I came across this beautiful and powerful video this weekend on Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen blog. Garr is an expert on effective visual communication who currently lives in Japan (but he once lived in Oregon!).
Many of the ideas we have discussed in class this year about creating visually interesting and impacting presentations come directly from Garr’s work. I enjoy reading his blog because of the amazing examples of good and poor design he pulls together. As it is said, a picture is worth a thousand words and Garr’s blog is jam-packed with very solid pictures and video clips that have helped me make my presentations stronger.
The video I’ve embedded below was the second place winner in the AARP U@50 video contest. After you have watched it, think about how you could harness the unique concept or style in your next presentation or project. Could you use it in a written project as effectively as in a video or multimedia presentation? I’m interested to hear your thoughts.
Speaking of strong presentations and Garr Reynolds’ impact on our class, I was very impressed Elise’s talk this morning about her family. She brought in a Powerpoint show she created at home, and used the principle of a strong photo – spilling off the edges of the screen – with a simple title. Her storytelling drew wonderfully on images she chose and created a delightful picture of her homelife. She very confidently advanced through the presentation using the remote control and kept her audience engaged.
Well done, Elise!
DreamExtreme 