FriendlyBrain Tip 292: Another look at Technology

This week's FriendlyBrain Tip comes to you from Justin Collinge of Kaizen Training.

It was the biggest conference of its type in the world and I was there. I'd been able to get into the seminar and he stood up to speak. The Man. A guru, a leader, one to be listened to. I sat on the edge of my chair, pen poised, ready. I had been looking forward to this moment and now it had arrived. With flair he flicked his remote to fire up the PowerPoint ...

... and that's about all I can remember of the event. Nothing he said stuck. For me it was a perfect example of 'death by PowerPoint'. I do have a vague memory of bullet-point laden slides. I also remember not being able to read the text, and that's it. In fact, a little over half way through, I got up and left in a mute, dispirited protest.

Maybe experiences like this explain the backlash against the use of technology in team meetings, training events and even presentations. I was fascinated to hear a skilled trainer recently say about her group "We're not really technology people". She went on to comment about how 'people' were really important to them - as though technology and 'valuing people' were somehow opposites!

Can I suggest an alternative? Technology and 'people' need not be in conflict. Used correctly technology can hugely enhance communication not limit it. I can almost see you leaning forward with slightly misty eyes, wondering whether there's a way out of the PowerPoint limbo. (And yes, I can also see you - yes, you, reaching for the mouse to scroll through all of this). Indulge me as I share some real examples of how different technologies can work for you:

Many workplaces have installed Interactive Whiteboards and then never use them except as expensive screens for PowerPoint presentations. These incredible pieces of technology have the potential for radically changing how information is shared and explored. See the 'call to action' for more.

There's a wealth of video clips available, ones that will illustrate your point, ones that will give everyone a brief opportunity to relax and just watch for a while, ones that challenge our thinking about traditional topics, and some that just make us laugh. I use video all the time as another way of providing a 'rich and multisensory' environment.

I was at a conference this week where the main points from the keynote speaker were texted to everyone's phone before they left.

You know the Ask the Audience moment on 'Who wants to be a millionaire'? That sort of voting technology is easy to offer these days. What would it be like if you were able to quickly gather information from your team or audience on any topic? I used them just the other day to make baseline assessments at the beginning of a project.

... and maybe, just maybe, if used completely differently, PowerPoint can still have a place. Pecha Kucha (Japanese for 'chit-chat') is a new way of using PowerPoint where you are given 20 slides and the timer set so each slide is only on screen for 20 seconds. That's 6 minutes 40 seconds and you're finished. You could find it revolutionises the way you present! What if you made that the norm for your company from now on?

Call to action:

Ask us how we can help bring life to your use of technology to help all areas of communication.

Begin to use your Interactive Whiteboard as it was meant to be used. How about running a 'Presentation Magic' event? Details available from justin@kaizen-training.com

Give Pecha Kucha a try and see if it helps you as much as it has helped others.