I'd Rather Be Writing » presentations

Presentations Versus Conversations

Tom Johnson — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:34:40 +0000

Recently I listened to Moira Gunn interview Steve Rosenbaum about content curation in her podcast, Tech Nation. I heard Steve present on a similar topic at Confab. Interestingly, I found the podcast, which was a conversation between Moira and Steve, more interesting, fluid, and natural than Steve’s Confab presentation.

Steve’s presentation at Confab was great. But all presentations, by nature, have a different rhythm and organization than conversations. In a presentation, you usually have a deck of slides that you move through sequentially, following a predefined structure to your ideas.

In contrast, conversations are more spontaneous. At times you may pursue tangents, or skip around to topics that you might have originally thought to delay until later. Order is decided at the moment, based on the interviewer’s questions, his or her responses, and the level of perceived interest. Overall, I think conversations allow for more discovery and excitement based on the unplanned direction of the conversation.

In addition to presentation and conversation formats, other formats blend the two. Last Friday I participated in a MindTouch webinar that was a hybrid between a presentation and a conversation. Scott Abel is the host of a series of webinars by MindTouch. Before the webinar, he asked me to send him a slidedeck of my presentation. He then selected out the slides he wanted to discuss, and modified them a bit. He also inserted some of his own slides. About 15 minutes before the webinar, he sent me a PDF of the slides, but I hardly glanced at half of them before the webinar began.

During the webinar, we moved through the topic in a conversational way. Scott used the slides to move the conversation forward when it lagged. Sometimes this worked well, as the next slide provided a great segue to explore a new angle on the topic. Other times I realized that I already discussed the information on the next slide, or the slide took us backwards instead of forwards in the conversation. Regardless, the slides gave a sense of structure to what might otherwise be a loosely focused conversation touching a lot of different points somewhat randomly.

Regardless, I admit I prefer conversations more than presentations. Many presentations, particularly at conferences, can often lack engagement. In contrast, the conversation format puts the listener as a player in the topic game. You have some control about the direction and momentum, rather than just being a spectator.

At South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW), a lot of times the formats are panel discussions. A presenter may give a 20 minute presentation followed by 30 minutes of question and answers. I haven’t been to SXSW, but in listening to the recordings, these sessions are appealing hybrids of conversation presentations.

Preparing for a conversation to take place during a presentation is a somewhat risky move for a presenter. At the STC Summit, I presented for 30 minutes, and then opened up a question and answer session. It went all right, but the Q&A component was multi-directional, since it’s a conversation with a crowd rather than an individual.

The crowd conversation doesn’t work as well as a one-on-one conversation because the crowd’s questions are much more random. The questions don’t have the same focus and flow as the questions that a skilled interviewer might follow. A skilled interviewer will pick up with your response and build on that response with a new question. The conversation has a direction it’s heading, even if neither person knows exactly where it will end up. In contrast, the crowd Q&A is a start and stop motion, with no sense of forward momentum or progress building on the responses.

Having a conversation in front of an audience is another approach, somewhat like listening to a live podcast. The limitation here is that the interviewer’s questions may not represent the crowd’s questions.

Overall, what’s the best format for delivering information to a group? A conversation, a presentation, or a hybrid of the two? I’m not sure. Conference season has ended, so I don’t have any upcoming presentations I’m planning. But when I need to give another presentation, I think I’ll move toward a short presentation followed by a conversation. The job of the presentation should set up the fuel and momentum of the conversation. The presentation should naturally start the conversation.

I doubt this format will catch on for most conferences, though. It requires too much on-the-spot performance and risk. It’s much easier to bank on your own presentation content, load up your PowerPoint with 50+ slides, and sail your way across the harbor — even if your audience remains on the shore.

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Dallas STC Summit Proposals Due Oct 5

Tom Johnson — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:16:43 +0000

If you’re thinking about submitting a proposal to present at the next STC Summit in Dallas, Texas, the deadline is October 5. See the proposal site for details. Presenting is a good idea for a number of reasons. Presenting either gives you a discount or free registration to the conference. It gives you something to focus on during the long winter months. And if you’re passionate about your topic, you raise the quality of the STC Summit.

It’s also fun to be among so many professionals in the field, to see them all gathered together in one bustling, energetic conference center. If you do submit a proposal, my advice is to submit just one presentation, because having to present at multiple sessions can be stressful. This past week I’ve been listening to the archive of recorded podcasts and am amazed at all the informative, helpful sessions I missed.

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Social Networks and the TransAlpine Conference

Tom Johnson — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:19:38 +0000

Before I met my Jane 11 years ago, she spent about seven weeks traveling across Europe. It was a time she trying to answer some questions, and during some point in her walking and train-riding and city exploring, she found answers. She also fell in love with Europe—with the little narrow streets, the bustling plazas, the rich histories, the winding rivers, the chocolates and pastries. Ever since then, for the past 11 years she’s been telling me about Europe. So when the opportunity presented itself to go to Vienna and present at the TransAlpine conference, I accepted.

The TransAlpine Chapter (TAC) includes a number of countries across central Europe. Every year the chapter has a technical communication conference in some agreed-upon location–previously Slovenia, Zurich, and Berlin, this year Vienna. Technical writers come from all over Europe to attend it—from Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Italy, France, England, Poland, Austria, and other countries. For three days, the group—previously spread out, isolated, and alone—is combined into one.

Because the flight alone takes a day, I wanted to make the most of my trip. So I arrived two days early. I learned to navigate the bahn (the subway system). I explored Shonbrunn Palace, Stadt Park, ate real pizza and plum pastries, attended a Mozart-Strauss concert, marveled inside St. Stephen’s 900 year-old cathedral, looked at the majestic architecture of the Hofsburg Palace and the Museum Quarters, got lost riding a city-rented bicycle, explored the Hall of Music, walked around the lively bustling District 1 streets and shops, watched outdoor opera on a giant screen, ate coconut ice cream from a gelatina, gazed up at the artistic Huntervasser house, and walked along the city edge of the Danube river.

The experience was, to say the least, visually and culturally stimulating. I can hardly believe the history everywhere. In the U.S., proud stores often advertise they’ve been in operation since the early 1900s. In Vienna, they advertise they’ve been operating since 1683. The architecture is also exquisite and ornate. Imagine the most stately architecture of a state capital building. Now imagine every building in the city (times 100) with the same architectural grandeur, only more palatial and from the 17th and 18th centuries.

But a travelogue of details is not my point here. I’m building up to something else, a hint at the importance of social networks. Everywhere I saw couples and groups enjoying the sights together. A group of tourists looking up at a historic building. A couple interpreting a map together. A group of teens wearing the same T-shirt to keep themselves together. Two lovers holding hands in the plaza. Senior citizens staring at the sides of cathedral walls. There’s something about being with another that makes all the difference. In contrast, traveling solo gets to be a bit isolating, even immersed in crowds.

The technical writers in the TransAlpine chapter are more or less isolated from other technical writers. In Austria and many other countries, the profession of technical writing is largely unrecognized. Almost no one knows what a technical writer is. In many situations, the only technical writers are those employed by U.S. companies with overseas locations—most notably, IBM. Although these technical writers have the camaraderie of their fellow engineers, a thriving hub of other technical writers within the same area is rare. This is why the Transalpine Conference is so important—and why it’s so powerful.

The TransAlpine Conference is an immersion in a social network. As the conference sessions started, I didn’t just shake a few people’s hands; I developed real friendships with over a dozen people. I hung out with Glen from Berlin, an outspoken Canadian expat who wasn’t afraid to say what he thought. I exchanged views with Stuart, a brilliant Englishman and web developer living in Paris. I talked at length with Dan, an engaging and conversational Pennsylvania-born expat living in Zurich. I shared views with Anna from Poland and learned about her DITA experiences and the Workbench. I chatted with Ellis Pratt and David Farbey, two Englishmen—one an ingenious marketer who started Cherryleaf, the other a fascinating historian who knew all the details of English kings going back at least a thousand years.

I talked with a group of writers from Slovenia. Another writer from Poland. Two writers from Munich, Germany. Another from Copenhagen, Denmark. Locals from Austria. And more.

You meet a lot of people at conferences, but the TransAlpine Conference takes it to another level. Lunch is not an hour where everyone goes their own way to find food. Lunch is another session in the conference. After the sessions end each day, you spend the evening with the same group, mostly enjoying a long meal. And sometimes you ride the ferris wheel at the Prater together.

I’ve never lived on “the Continent,” as they say about Europe. But I have lived overseas before—in Venezuela, Japan, and Cairo. I know the social dynamics that sometimes develop among expat communities. Your separation from family and home lead you to form strong friendships and close communities with those around you. Your social connections may be fewer, but they extend much deeper and are more meaningful.

The TransAlpine Conference helps facilitate the social networks that people need, especially for those writers living estranged from their homes, the expats and emigrants and foreigners living in new cities and lands, or for those solo native writers making a living at an unrecognized profession, who usually have almost no interaction with colleagues in their same field.

This is the tenth year that the TransAlpine chapter has been holding conferences. Vici Koster-Lenhardt, who works for Coca-Cola and has been in Vienna for 20+ years, is one of the main organizers who started the conference. The success of the TransAlpine chapter model, where more than 100 technical writers spread out across Europe can still be part of a tight-knit community, is a model that the STC has studied for possible implementation in other areas. Vici actually became an STC Fellow this year, not only for her 25 years of active engagement in the profession, but also for her pioneering of the TransAlpine model.

During the three day conference, I gave several presentations. I gave a workshop on WordPress, a presentation on blogging, podcasting, and screencasting, another presentation on quick reference guides, and I participated on a trends panel. I have grown to enjoy presenting more and more. I like the engagement in the conversation and the freedom to move in a direction I find interesting. I also enjoy defining the pace and fielding the questions. Every session went well, but I particularly liked the one on blogging. (I also recorded it and will be posting it soon.)

In the U.S., a three hour drive hardly gets you out of the same state. But a three hour drive from Slovenia actually gets you over the border to Vienna. Since the countries are so close together, the people are often more mixed. It’s easy to find people from all over, from Poland and Switzerland and Italy and Germany, all in the same room. Each of these countries has a unique culture and language that provides fascinating topics for conversation. It was these lengthy conversations that I’ll remember most from the conference.

Near the end of my trip, I walked along the Danube into non-touristy areas, listening to my iPod as I walked. Unlike Jane, my going to Europe didn’t involve much soul-searching. But I did find myself thinking about the social ties that bind us together, and how even the most interesting places in Vienna suddenly lose appeal without another, without friends and colleagues to exchange ideas and perspectives and conversation. Do you ever wonder what life is about? It’s about the people you share it with.

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Speaker Confessions | A book of true tales from veteran public speakers

Tom Johnson — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:05:01 +0000

Speaker Confessions | A book of true tales from veteran public speakers.

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Blogging Webinar Thursday Evening

Tom Johnson — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:20:03 +0000

I’m giving a webinar on blogging tomorrow evening for the Rocky Mountain STC chapter at 7 p.m. MST. As a webinar, it’s open to everyone, not just the Rocky Mountain chapter. The cost for the remote viewing of the webinar is $10. More webinar details here.

To give you a little more preview about what I’ll cover, here are the ten main topics:

The Blog as an Expected Format
Why Bother to Blog?
Search Engine Optimization: The #1 Perceived Value of Blogging
The Most Difficult Part of Blogging: Generating Content Regularly
How Your Audience Consumes Blog Information
Key Elements of Blog Appeal: Story, Voice, Transparency, Honesty
Making the 652 Posts Findable on Your Blog
Comments — and What to Do With Them
What Happens to You When You Blog
Questions Everyone Asks About WordPress

March 3 Update: You can listen to a recording of the webinar. I split it up into two parts:

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Premium WordPress Themes, WordPress 2.5 Premium Themes, Premium WordPress Blog Templates | Blog Oh Blog

Tom Johnson — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:58:32 +0000

WordPress theme that functions like a slideshow

Check out the “Slidepress” theme — works like a PowerPoint but looks much cooler and runs on WordPress. For your next presentation, consider using this.

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Upcoming Presentations, or, Blogging and Increased Visibility

Tom Johnson — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:53:06 +0000

When you blog, you increase your visibility tenfold. And with increased visibility, you’re more frequently invited to speak at events. This year I have a handful of presentations I’m giving at various chapters and events. I decided to add an Upcoming Presentations button on my navigation bar to list them. If you’d like me to speak at your chapter, conference, or other event, let me know.

Here’s my 2009 schedule so far:

February 19. Blogging. Rocky Mountain STC chapter, Colorado. (webinar)
February 26. Quick Reference Guides. Intermountain-STC chapter, Utah. (co-presenting)
March 26. Podcasting. Podcamp Utah.
May 3-6. Blogging (pre-conference workshop). STC Summit, Atlanta.
May 3-6. Blogging (regular presentation). STC Summit, Atlanta.
May 3-6. Quick Reference Guides. STC Summit, Atlanta (co-presenting)
April 7. WordPress. STC Suncoast chapter in Florida. (webinar)
November 5. WordPress/Blogging. STC Suncoast chapter, Florida.

Honestly, I’ve never spoken at so many events in one year. Last year I presented at the STC Summit on podcasting and participated on a panel about marketing yourself in a web 2.0 environment. I also presented on WordPress at Doc Train West and gave a webinar to STC Phoenix about help and web 2.0. The year before that, I only presented on blogging usability at Doc Train West.

So essentially, the number of events I’ve been invited to speak at have at least doubled every year since I’ve been blogging. This points to an interesting phenomenon. Blogging = Visibility.

Visibility is essential to marketing yourself. The other day a reader sent me a long email asking how he could market himself as a technical writer. As a 29-year-old trying to break into the profession, he wanted to establish himself as a technical writer and find a job. Although you can market yourself by attending STC events, publishing in newsletters, passing out business cards, creating a portfolio, and so on, blogging actively about a specific topic probably gives you the most leverage.

The more you blog, the more visible you become. And as your visibility increases, you receive a greater number of invitations. I also serve on the STC Intercom advisory panel. With a small group of other technical communicators, we give suggestions and ideas to the Intercom editors about topics and writers for upcoming Intercom issues. I noticed that when I sit down and try to think about who would be good to write about X, bloggers come to mind first, simply because they are more visible.

So there you have it. Blogging = Visibility and Visibility leads to increased Invitations.

There is one other element at play here: Time. With all these factors (blogging, visibility, and invitations), your amount of Time always decreases, unfortunately.

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Highlights from Doctrain East 2008 — Simplifying Complexity

Tom Johnson — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:41:56 +0000

Highlights from Doctrain East 2008 — Simplifying Complexity

Podcast: Debunking the Boredom Myth of Technical Writing

Tom Johnson — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:42:59 +0000

Download MP3 (to download, right-click and select Save Target As)
Duration: 55 min.

Several weeks ago I wrote about my trip to Brigham Young University-Idaho and the presentation I gave there titled “Debunking the Boredom Myth of Technical Writing.” This podcast is a recording of my presentation.

My presentation was part of the professional writing conference that BYU-Idaho puts on annually for their writing and literature students. In the presentation, I talk about a prevalent myth that many students have — that technical writing is a boring career. To combat the myth, I explore the variety of content technical writers produce, including video, diagrams and illustrations, quick reference material, wikis, online help, information architecture, blogs, wikis, podcasts, and usability.

You can view my accompanying PowerPoint presentation here. Additionally, links to the three videos I played are below:

Looking for Corporate Examples of Web 2.0 Engagement

Tom Johnson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:47:45 +0000

I’m trying to gather as many examples as possible about how companies are engaging in web 2.0 activities. Do you know any companies that are using blogs, wikis, social networks, forums, podcasts/videocasts, or interactive online help? If so, let me know by either adding a comment below or by contacting me. (It doesn’t have to be restricted to tech comm examples.)

In May I’m giving a virtual presentation to STC-Phoenix and I hope to use some of this info to liven the presentation up. In case you’re interested, my presentation summary is below.

Combining Social Media with Help Authoring

The web landscape has changed considerably in the last several years. Users are no longer passive consumers of information (web 1.0), but instead are active contributors of content (web 2.0). They expect to interact and share information, not only with other users, but with project teams and companies.

Although interactive technologies have flourished on the web, much of the help authoring community remains in the one-way communication model. We treat our users as if they have little or nothing to contribute back.

In this virtual meeting, I’ll discuss six of the most compelling technologies that enable users to become contributors: blogs, wikis, social networks, forums, podcasts/videocasts, and interactive online help. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of each medium, and how technical writers can use these technologies to better connect with users.