Difference between revisions of "Ideas for alternative, creative ways of inputs - PPT-free workshops"

Revision as of 14:54, 31 July 2013

Original Message

From: Nadia von Holzen, posted on 2013/07/01

Dear all,

I am pulling together a list of creative ways of delivering inputs. I am supporting the organisation of face-to-face workshops (from 2-hour sessions to 3-4 days). On the agenda I often see PowerPoint presentations... PowerPoints are still the most loved format to deliver inputs...

I would like too see more engaging and interactive activities than PPT. I was pleased to read:

1. km4dev Seattle No PowerPoint facilities, the spirit of the gathering is participation vs straight "presentation." wiki.km4dev.org/Here

WE know some of you need clarity on your ability to "present" for your sponsor/organization. If you commit to offering an Open Space session, that is our equivalent of a "presentation." However, we remind you that there will be no PowerPoint facilities and the spirit of the gathering is participation vs straight "presentation." All in the spirit of knowledge sharing and learning. So plan accordingly!

This made me "sing" (even though I won't be able to join the Seattle meeting). I decided to prepare a list with alternative approaches to "make inputs".

So what are your favourite alternative and creative way of bringing in content/ expertise?

Here my list, please add!

• • Open Space Sessions: the burning question first...
  • Circles/ Knowledge cafe/ World cafe
  • Master Classes: make the master first listening to the questions of the group, then start a discussion...
  • Fish Bowl discussions, e v. start with interviewing in the fish bowl 'the expert', then open the circle...
  • Market with posters, laptop presentations etc.
  • Interviews
  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Storytelling
  • Learning Journey, Sensing Journey
  • "Naked" Presentations (inspired by Garr Reynolds)

I am curious!

Contributors

All replies in full are available in the discussion page. Contributions received with thanks from:

Arthur Shelley
Calvin Minfegue Assouga
Eva Schiffer
Ewen Le Borgne
Hannah Beardon
Johannes Schunter
Josef Hofer-Alfeis
Lucie Lamoureux
Molly Hamm
Nancy White
Paul Corney
Paul Mundy
Pete Cranston
Siham Rashid
Tony Ghaye

Related Discussions

The problem with ppt • What really ruins ppts is not being clear in your mind what you want people to know, or more to the point, what you want them to DO after listening to you. The problem I think is the use of a presentation tool before truly using the brain to understand the issue at hand. (Tony Prior) • The trouble are bad PowerPoints: poor quality, too many slides fully packed, lost in details, not visual, timing not respected... (many voices) • The 2nd problem: presenters hiding behind the slides. "There is a lot of comfort in those decks." (Lucie)

The way forward with ppt For the presenters: • prepare the slides well; well-crafted and well dosed (Johannes) • present with skill, "drama, clarity and use of time" (...) "fit into the time but also designed it to stimulate and allow discussion" (Pete) • “It’s about the audience as much as the presenter“ (Paul Corney) • “The slides are there for the audience, not the speaker.” (Arthur) • Designing high quality PowerPoint presentations that incorporate principles of good slide design, storytelling, data visualization, etc; resources by the American Evaluation Association: Potent Presentations Initiative: http://p2i.eval.org/index.php/p2i-tools/ (Molly) • A competent professional provides appropriate support materials FOR THE AUDIENCE. They should not rely on the support material for themselves. (Arthur) • At the end of the day, I think it's best to pretend you are on a desert island and will be talking to people who have never heard of electricity, or powerpoints. (Arthur)

For the facilitators: • Deal with presenters: what's their "attitude and approach" (Eva) • We “linked facilitators and presenters in advance so we could talk through options." (Pete) • ppt is a helping/ supporting tool (Siham, Calvin); we have to change the practice and not the tool. “Help the people that use it badly (Ewen) • Use ppt alternatively; use ppt to present in different ways; more interactive (Ewen). The facilitator/ presenter are the “master of the game”; “ use ppt in a linear "way" during a workshop can be heavy and boring” (Clavin) • Video and audio to break the flow (Paul Corney) • what is really important (a la our KM principles) is the dialogue between peers that then ensues. We often don't focus on that dialogue (and therefore often give it far less time, and heft, than it deserves), plus we often disseminate the ppt, or the prezi, but not the discussion around it. (Tony Pryor)

The advantages of ppt • "support for nervous speakers and visual stimulation and reinforcement" (Paul Mundy) • Facilitate documentation, "useful for the report" (Pete) • Visuals are helpful; for visual learner (Siham) • PPT are great support especially when the audience language is different. Invest in briefing the translator (Paul Corney; Hannah) • as a scaffold for their own notes, so they can listen more effectively to what is being said (Arthur).

The alternatives: • "To me, the key to making people feel better about leaving the slides behind is facilitation. And prior to the session, it's good for the facilitator to have a talk with them to see what key points they want to raise and gently leading them during the session to doing so." (Lucie) • "variations on speed-geeking/marketplace formats also work well, where 'presenters' have 60 secs to pitch in plenary - so everyone knows what's in the room, and then participants spend time (15-20 mins) with two or three of the presenters in turn, allowing them to question and discuss in smaller groups." (Pete) • Printed posters or prepare flip charts (Eva) • Engage around an issues Net-Map: http://netmap.wordpress.com (Eva) • Chat (or Talk) Show: http://www.kstoolkit.org/Chat+Shows (Lucie) • BarCamp or UnConference (e.g. KnowledgeCamp, Germany): impulse presentation (with or without PPT) and moderation of the following discussion. The audience decides by acclamation, if he/she gets one. (Josef) • Pecha-Kucha: only 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PechaKucha (Josef) • Ignite (Johannes, Nancy) hand drawn visuals for an Ignite presentations http://www.fullcirc.com/2013/06/29/igniteseattle21-s-is-it-time-to-think-about-a-legacy/ • Prezi (Tony, Johannes) “you can zoom in and out of build structures, and create a bigger pictures that adds context to individual slides.” (Johannes)

• Open Space Sessions: the burning question first... • Circles/ Knowledge cafe/ World cafe • Master Classes: make the master first listening to the questions of the group, then start a discussion... • Fish Bowl discussions, e v. start with interviewing in the fish bowl 'the expert', then open the circle... • Market with posters, laptop presentations etc. • Interviews • Appreciative Inquiry • Storytelling • Learning Journey, Sensing Journey • "Naked" Presentations (inspired by Garr Reynolds, presentationzen)

Conclusion 1) Be the presenter presenting (with or without PowerPoint) 2) As facilitator support presenters to deliver a good presentation