Loraine Antrim

Unlike the pure rhetoric in a speech, today, presentations are visual events. No ifs ands or buts. Audiences expect a performance and props, not just words.   Thanks to great showmen like Steve Jobs, the preso bar has been permanently raised.   Of course, presentations need compelling content--a good story. But they need to keep the mind AND eye engaged. EVERYTHING ABOUT A PRESENTATION IS VISUAL  Engage the eyes and you engage the audience. There are a number of elements that are critical to keeping the audience's eyes and attention. Let's look at the most important visual presentation element: You! The first thing an audience sees is you. And most studies tell us the audience will make an impression of you within ten seconds.  How can you be a visual presenter the audience will remember? Here are a few tips to keep the visual aspect in high gear: TIPS TO BE A VISUAL PRES... (more)

PRESENTATIONS ARE ...NOT SPEECHES

Speech vs Presentation  There's a big difference between a speech and a presentation. We listen to speeches; we watch a presentation. These days, presentations are visual. A speech tends to be formal and for ears only. If you're giving a speech, you're naked.  No PPT, no props. A  speech is often just you at a podium with your compelling ideas. Think Martin Luther King Jr; think formal; think words only. Speaker and Ideas If you've ever heard a great speech, you know it's going to be good within a minute or so. It grabs you by the power of language and ideas. Steve Jobs broke out... (more)

Does Cloud Computing Need a Shrink?

What if "The Cloud" visited a psychiatrist? Does Cloud and Cloud Computing need therapy? Are they suffering from split personality disorder? With so many people giving different definitions of what Cloud Computing is, no wonder The Cloud has an identity crisis. Be a fly on the wall and listen in to the Cloud's therapy session. Scene: Office of Dr. Virgil I. Zation, a noted Silicon Valley Psychiatrist. Dr. Zation is having a therapy session with a new patient named Cloud. Doctor: How can I help you, Mr. Cloud? Cloud: You can drop the "Mr." and just call me "The Cloud." Doctor: Ok, Cl... (more)

The CIO as Tarzan

New Media on Ulitzer Today, CIOs are turned on, You Tubed-in and highly social.  They use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  They blog and appear in videos and engage with their constituents via collaborative technologies. Very hi tech but very low touch. Advice to CIOs: Go Primitive The question is: are we relying too much on technology to communicate our messages and forgetting the human element? It might seem blasphemous to even suggest not using technology to connect and communicate, but pull back for a moment.  Have you considered going primitive? . The Urban Dictionary explains g... (more)

Leaders Should Just Lead

One has to wonder what business leaders are thinking sometimes when they utter things that they have to know are going to send waves throughout the universe. The iconic Warren Buffett opened up his mouth in May 2009 and turned the financial world on its head. In an interview, Mr. Buffett chose to express his views of the current economic times by saying, “this is an economic Pearl Harbor” and equated the current financial situation in the United States to “falling off a cliff.” These comments may seem innocent enough. But coming from a financial executive who has changed a whol... (more)