The Successful Communicate becomes The Bucket List

Newsletter reviews presentations, provides insights

Whether you've previously subscribed to The Successful Communicator or you've recently signed up, welcome to The Bucket List.

The purpose of this newsletter is to help you develop and deliver better presentations. To get there, we'll review presentations and provide insights with the goal of helping everyone learn.

Reviews are conducting using a scorecard with 10 categories. Half provide a framework by which content can be reviewed. Half are focused on delivery effectiveness.

This edition provides links to three reviews, each of which is a presentation about presentations.

Each month, the newsletter will also contain articles of interest on topics like content, visual aids, answering questions, gestures and other topics. This month's article examines how lessons learned during a Jack the Ripper's Walk can be applied to all presentations.

Your feedback is always welcome. And so are your ideas.

If you have any of either, please send them along!

Cheers,

//eric

Eric Bergman
Author
One Bucket at a Time

Featured Presentation:
The pitfalls of presentation (in)efficiency

Is there a better way to start a blog on presentation reviews than by reviewing a presentation on presentations?

Simon Morton's was one of the first presentations reviewed. For the most part, his slides didn't interfere and his delivery was passionate, yet conversational. Rating: 4 buckets out of 5.

Read the full review of Simon's presentation.

This second review examines Rob Biesenbach’s presentation to the International Association of Business Communicators.

Entitled “A Virtual Presentation Crash Course: Engaging your audience in a time of disruption and distraction,” Rob’s presentation had pluses and minuses.

Overall, though, it was well done and well worth the listen.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Read the review and watch the presentation.

During a trip to London with my family, I had the pleasure of participating in what's known as a Jack the Ripper walk.

At a designated spot overlooking the Tower of London, we met our affable Cockney guide, Pete. He was a character, our Pete, and he would have looked out of place in most boardrooms, training rooms and classrooms.

But the communication skills he demonstrated were exceptional, and should be envied and emulated by anyone who has to prepare and deliver presentations to others.

Read more about "our Pete."

Entitled “A Masterclass in PowerPoint Design,” this presentation reminded me of an experience I had years ago with a number of not-for-profit executives at a conference north of Toronto. They had just walked out of a presentation they believed provided incredible value, but couldn’t remember a single detail a few minutes after the presentation ended.

There is no question that the presenter has a deep pool of knowledge on which to draw. But the question is: how much of that knowledge will make it to the long-term memory of those listening?

At its core, that is all that counts.

Rating: 3 buckets out of 5

Read the review.

A little less presentation ...
a little more conversation

"Eric Bergman's techniques are a window to the future of this important human activity."

John Sweller, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Education
University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia