail of the subject at hand but they at least need a working knowledge of what is being presented. And if they don't, they need to be very convincing at making you believe that they do.
The next thing has to do with PowerPoint. There was a reading assignment dedicated to it this week. I think that we have forgotten what life is like without it. The best presentations that I have seen in my life didn't use it at all. It is meant to be a tool and not the whole. If you use it as a tool, that is great. But K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, silly). Too much writing is a complete killer. Too many animations or too much clutter is as well. That isn't to say that you shouldn't use any animations or any text. But less is more. But what really blows my mind about PowerPoint is that people often do not review their slides before presenting them. I have seen this happen where there was a ton of text - like paragraphs worth - of blue on black text or orange on red. You can't see that. Contrast is important in your text. People often think that the two most contrasting colors are black and white. This is actually not not. They are black and yellow. Think about a highway. They are painted with yellow stripes to divide directions.
Ultimately, there is no perfect way to give a presentation. The best presenters, though, are confident and use the tools at their disposal without relying on the tools to give the presentation for them. That really is the bottom line.
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