TOP 10 RULES (continued)
Did you guess the number 10 rule? “No.” That’s okay. I got it wrong too. Well, here is the final DON’T:
10. DO NOT FORWARD INAPPROPRIATE JOKES, ANY CHAIN LETTERS, ETC.: Be very careful of attachments or any other material that are not of the professional kind. If they look suspicious, don’t open them and hit delete. If you know the source and you open the material, inspect it. If it’s off-color, potentially offensive, or inappropriate for professional consumption, delete. Do not forward unprofessional material or spam to colleagues and students.
As a humorist, I often recommend that faculty, staff, and students send each other “appropriate” jokes, cartoons, pics, and video clips for stress relief and possible class or conference presentation use. The operative word here is relief. No it isn’t. It’s appropriate. The humor can serve important functions, but it must be handled by a trained professional; it should not be attempted at home by rank amateurs. Don’t throw the baby …!
Tomorrow, I’ll summarize the list, mention some other rules you may have to honor in your institution, and offer an epilogue. We’re nearing the end. Hang in there.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
INTRO: To get back on track and to refresh this blog series that began circa 1959, here again are my TOP 10 BREAK-THE–MOLD POWERPOINT TECHNIQUES:
10. Color
9. Slide Movement
8. Letter and Word Movement
7. Simple Visuals
6. Complex Visuals
5. Sound Effects
4. Music Clips
3. Video Clips
2. Engagement Activities
And the Number 1 Technique
1. Humor
If you missed any of these topics, go back to my previous blogs. Yesterday, I finished up #3 on Video Clips, but I’d like to refer you to 1 more excellent video reference by a colleague, Michael Miller, at University of Texas, San Antonio:
Miller, M. V. (2009). Integrating online multimedia into college course and classroom: With applications to the social sciences. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 5(2), 395–423. (http://jolt.merlot.org/vol5no2/miller_0609.pdf)
Now we move onto #2 in the list:
2. ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
How do you incorporate engagement in a PowerPoint presentation? If you don't engage them, they'll be comatose in no time. It’s a MUST in presentations and in teaching to keep your audience involved in learning what you have to deliver. The work here is creating meaningful exercises for your audience. Everyone should have a handout of ALL of your content slides so they are not scrambling to write down what you are saying; they can jot down additional points you make.
Below are 10 suggestions and the PowerPoint solution:
1. Classic Fill-in-the-Blank Trick—Leave blanks for REEEAALLY IMPORTANT words on a few key slides the audience will be required to complete. (REMEMBER: The blanks are in the handout; the PowerPoint slide reveals the words for those blanks.) Don’t overdo it. I typically have blanks on 5 slides out of 100.
2. Questions to Be Answered by Hand-Raises—Ask your audience questions throughout your presentation to check if they’re still alive.
3. Survey with a Rating Scale or Checklist—Include 1 or 2 surveys in the handout for the audience to complete related to the topic--1 at the beginning and another later in the presentation. The scale may or may not be on the screen while they are completing it. I have the name of the scale on the screen and then play the Jeopardy! theme as they’re answering the items. That produces laughter every time.
4. Audience Reads Content on Slides—On particular slides, let the audience read some of the lines instead of reading to them.
5. Exercise on the Slide—Describe an exercise on the slide for a think-pair-share or other small group activity. Tell them how much time they have. Give them a 1 minute warning before drawing them back.
6. Audience Provides Answers—After an individual or group activity, ask the audience to shout out answers (if a mike isn’t available). Slide info may prompt answers.
7. Open Q & A—Have an open discussion with the audience at any time you deem it appropriate. Use a black slide so audience focuses on you.
8. Skit or Demonstration—Request members of your audience to participate in a skit to illustrate a concept, to stimulate an individual or group activity, or elicit responses to a problem. Parodies of TV programs, popular movies, and Broadway shows can be unforgettable. Prep the participants in advance. You may have content on the slide or a black slide.
9. Music or Video Clip Reaction—After a clip, ask the audience to circle their answers to multiple-choice questions in the handout or write their answers. They can also discuss answers with others.
10. Answers with Clickers—If your audience has clickers, design questions throughout the presentation and a multiple-choice quiz summary at the end to elicit their reactions and responses. They can see their summary responses in graphic form instantaneously.
There has to be at least 1 of the above techniques you can include in your next PowerPoint. Just Do It. Your audience will love it.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
3. VIDEO CLIPS (CONTINUED)
SOURCES OF VIDEOS: There are three principal sources from which to obtain the videos: original DVD, the Internet, CD clips with book. There are several factors to consider in using these sources. If the video segment needs to be extracted and converted to a format compatible with Microsoft’s PowerPoint® (PP) for PCs, you will have to do the extracting and conversion with specific software.
SOFTWARE ISSUES: Here are a few key questions that you should be asking me:
a. Why do you need software? The videos from the above sources are in the form of complete tracks and typically NOT in a format compatible with PowerPoint. You may need only a tiny clip. The software allows you to extract that clip and convert it to an appropriate format.
b. How expensive is the software? Ones I’ve used range from free to $100. The cost is minimal.
c. Once you pick the video, how long does it take to extract the clip, convert it to MPEG, WMV, or AVI, and insert it into your PowerPoint slide? Once you learn the process, it can take 15 min.
d. Not all software work with all videos. The “blocks” on the DVDs to prevent piracy can prevent the software from functioning. The software are inconsistent also because the different manufacturers of DVDs use different blocks. Sometimes you may need to try several pieces of software to do 1 extract and conversion. Check with your IT experts or computer services for their assistance and recommendations.
SOFTWARE OPTIONS: (NOTE: Mac users may not need the software described below.) As a nontechie, I taught myself how to use some of the software programs 4 years ago and have been using them ever since, although they have been inconsistent. Here are a few to try. There are many others.
Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Version 7 or 8 (~$100)
DVD Shrink 3.2 (FREE—for extracting clips only)
Cucusoft Pro Version 7.07 (~$30—for converting clips to MPEG only)
MPEG Streamclip 1.2 (FREE, requires Quicktime Player)
Jingproject.com (FREE)
Zamzar.com (FREE—for YouTube conversion)
Tubesock (~$30--for YouTube conversion)
JibJab ($4 and JibJab will sent you version for use in PowerPoint)
RECOMMENDATION: Just as with the music software, I strongly suggest soliciting HELP from personnel in your IT department, a computer science student, one of your students, or your own kid to walk you through the above software.
Once you have completed your 1st video clip insert, you will enter another new world. Your conference audience or students will be very appreciative of your video clips. What a way to start 2010 and your spring semester. Have a blast.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
3. VIDEO CLIPS (CONTINUED)
As promised, this blog will list types of videos to consider and a dozen generic techniques you can include in your PowerPoints. Details with examples are provided in my 2009 article mentioned previously.
TYPES OF VIDEOS: There is a wide range of video categories that can be used in professional presentations and the classroom. The actual choice will depend on the instructional purpose or outcome and the characteristics of your audience and their interests. In the mean time, here is a shopping list to keep in mind: (1) drama, (2) action, (3) romantic, (4) comedy, (5) romantic comedy, (6) documentary, (7) TV programs, (8) commercials, (9) college music videos (mtvU), and (10) faculty or student made videos.
12 GENERIC TECHNIQUES: Over the past decade, I have accumulated the BERKO Collection of video techniques that have been tested with undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in teaching and learning conferences. Are you ready? Here they are:
1. Provide Content and Information
2. Illustrate a Concept or Principle
3. Present Alternative Viewpoints
4. Apply the Content to Real-World Applications
5. Serve as a Stimulus for Learning Activities
6. Provide a Good or Bad Application to Critique
7. Exaggerate a Particular Point
8. Snap Students to Attention
9. Insert into Collaborative Learning Exercises
10. Motivate and Inspire
11. Provide a Commercial Break
12. Class Brake at Break
The impact of these techniques in your presentation or classroom to attain specific learning outcomes can change your entire learning environment and atmosphere.
My next blog will suggest specific software for extracting your video clips and inserting them into your PowerPoint. Start picking your videos. Don't pack up your PC just yet. You have 1 more day!
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
3. VIDEO CLIPS
In our Top 10 countdown of techniques you can use to pump-up your PowerPoint, we’re down to the final 3. These are duzzies. They can make or break your presentation. I think I may have said that before. Sorry. Anyway, let’s leap into videos before the new year arrives.
BACKGROUND: Videos permeate every aspect of our lives. “Why?” you ask. Perhaps it’s because they have such a powerful and memorable impact. Once we have seen a particular clip from a movie or TV program, YouTube video, student-created video, or one that we wrote, directed, choreographed, or starred in, it may be deeply etched in our noggins.
Using videos in conference presentations or teaching can have a similar effect on our audience. Of course, some of you have incorporated videos into your presentations for centuries. They date back to prehistoric times when cave instructors used 16mm projectors to show cave students examples of insurance company marketing commercials in business courses. Now even DVD players are history.
SO WHAT’S NEW? There are changes in four areas: (a) the variety of video formats, (b) the ease with which the technology can facilitate their application in most any venue, from classroom to coliseum, (c) the number of video techniques a presenter can use, and (d) the research on multimedia learning that provides the theoretical and empirical support for their use as an effective teaching tool. A PC or Mac and LCD projector with speakers can easily embed video clips for a PowerPoint® presentation on virtually any topic.
When I have seen video clips in national and international conference presentations, I walk away with those images and they stick over time. Sometimes I can't unstick them. I want my presentations to be just as memorable.
My upcoming blogs will list the (1) types of videos you could use, (2) generic techniques for infusing music into any presentation, and (3) available software for importing video clips into your PowerPoint. Before proceeding with those topics, check out the source below.
BERK SOURCE: I recommend you download my most recent article on videos from my Website (see link in right margin) which reviews the research and describes the techniques in depth with loads of examples (click Publications, then Articles):
Berk, R. A. (2009d). Multimedia teaching with video clips: TV, movies, YouTube, and mtvU in the college classroom. International Journal on Technology in Teaching and Learning, 5(1), 1–21.
My next blog will cover types of videos and a dozen generic techniques. See you then. Let me know if you have experimented with video clips.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
ATTENTION, POWERPOINTERS!!
I recently Googled “PowerPoint,” “Presentations,” and “Conference Presentations” to make sure I am not spewing material you could obtain elsewhere. I’m NOT. However, I encourage you to peruse Microsoft’s recommendations and those by other “experts” on communication principles with PowerPoint.
THEIR INTENT is: To present a nice, neat, semi-interesting, professional presentation of important information.
OUR HERO’S INTENT is (Watch out! Are ya ready?): To deliver the same information while connecting, engaging, exciting, motivating, and, maybe even, inspiring your audience so that their presentation experience with you is unforgettable and the information memorable. Your audience should be on the edges of their uncomfortable seats, not relaxed and passive in a beach lounger. That’s kinda like teaching, but without the students, although I recommend the same approach in the classroom.
DISCLAIMER:
My suggestions in these blogs will blow the traditional PowerPoint recommendations to smithereens. Will I violate the rules? You bet. They will be shredded, ground into pulp, and smashed into PowerPoint road kill. (Note: I apologize for the violence in this disclaimer. Sometimes I get carried away.) For example, I tried the recommended traditional, one color slide-same font approaches. Guess what? The slides were as boring as the content on them. (Sidebar: As a former freelance photographer, I learned early on that if a picture doesn’t elicit some feeling [positive or negative] by the viewer, then it should be discarded as ineffective.)
NEW RULE FOR POWERPOINT: That rule should apply to our PowerPoint slides. Our audience should be emotionally involved in our presentation. That begins with the slides. A spiritless, unemotional reaction to our slides is totally unacceptable. If my strategy is making you nervous or you already started throwing up in this 1st paragraph, you might want to get a vomit bag or close this blog.
BERK'S GOAL: To arm you with the tools to create break-the-mold presentations, not create a moldy audience as they drift into a coma.
BERK'S AUDIENCE ASSUMPTIONS: I assume every audience to whom I present has better things to do with its valuable time than attend my session. The cynics and know-it-alls are thinking: “Tell me something I DON’T already know.” The students probably have the attention span of goat cheese and mentally operate at “twitch speed.”
THE CHALLENGE: Open the presentation with a bang and sustain that bang or you’ll lose them. It’s opening night on Broadway!
5. SOUND EFFECTS
We’re now past the point of no return in our Top 10 strategies to energize your PowerPoint presentations. These last 5---sound effects, music clips, video clips, engagement activities, and humor---comprise the heavy artillery when coupled with custom animation and other techniques described in my previous blogs. Enough fooling around. Let’s get to our topic: using heavy artillery in your PowerPoint.
WHY SOUND EFFECTS? What do they contribute? What is the outcome they produce? A 1 to 2 second sound effect added to an animated title, line, or word can grab attention, produce laughter, instantly engage one’s visual and auditory senses, and simply add pop to content. It is totally unexpected. The element of surprise is critical to the effects.
SOURCES: There are several sources to consider:
1. Internet---The best part of this technique is that there are 1000s of effects available for free on the Net. Just Google “sound effects.” If you want specific effects, Google the effect, such as tire screech.
2. PC Software---Sound effects are often included with the 500 pieces of software installed on your desktop or laptop when you buy it. Although you won’t use 495 of those, the sound effects are useful. If you just want to test out a variety of effects, peruse the categories of effects on the software and listen.
3. PP Software---There are also effects in your PowerPoint software. Click Insert at top, the click Sound from Clip Organizer from dropdown. These effects can be inserted directly into your slides.
WHICH EFFECTS SHOULD YOU PICK? When you hear the effect cold, that’s how your audience will hear it. The effects that hit you on 1st impression may also hit your audience that way. Feel the emotional impact. If you don’t feel anything, your audience may not either. Check out the effects and built a pool of possible effects. Get feedback on these effects from colleagues or family members.
My next blog will list my fave sound effects, plus the steps to insert the effects into your slides.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
