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How to build a great slide

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Watching a presentation the other day (and hoping my loss of consciousness didn't show on my face) I was reminded of the need for people to know what makes a great presentation. It all starts with a great slide. Why do we use slides? Basically, because we humans have poor memories and even worse concentration. Slides are to used to engage another sense (vision) in addition to hearing to increase the audience's attention and retention. Although there are a lot of different numbers out there, experts seem to agree that you will remember a very small percentage of what you hear (about 10 per cent), about 20 per cent of what you read and about 80 per cent of what you see. That's why a visually arresting slide makes you and your presentation much more effective. How to create a great slide Unless someone gives you a set amount of slides (a completely inane practice), don't worry about the number of slides in your deck. The number of slides has absolutely ...
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Dry Stone Festival 2017

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We love our clients. Our most entertaining project this month is for the Frontenac Heritage Foundation, sponsors of this year's Dry Stone Festival. Each year, Dry Stone Canada finds a location to restore or build walls, bridges or other structures using the dry stone technique. If you've seen photographs of rural Ireland, you've seen dry stone walls stretching for miles. These walls are build with stone only -- no mortar -- and last for hundreds of years. It's an ancient art that visitors to the festival can observe or actually participate in and learn when they register for a workshop. There's even a free kid's workshop where they too can learn and practice their new dry stone skills. This year's event is being held at St. Mark's Anglican Church in Barriefield Village, Kingston, Ontario on September 30 and October 1. Barriefield residents are taking part by offering other activities as well. There will be walking tours, scheduled tours of S...
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Is criticism is a threat to survival?

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Whether you have the formal title of manager or not, you will give and receive lots of feedback during your career. If you're like a lot of people, you have a difficult time doing either. Certainly, receiving feedback often stimulates our fight-or-flight impulse. Does it have to be this way? Is criticism really a threat to our survival? Of course not! That would be silly. Our brains are, however, wired to see criticism as a potential threat and it is this underlaying fear that makes receiving feedback so difficult to take. Feedback is also very hard to give. No one wants to be the difficult boss or cranky colleague. (Unless you already are, in which case, you are likely oblivious and that's a whole other post!) Here's how to do it effectively. When giving feedback: Be timely. There is no point in offering constructive criticism when it's too late for anything to be done about it.  Be clear. Don't use waffly terms that leave your colleagues scr...
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