I've decided to put my presentation design skills to good use by reviewing research articles and creating slides to explain them. Not only did I design the theme, review the article, and design the slides, but just this once I'm including a video of me presenting the information along with the slide presentation. Let me know what you think of the design and the video.
Read MoreBegin With the End in Mind
Here's a great little tip to add some extra punch to the next important lesson you give. It's deceptively simple, but it should help your students remember the lesson better.
Faith Jegede gave a perfect example of this technique in her recent TED Talk. Watch it yourself, and see if you notice the trick.
Read MoreVideo Episode 7 – Reformat PowerPoint slides in Keynote
In the last episode I showed you how to import a PowerPoint file into Keynote. This time I'll go into a lot more detail showing you how to select a new theme, reformat text, and fix other problems that remain.
This video is also available via a free subscription to the Brainslides Video Podcast in iTunes.
Video Episode 6: Open PowerPoint files in Keynote
Keynote can open PowerPoint files and maintain all the content and the majority of the formatting. In this episode of the BrainSlides video podcast, I'll show you how to do this.
This video is also available via a free subscription to the Brainslides Video Podcast in iTunes.
Dance for your Ph.D. – Replacing PowerPoint with Dance
Not only am I passionate about improving the way presentations are delivered, but as a professional ballroom dancer by night, I also happen to be very passionate about dance. As you can imagine, it's not very often that those two passions meet up. Which is why I was ecstatic when I came across this fabulous TEDxBrussels talk about using dance instead of PowerPoint. John Bohannon – a.k.a. the Gonzo Scientist – is a biologist, writer, adventurer, and creator of the Dance Your Ph.D Contest. He masterfully demonstrated the technique of presentation via dance at the recent TEDxBrussels event as he shared the stage with 10 dancers from Minneapolis' Black Label Movement dance company. Watch the 11-minute presentation below.
While hiring a dance troupe for each presentation you give may be a little unrealistic, what I love about this innovative idea is that it contains all of the key ingredients or an effective presentation: engagement, novelty, repetition (albeit simultaneous repetition rather than sequential), and concision.
What other creative presentation methods could replace PowerPoint?
Video Episode 5: Designing Slides for Cognitive Load
Here's a real world example of a chart adapted to a slide and how some simple changes make the chart more readable and easier to understand.
This video is also available via a free subscription to the Brainslides Video Podcast in iTunes.
Video Episode 4: Improve Images with Alpha Selection
Images can be a great visual aid. But when you're using a black or gradient slide background and the image is surrounded by a white square it can look tacky. Here's how to use a tool in Keynote to selectively remove the background of an image to make it really fit the slide design.
This video is also available via a free subscription to the Brainslides Video Podcast in iTunes.
Video Episode 3: Drop Images for Full Bleed
Adding images to Keynote couldn't be easier than this – I'll show you how to insert a set of images so that each fills the screen on a separate slide.
This video is also available via a free subscription to the Brainslides Video Podcast in iTunes.