Abe’s PowerPoint
This is good for a chuckle and is yet another reminder that PowerPoint is no substitute for passion: Abe Lincoln’s Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation
Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006 at 1:40 pm ◊ Comment or trackback◊ Send this post to someone who will thank you for it »
◊ Filed in: Getting Silly
October 4th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
:) This really does drive the point home.
As I grow in this profession, its becoming increasingly clear to me- Consultants use power points; while great coaches use themselves.
October 4th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
About: “:) This really does drive the point home.”
I think so. I have no problem with PowerPoint presentations (use them myself) except when they get in the way of a presenter really connecting with an audience. It takes a lot of skill to both use slides and connect though. Mostly that means great skill in BOTH presenting information and gaining emotional commitment from an audience–engaging both the mind and the heart.
Great consultants use themselves as well Astha. For example, if I am feeling one way or another about a client organization, I can be pretty certain that people in that organization are feeling the same way. No matter what we do, one key to being great at it is how we use ourselves.
So let’s see…Jesus’ The Sermon on the Mount PowerPoint, ML KIng’s I Have A Dream PowerPoint. JFK’s Ich Bin Eine Berliner PowerPoint.
October 5th, 2006 at 11:20 am
I agree with you Dick. When I said Consultant- I was using the stereotypical image that word has come to represent. I think I’m still learning to be a good facilitator.
In some ways the power point provides a safety net- when things get difficult or awkward its tempting to refer back to a slide. While in actuality, one should be engaging the tension. Addressing it.
Its easier to do when I’m comfortable with the situation- a little more challenging when the situation is beyond my comfort zone.
October 5th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
“…engaging the tension. Addressing it.”
I like that Astha. I think of it as “capturing the energy”, which is harder to do if you are all wrapped up in message you are wanting to deliver. In that regard I find PowerPoint very useful. The slides carry the message, and I follow it rather than drive it, which leaves me more free to pay attention to the energy in the room.