Library Garden: Giving Effective Presentations

There has been a flurry of posts in the library blogs I read about how to give good presentations. I highlight this one because the author (Peter Bromberg) does not prescribe one technique or another. He stresses that your technique should serve your purpose. Decide WHAT you wish to do first.

I would say whatever gives people a reason for being there instead of just reading your notes on their own is the right approach. The live experience makes interaction possible. Whatever my purpose is, it can be expanded or improved by the contributions of the intelligent, capable, helpful people who have come to hear me. For example, when I was talking about the PLCMC's use of online conferencing recently, I asked the attendees to indicate by a show of hands whether they had ever met with others through online conferencing. I asked next, of those who had raised their hands, how many enjoyed the experience? Almost every hand stayed up. There was a new datum that the attendees and I had created together.