SXSW Notes pt. 5 – Presenting Straight to the Brain
the brain has lots of distractions
peple have different learning styles that need to be looked at
Research
there’s no research that says using templates & bullet points are the best way to present
Book: Multimedia Learning
we have assumptions about communications that we can send info and someone will receive it without a problem
Types of learning
no learning
fragmented learning
meaningful learning
usually stuck in fragmented learning
Memory
sensory memory (unlimited)
long term memory (unlimited)
working memory (3-4 chunks of information retained in working memory)
sync both visual and verbal channels of communication in a presentation
the speed the brain processes verbal and visual are different
need effective information design
present a story in a way that slims it down enough to where people can process it all
What turns the brain on
meeting the brain, not just on conscious mind.
the mind thinks something is important, but the brain disagrees
how does the brain know what to let through it’s spam filter?
brain cares about chemestry
anything that sends a little chemical signal (weird things, shocking/novel things)
talking to a person’s instincts, eliciting a reaction to toggle memory
What the brain doesn’t care about:
boring dude with a computer
code
adding in a strong image to code to get a reaction
talk to the brain, not the mind
Retention
combining the audio and visual toggle much better memory
showing interaction with action, sound and animation
Mistakes people make in presentations
using speaker notes (use the screen and images for speaking queues )
Focusing on the tool, rather than what you want to do with it
talking over text
having too much text
putting text on a page forces the brain to decide between listening to you or reading the text
bullet points are not always your best option (ask: when is it appropriate to put bullet points in a film, or put the script on the screen? — it’s not)
listing technique doesn’t hold up against a story approach
don’t read the bullet point
if a bullet point is wrapping on the next line, it’s too long
Book: evaluating training methods
How can we make actual changes to someone’s behavior? not just cheap tricks.
how you view the audience, as a presenter is important
don’t make a presentation of [x] better, try and make a better user of [x]
don’t focus on the presentation, focus on the user and how they can use the information
