Often talked about and seldom done: backups … We all know that we should backup our files regularly. But, honestly, when did you last do a backup? When preparing for a presentation we should constantly backup the files we are working on. After finishing our precious visual aids we should consider different backup strategies — just to be on the safe side. Continue reading...

As long as text remains the main component on presentation slides legibility will be one of the main factors to consider when it comes to designing our visuals. Since the invention of movable type printing, about 570 years ago, typographers, typesetters, and graphic designers had plenty of time to figure out how to improve the legibility of text. As a rule of thumb, the optimal legibility of printed continuous text lies between 60 and 80 characters per line. But, how about text projected on a screen? Continue reading...

Why are so many presentation slides cluttered and loaded with data, and why does it seem so difficult to create simple and meaningful visuals? What seems so hard to do on a computer looks far easier on a sheet of paper. Nobody would try to paint a complex mural on a flip-chart (without extensive prior practice anyway). On a flip-chart people allow themselves to be simpler, more visual, and even more playful than in front of their computers. So, why don’t we just pretend to prepare for a flip-chart presentation, and then transfer the results into our presentation software? Paddy Hirsch, Senior Editor of Marketplace, gives a beautiful flip-chart presentation that we would like to use as an example of how this can be done. Continue reading...

In this Google TechTalk, psychologist Dan Siegel introduces his findings about the mind: 1. The mind is a process that regulates the flow of energy and information, it uses the brain to create itself. 2. The flow of energy and information incorporates three basic elements: brain (mechanism), mind (regulating), relationships (sharing). 3. A healthy mind emerges from integrated systems defined by nine functions: body regulation, atunement, balancing emotions, capacity to extinguish fear, ability to pause before acting, insight, empathy, morality, and intuition. Continue reading...