Thing 17: Opening my Prezi!

I have had a quick nose around Slideshare, but I’ve concentrated most of my efforts for this Thing on Prezi. This is entirely new to me and I have to say I’ve really rather enjoyed getting to grips with it. It is an utterly different kettle of fish to the now much familiar PowerPoint presentation. You know pretty much what you are going to get with PowerPoint (no offence) but Prezi is indeed rather dynamic! Moving well away from linear presentation styles and allowing a more free-flowing, bells and whistles approach! I’m really rather taken with it!

Does take a bit of getting used to getting a handle on the different features (all that talk of bubbles and zebras) and generally overcoming some initial bouts of motion sickness from some of the whizzing about, but once you’ve got that sorted it is actually quite fun! There was a helpful video on YouTube which I made reference to which helped me to get a handle on things. Then I was off playing about with it! Even some very basic and frankly shoddy creations ended up looking relatively swish (though they were quickly deleted for fear of initial trials being actually seen and judged).

Admittedly I think creating a Prezi does definitely benefit from having a bit of a plan of action laid down before you start (as the very sage Ned Potter advises), just so you know where you are going and don’t end up roving all over the place and making yourself dizzy!

This will be a marvellous tool for future presentations or generally using to get some ideas across. Indeed, I’ve already got a little project in mind for it….watch this space!

Thing 15: Attending to Things....a standing oration!

Without wishing to sound like a stuck record, I haven't had much experience of attending conferences or of public speaking, yet. I lay stress on the yet as it is something that I want and hope to do, just feel a little that it would be something I would be more comfortable with when I've landed myself a professional position (particularly with regards to giving my own presentation...would want to feel that I had plenty to witter about and would not, Heaven forfend, bore a crowd to tears). Having said that I have given little talks to small groups of people and it is a struggle (I have found) to squeeze all the information in within a small time frame-particularly if like me, there is the tendency to get overexcited and carried away...that's when the wild gesticulating starts, of dear! I have in the past attended a lecture in a museum, when just such an instance occurred and there was the rather unfortunate problem of the audience leaving en masse amid a particularly effusive section of the talk for fear of missing their trains and buses...I suppose therefore, timing really is everything!

 It has been good to read the tips and advice about presenting and attending conferences, so I do feel forearmed for the time when I do get to engage with this side of things.