If you were to present information about a complex topic, would you:
(a) prepare useful handouts, an effective Powerpoint, and take the time to break down concepts
or
(b) hand out information from a website that you do not mention, create a Powerpoint that is not readable from even halfway across the room, and lightspeed through material so that only insiders (who have copies of the slides in front of them) who are supposed to know this information anyway are the only ones with a shot in hell of understanding it?
I wish I could say that I gleaned insight from last night’s presentation at City Hall, but the combination of poor visuals, no microphone, and poor discussion turned into a cynicism cocktail for me; I was so confused and bored that I fell asleep for a minute.
I could not even tell you the name of the man who presented most of the material because he spoke too quickly. So, I’m not going to talk about it.
Mayor Perez, when his back was not turned to the public, and when he wasn’t in mumble mode, actually did the best job of clarifying how Hartford might use Obama’s stimulus dollars. Perez said that “funding is coming in because we’re entitled to it.” He explained that most of the money coming to Connecticut is earmarked for transportation (old news) and that the Pope Commons Streetscape project is receiving $3.6 million because it is a transportation project. Perez was careful to repeat that he did not attend all of the CRCOG meetings and that this group, not the mayor, was responsible for suggesting funds go toward this project.
The mayor said that something like the public safety complex might not receive funding. A woman representing the Hartford Preservation Alliance asked if non-profits receive funds, would they be able to funnel that money into something it’s not earmarked for, like the public safety complex. Perhaps I grossly misinterpreted this, but that seems like a misuse of the funds and like something that could jeopardize Hartford receiving all of the funding that we are “entitled” to; of course, the answer to her question was that non-profits should work together with the city.
The most valuable things I learned from the meeting:
Julie
Wow. Just…wow.
I had no idea that Albany Avenue is a state road.
I say again, coherently, “Wow.”
Jude
Side bar on PowerPoint – it amazes me how often I flip on CTN or CSPAN to see some presentation by a stage agency in this horrible powerpoint
* Festive backgrounds, making the text hard to read
* Too small typeface
* Instead of summarizing the points and talking to them, just writing out the presentation
* Using fonts that are hard to read when scan converted for video
I used to make a few bucks every year massaging corporate powerpoint for satellite broadcasts – colors, fonts, graphics, etc. And one of the things I would do would be to walk to the back of the room with a wireless remote and read through the presentation from the cheap seats to make sure it was legible.
Bad powerpoint drives me crazy…..
Jude
STATE agency, not STAGE agency. Federal agency as well, I suppose.
Kerri
When I assign presentations for my students, I spend what seems like an infinity going over some basic Powerpoint tips. I tell them not to use it unless they are confident they can avoid using it as a teleprompter. It’s good as an outline, for quotes, or to post key statistics. Anything more complicated should be turned into handouts.