Presentation

A good presentation can as elusive as the perfect coffee.  How much sugar and creamer are needed?  Are there too many pictures?  Too many words?  Were the coffee beans properly ground?  Did you make your point clear?  The same care and attention we pay our coffee should go into our presentations.

Just  as coffee has evolved over the years to become gourmet and at times playful, so has the art of giving a presentation.  Prezis, Powerpoints, short movies, interactive models, eye-catching colors, and shocking graphics have come to be the gourmet flavors of presentation.  Some are more traditional (Powerpoint) while others improve upon the standard and serve as a treat to the eye while conveying information (Prezi).

But it is not the medium that carries the importance of the presentation.  The one presenting, you the presenter, are the most important part of your message.  Your words, motions, intonation, and expression are more effective than any visual aid you can create on a poster or a computer.  We, as people, like people.  This sounds silly and maybe it is, but we gravitate towards real people.  The graphics might be amusing and elaborate on the points the speaker makes but they are only supplemental to the presenter.  Without a presenter of some sort, the message is one-sided.  A presenter invites people in better than any movie can.  They create the opportunity for interaction and for shared emotion to build.  When in front of a room, a presenter becomes the conductor of the room or the barista for the coffee of his or her message.  They can craft and mold the information presented before your eyes to deliver you the final message.

For the presentations we gave in class on our nonprofits, I would have spent more time preparing.  Taking  a few more minutes the night before to jot down my thoughts and the order I wanted to share them in would have improved my presentation.