TED talks have changed presentations (or changed them back remember - PDF document

TED talks have changed presentations (or changed them back – remember 35mm slides?) ? slides at all Slides are there to amplify points They’re there to help the audience >> speaker Help and clarify > distract and confuse if not then delete http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_speaker_guide.pdf 6 bullet points of 6 words – move on Start with the core message in <10 words If what follows supports then keep, if not then discard In terms of info less is more Then narrow it down and focus it Start with why Focus on you > I/we (?us) Ask you-focussed questions DON'T open ppt (it is a straight jacket) Avoid idea-dumping onto slides (slideuments – ie word blocks on ppt) (do them on paper first = brainstorming) [although I prefer cognitive maps] Use only the key issues Create a step by step narrative – the high-level story arc Storyboard eg with post-its (small so they focus you) play with order within the narrative Use pictures/charts/photos/graphs to conceptualise your thoughts AVOID TEXT, avoid sentences, use key words only “if you and your slides are saying the same thing, one of you is not needed” “if they’re reading they’re not listening” Then write the script One idea per slide – so no limit on numbers of slides particularly if pictures = visual anchors Use your own photos (but always high quality) Then make the slides (but avoid distracting clutter – logos etc) Fill the picture (‘in your face’) Vary slide design Avoid cliché pictures eg handshake/bullseye rethink point you’re trying to make Use rule of thirds (ppt home/arrange/align/grid settings to align at 1/3 or 2/3 up or down Picture left, writing right so ‘read’ from left to right

Audience should ‘get’ your slide in <3mins (cf a billboard) Avoid clutter but incorporate its opposite – ie white space (also results from decluttering) Choose 2 fonts with the correct personality (matches your message) – font is also a graphic But be consistent, aim for a large family font and beware obscure (may not work elsewhere) And big enough for those at the back – billboard again – vary size for impact of each bit But don't go over the top Solid plain background +/- slight fade; ensure contrast White on black in dark room, black on white in light room Combine stats with pictures One stat per slide Pie charts good but <6 slices/slide Builds for the complex Make sure labels are clear Videos good but <30s Embed: insert/movie/ NB – a handout is something entirely different Presentations/audiovisual aids/slides Our participants’ evaluations continue to impress, both those done internally and those by the RCP when participants register for CPD points. I joined our the annual Faculty meeting of our sister MS MasterClass last month led by MS neurologist Gavin Giovanni and they too are seeing increasingly awesome evaluation rates. I think there are 3 reasons. First they have based how they operate on our experience over a decade and a half and this includes comprehensive evaluation. Second their MasterClasses like our’s are intensely patient-centric which includes service development. Third they have very rapidly moved to case-based learning (CBL) and are keen to move further and further in that direction. So all in all good news. But! If the offer is that good how do we improve further or even stand still. Does CBL give us an opportunity? When I look back at our MC1 programme from 2002 the first thing that stands out is that we have clearly moved away from fact based learning to CBL. Second what we do is far more interactive (MC1 was laid out theatre style!). My third observation concerns the use of additional learning materials, audiovisual aids in general and slides in particular. In MC1 we were already facing the relentless emphasis on PowerPoint as a starting point rather than beginning with learning outcomes, learning points and a story, as we had to before commissioning expensive photographic 35mm slides!

So what has changed? It is clear that both Gavin and I are keen fans of the TED talk. One of my favourites is https://www.ted.com/talks/abraham_verghese_a_doctor_s_touch from our US colleague Abraham Verghese at the RCPE. Look at how many slides he uses, how many contain text and the simple prop he uses towards the end to hold attention to the point that you could hear a pin drop. Yes I know, isn’t it amazing. Ira has abandoned slides and those of you who are using more and more CBL are using them less and less and almost always very well. Think too about props – even the flip chart is in essence a prop. ‘The experts’ will cite their 40 year’s experience as a reason why they don’t need to change (but in reality perhaps 1 year’s experience 40 years over) yet we can always learn more and improve further as a result. As a result of my conversation with Gavin I dug out my copy of How to Design TED-Worthy Presentation Slides by Akash Karia (2015) which I have now donated to The Academy so that you can thumb through it at the MasterClass. I re-learnt lots and lots. And there is a lot there and there are many examples of good (think of a slide as a billboard) and bad (CERN – ‘cern presentation ppt’ - shocking). The bottom line is that slides are last and least and are only there to amplify the learning (note learning, not teaching) of THE issue and what supports it. Cited in his book is http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_speaker_guide.pdf which is a useful checklist covering a number of issues relevant to any presentation but I will leave it to you as to where you want to go with the guide but 3 quick quotes from Akash Karia to finish: “ forget about yourself – focus on the audience” “if they’re reading [slides] they’re not listening” But best of all: “if you and your slides are saying the same thing, one of you is not needed” Trust me you are very needed and I am so grateful to you for your continuing expertise in facilitating the learning of our participants, as clearly you are! As you know we do have a slide template (enclosed) which I use only when discussing Academy ‘business’ (or occasionally outside the Academy if I am ‘bigging up the Academy eg for sponsors”!). In general I prefer you to choose how you want to present. That said if at any point you want to discuss this 1:1 just say the word. Thus and as I have mentioned before I have only 2 asks. I am really keen that on slide 1 you proudly declare your host institutions (NHS/Uni etc etc). On Slide 2 please list your declarations but these need not be purely financial (factual but no great kudos) so also include high stakes affiliations such as having worked for NICE, being a third sector trustee, BGS MDS role-holder etc etc. I want out participants to know that you, our Faculty and Speakers are very serious players in the Pd world, which you are.