Much has been written about ways in which to use Powerpoint well. It’s so often used so poorly. This article from Glenn Reynolds’ blog Presentation Zen is an analysis of the presentation styles and methods used by Apple’s Steve Jobs and Microsoft’s Bill Gates, continuing a series on Gates’s recent presentations that Reynolds started here.
It really caught my attention as something Fellows might share with students working on presentation skills (especially in the Powerpoint-heavy world of business classes). I can see that many of the recommendations are similar, but the sample visuals go a long way in driving the point home that presentation matters, and that with visuals and multimedia, less is often more. Besides comparing the visual styles preferred by Gates and Jobs in their keynotes, Reynolds states that
One thing that would help Mr. Gates is an executive presentations coach and a video camera.
Ouch. See also:
A key tenet of the Zen aesthetic is kanso or simplicity. In the kanso concept beauty, grace, and visual elegance are achieved by elimination and omission. Says artist, designer and architect, Dr. Koichi Kawana, “Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means.” When you examine your visuals, then, can you say that you are getting the maximum impact with a minimum of graphic elements, for example? When you take a look at Jobs’ slides and Gates’ slides, how do they compare for kanso?
While business students may wish to dismiss this as so much new agey mumbo jumbo, Reynolds makes a great case for molding our presentation visuals to a Zen aesthetic–one which is natural, simple, striking, and easy to follow.
Also from the site, Reynolds provides Presentation Tips. Click the “Download Handout” button for a PDF, which might also be useful for students. See also Seth Godin’s “Really Bad Powerpoint” (click the “Get it” button in “Step 2″).
You’re right on Kate–Reynolds’ analysis contains a useful analysis of Powerpoint presentations. In my work with Business Policy Management 5100 Capstone courses, I encourage students to watch Steve Jobs’ two most recent presentations on the latest iPods. They can be found online (I have found them on the Apple website and through the Technology section of the NY Times.) His style is far cleaner and more compelling than what I have seen in Microsoft slides, though I haven’t seen any of Gates’ presentations. Some of Jobs’ techniques that I mention to students are– his ease and comfort in front of his audience, his attention to the audience rather than the slides he shows, and the minimalist approach Apple seems to bring to Powerpoint presentations. The downloads are also really fun. In his iPod-Video presentation, Jobs has a live teleconference with Madonna–a little free advertising for her and iTunes both. I also try to emphasize to students that they may not be able to give the kind of dynamic note-free presentation that Steve Jobs does, but at least they can take away a few ideas and have seen a successful example.
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