How to do powerpoint
Like John Quiggin, I've needed some time to analyse Lawrence Lessig's presentation on Free Culture last week.
Inchoate's post has prompted me to try and record some "take home messages" for the future. (Even though he saw the Supreme Court presentation on Eldred v Ashcroft which I couldn't attend, it seems Lessig's presentation style was the same for both.)
The presentation was the best use of powerpoint by anyone (let alone a law lecturer/academic) that I've ever seen. (In fact my immediate reaction at the end was more like "Whoaaa!!!") Yes, even awesome.
Putting aside disagreements people had about the subject matter (in that room of creators, academics and lawyers, there were a few), Lessig managed to combine the visuals perfectly with his oral argument.
The slides themselves were high impact (black background with red and white text, usually only one word a slide, slides changing every 2 or 3 seconds, all timed perfectly with his speech and in places broken up with an appropriate multi media clip).
He has obviously given similar presentations before (based on other reviews, see here) but I can only admire the amount of preparation required to get a 1 hour plus lecture to that level and am thankful as a member of the audience that he spent such time.
Donald Norman has commented that the best speech is one where no powerpoint is used at all except for pictures. He believes that a darkened room interferes with communication between speaker and audience. He believes that bullet points should be used only as speaker's aids, not visible to the audience.
As a participant in Lessig's audience, I felt that the powerpoint added to and did not detract from the message.
For my part, I will work a lot harder on my future powerpoints (if I use them). I want my audience to react the way I did (and now I know it can be achieved even on a legal topic!).
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