July 26, 2005
Death to PowerPoint
The ASAE & The Center Conference is just a few weeks away, and while I don't have a burning question to post, I do have a burning desire: I hope to see a lot of engaging presentations this year and a lot fewer PowerPoint presentations.
Unfortunately, PowerPoint -- a useful enough tool in and of itself -- has descended into madness. How many times have we all sat through presentations that merely reiterated bullet points on stock templates or, worse, overflowed with clip art graphics that the presenter thought looked "cool?" (Check out what the Gettysburg Address might have looked like as a PowerPoint here.)
How many times have we flipped ahead in handouts waiting for the presenter to get to the good stuff? How many times have we put those handouts back in our bag thinking "Great, I don't have to take notes, I'll refer back to these slide printouts later" ... and then never looked at them again?
It's not that PowerPoint is inherently bad. It's that it's so easy, people think anyone can do it, when in fact, there's an art to using graphics to reinforce (not make) a point. Seth Godin's free ebook "Really Bad PowerPoint" is a good place to start.
I'm more excited about the schedule of workshops for this year's ASAE & The Center Annaul Meeting than about any of the past few I've been to. Here's hoping that all the presenters realize we're there to learn from them, not their laptops. Engage us! Tell us a story! Make us take notes!
Got a different opinion? Cool. That's what the "comments" link below is for. Hit it and share!
Posted by Kevin Holland at 11:08 AM | Comments (2)
July 20, 2005
Extreme recharging
The focus of the convention is on the extreme. And Forbes.com recently showcased the extreme measures some executives go to for recharging: fly fishing, polo, extreme adventure travel, mountain climbing, marathon running, equestrian competitions, auto racing, and others.
Interestingly, the article sees these extreme hobbies as a plus for the executives: The secret is out: developing multiple interests and passionate hobbies -- once thought of as a sign of not being “serious” -- turns out to be a predictor of success.
Why? Simple. Passionate hobbies fuel curiosity, fresh and generous thinking, and the ability to look at questions from more than one perspective.
What can we learn from these extreme leaders? That developing passionate hobbies flexes the very muscles that leaders facing the complexities of winning today require: speed, curiosity, stamina, finding the unexpected, deeper collegial relationships, and a practiced respect for the potential of greatness.
Go ahead. Be extreme. Now you have an excuse.
Posted by Shawn Lea at 03:19 PM | Comments (1)