Alice Bartlett
Principal Engineer, Customer Products team
@alicebartlett
Doing Presentations
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@alicebartlett
I’m Alice Bartlett, I’ve
given quite a lot of
presentations
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CAVEAT
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CAVEAT
My experience is mostly tech conferences
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3. Make it interesting
1. Start with your users
2. Make it legible
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3. Make it interesting
1. Start with your users
2. Make it legible
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THINK ABOUT YOUR
AUDIENCE
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@alicebartlett
Who are they?
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@alicebartlett
What do they want?
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@alicebartlett
Why are they here?
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@alicebartlett
What do you want to tell them?
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@alicebartlett
They’re probably not paying
attention
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@alicebartlett
They probably want some lunch
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@alicebartlett
Be respectful of people’s time
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@alicebartlett
Prepare properly
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@alicebartlett
1 hour to prepare for every minute you’re
presenting
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@alicebartlett
YOU ARE LESS INTERESTING THAN YOU
THINK YOU ARE
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HELP YOUR AUDIENCE
FOLLOW YOUR TALK
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Alice Bartlett
Principal Engineer, Customer Products team
@alicebartlett
Doing Presentations
TITLE
SLIDE
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Alice Bartlett
Principal Engineer, Customer Products team
@alicebartlett
Doing Presentations
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@alicebartlett
I’m Alice Bartlett,
I’ve given quite a
few presentations
A SLIDE
ABOUT YOU*
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*UNLESS EVERYONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE
ALREADY
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@alicebartlett
I’m Alice Bartlett, I’ve
given quite a lot of
presentations
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2. Aesthetics
3. Where to find out more
1. Content
NAVIGATION
SLIDES
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3. Something useful
1. Boasting
2. Meandering
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1. Boasting
• We did X in record time
• 86% of users gave us ★★★★☆
• The work was on budget
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1. Start with your users
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• Think about your audience
1. Start with your users
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• Think about your audience
• Help your audience follow your talk
1. Start with your users
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3. Make it interesting
1. Start with your users
2. Make it legible
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AVOIDING TECHNICAL
DIFFICULTIES
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@alicebartlett
Design your slides to minimise technical
difficulties
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@alicebartlett
Design your slides to minimise technical
difficulties
SLIDE
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@alicebartlett
Think about how colours show up when
projected onto screens
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@alicebartlett
#FFF1E8
#FDD6B9
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@alicebartlett
Think about the 8% of men who are
colourblind
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@alicebartlett
Use a system font (controversial)
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@alicebartlett
Have wide content margins so things aren’t
cut off if the projector is not aligned with the
screen properly
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@alicebartlett
MARGINS!
M
A
R
G
I
N
S
!
M
A
R
G
I
N
S
!
Have wide content margins so things aren’t
cut off if the projector is not aligned with the
screen properly
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@alicebartlett
Test your deck on a projector to make
sure it’s legible. Things look different on
illuminated screens vs laptops
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@alicebartlett
If you’re using video and it has sound,
subtitle it!
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@alicebartlett
Do not expect the internet to work!
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@alicebartlett
If you like wearing dresses or statement
necklaces - these can interfere with clip
mics. Either avoid or ask the organisers for
a different type of mic ahead of time.
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WORK WITH THE
ORGANISERS
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@alicebartlett
Things to tell organisers [delete as applicable]:
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@alicebartlett
Things to tell organisers [delete as applicable]:
1. I’ll present from my own computer. It has the
following display ports […] and I will be available
for a tech check […]
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@alicebartlett
Things to tell organisers [delete as applicable]:
1. I’ll present from my own computer. It has the
following display ports […] and I will be available
for a tech check […]
2. My presentation will include sound
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@alicebartlett
Things to tell organisers [delete as applicable]:
1. I’ll present from my own computer. It has the
following display ports […] and I will be available
for a tech check […]
2. My presentation will include sound
3. I will need content warnings for the following
things [flashing images, death, harassment etc…]
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@alicebartlett
Things to tell organisers [delete as applicable]:
1. I’ll present from my own computer. It has the
following display ports […] and I will be available
for a tech check […]
2. My presentation will include sound
3. I will need content warnings for the following
things [flashing images, death, harassment etc…]
4. Please tell me the aspect ratio of your screen
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@alicebartlett
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@alicebartlett
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MAKE SURE PEOPLE
CAN READ YOUR
SLIDES
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@alicebartlett
MAKE SURE PEOPLE CAN READ YOUR SLIDES BY MAKING YOUR TEXT
NICE
AND
BIG
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@alicebartlett
Keep the number of words on each slide
low, and then talk around them
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@alicebartlett
“Oh dear, this looked different when it
was on my screen”
“Can everyone read this?”
“Well… you can’t really see it but…”
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PROJECTORS ARE
NOT MAGIC
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2. Make it legible
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2. Make it legible by…
• making it resilient to tech difficulties
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2. Make it legible by…
• making it resilient to tech difficulties
• working with organisers
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2. Make it legible by…
• making it resilient to tech difficulties
• working with organisers
• designing your slides so everyone can read them
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3. Make it interesting
1. Start with your users
2. Make it legible
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@alicebartlett
If you only bother with the two parts of this
talk, you will be in the top 10% of
presentations already.
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USE COLOUR
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USE A DIFFERENT
BACKGROUND COLOUR
FOR IMPORTANT
POINTS
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@alicebartlett
Vary the rhythm, vary the pace, vary your
tone, vary your pitch, vary your style, vary the
visuals, add some sounds, add some video, add
some objects, change the energy
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@alicebartlett
pause
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“Illustrate,
don’t
decorate”
Russell Davies
@undermanager
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“Illustrate,
don’t
decorate”
Russell Davies
@undermanager
A picture of Russell
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“Illustrate,
don’t
decorate”
Russell Davies
@undermanager
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“Illustrate,
don’t
decorate”
Russell Davies
@undermanager
NOT THIS
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@alicebartlett
You don’t need a
picture of money if
you’re talking about
money
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@alicebartlett
You don’t need a
picture of money if
you’re talking about
money
THIS IS NAFF
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No content
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@alicebartlett
Your pictures should help you make your
point, not make your presentation look
‘whizzy’
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@alicebartlett
The same goes for GIFs, videos, animations
and slide transitions
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@alicebartlett
DON’T USE ANIMATIONS
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@alicebartlett
“Whizzy” distracts from your point
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@alicebartlett
Be yourself
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@alicebartlett
Do a joke
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@alicebartlett
Don’t get hung up on ums.
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@alicebartlett
Practise!
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@alicebartlett
Get feedback from peers early - it doesn’t
matter if it’s not finished yet!
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@alicebartlett
Don’t just read out a blog post
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@alicebartlett
Giving presentations is standing up and
talking
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Everything doesn’t have to be a
TED talk. Most things should not
be a TED talk.
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3. Make it interesting
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3. Make it interesting
• Use colour
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3. Make it interesting
• Use colour
• Change the energy
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3. Make it interesting
• Use colour
• Change the energy
• Illustrate, don’t decorate
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3. Make it interesting
• Use colour
• Change the energy
• Illustrate, don’t decorate
• Avoid “whizzy”
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3. Make it interesting
• Use colour
• Change the energy
• Illustrate, don’t decorate
• Avoid “whizzy”
• Be yourself!