Showing posts sorted by date for query powerpoint. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query powerpoint. Sort by relevance Show all posts

A PowerPoint 'weather bomb' presentation!!!


What is a weather 'bomb'?


A Met Office "be aware" warning is running for parts of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
Parts of western Scotland are braced for strong winds and "unusually high" waves, while there have already been a string of road accidents amid snow and ice.
But with newspapers predicting a UK weather 'bomb' for the second year running, what does the term actually mean?
BBC weather's Peter Gibbs (above) explains:
A Met Office "be aware" warning is running for parts of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
Parts of western Scotland are braced for strong winds and "unusually high" waves, while there have already been a string of road accidents amid snow and ice.
But with newspapers predicting a UK weather 'bomb' for the second year running, what does the term actually mean?
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 The above (word for word) appears on today's BBC website. To watch the presentation, click on "What is a weather 'bomb'".

 Then ask yourself whether weather forecasts are aided or abetted by yet another PowerPoint style presentation (on which I've blogged previously and ad nauseam.

 I don't think such expensively created graphics add very much. Nor do I believe for one moment that we are about to be 'bombed' out of existence, or at least under cover.

 But I suppose such graphics are a good excuse for inflicting yet more frightening tabloid headlines on us unsuspecting viewers (and license payers)...
___________________________________________________________________

 P.S. 3  days later: The 'bomb' shows no sign of appearing here in the depths of Somerset! Quel surprise...  
Meanwhile, PowerPoint style news programmes continue apace on the BBC and elsewhere.
___________________________________________________________________

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What is a PowerPoint 'weather bomb'???


December 2014 Last updated at 12:18
HelpA Met Office "be aware" warning is running for parts of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
Parts of western Scotland are braced for strong winds and "unusually high" waves, while there have already been a string of road accidents amid snow and ice.
But with newspapers predicting a UK weather 'bomb' for the second year running, what does the term actually mean?
BBC weather's Peter Gibbs explains.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/30397614

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SCENE & HEARD and a missing BBC website magazine interview

What does anyone think of this 'new' title for my book - on schedule for publication in August, 2014.

25 years of PowerPoint

And yesterday, I did an interview for the BBC website magazine but it seems to be unavailable, so you'll have to make do with PowerPoint' George Orwell & JFK and sundry other stuff:

Orwell

  1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14106031
  2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12784072
  3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12215248

John F Kennedy delivers his inaugural speech

  1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8623158.stm
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8638929.stm
  3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8653002.stm
  4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8207849.stm



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Graphical domination of BBC TV News goes from bad to worse?

Huw Edwards - News at 10

For a while, you'll be able to enjoy, if 'enjoy' is the right word for a series of PowerPoint style presentations, last night's BBC News at 10 on iPlayer HERE.

It starts with a seated Huw Edwards reading out the headlines for about 1:30 minutes. Then, he reappears standing in front of a screen, where distracting dollar bills float into heaps in front of the Capitol in Washington DC behind him.

As he clutches a sheet of paper that doesn't seem to serve any useful purpose, numbers about what he's telling us start appearing behind him. Occasionally he makes as if to look at them before handing us over to their Washington correspondent.

Plenty more graphics follow until a flip chart suddenly appears at 14:41 minutes in, with people sitting behind it. But don't worry, our economics correspondent isn't going to write on it, as the numbers and words plop on to the chart, giving the game away just before she's had time to tell us the news about them.

Scroll on to 21:01 minutes, and Huw's back on his feet again with paper in his hands again and more pictures behind him again - soon to be followed by a series of bullet points zooming threateningly in behind his back.

But the barmiest sequence of all comes in at 22:25 minutes into the news, when our medical correspondent suddenly reappears in the middle of a series of concentric circles next to what could be some towers. And towers they turn out to be - tall enough to hold a list of 10 bullet points. As if that weren't enough, the next two towers are tall enough to accommodate 11 bullet points.

23:09 minutes in, we learn why the concentric circles are there. Our medical correspondent is actually standing in the middle of a pie chart, that starts whizzing around him as he tries to point out the numbers that have appears

Regular readers know that I've complained about the BBC's assumption that PowerPoint style presentations are just what viewers who've spent the day suffering from PowerPoint want to see in the evenings.

I've wondered about how much such expensive-looking graphics cost and whether the BBC ever does any research into how audiences respond to news that's presented in this way.

If so, it's surely time they published the results. If not, I'd be glad to offer my services...


Other posts on TV news via PowerPoint:


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Cameron's speech: who thinks he should be seen pretending not to use a script?

It is very well-known that technology can have a marked impact on how effectively speakers come across to an audience - as anyone who's ever been at a PowerPoint presentation knows only too well (see also HERE).

So a matter, if not the matter,  arising from this year's party conference season is just how effectively do speakers come across when they pretend not to use a script?

Three 'scriptless' leaders
Because this year, we saw Ed Miliband repeating the feat of memory that worked so well for him last year, while Nick Clegg and David Cameron relied on huge teleprompter screens that were hidden towards the back of the audence - as did  George Osborne, Jeremy Hunt and no doubt a few others .

Of the party leaders, Miliband showed us that he could indeed do it again and Clegg showed us (as I've long suspected) that standing at a lectern works better for him than wandering about the stage like a management guru.

But Cameron was more disappointing than usual, not least because he's a talented enough public speaker, whether speaking from a script or from memory, not to have to rely on such gadgets. You don't have to watch very far into the above to notice that his head and eyes don't always move in time together: his head sometimes turns slightly while his eyes stay firmly glued to the screen directly in front of him - rather like some of Margaret Thatcher's problems when she spoke from Autocue screens.

Where is the advice coming from and what's the evidence for it?
As has often concerned me about the BBC's obsession with PowerPoint style news and current affairs coverage, what gave them the idea that audiences like it and can they point to any research that actually supports such a claim.

So for Messrs Miliband, Clegg and Cameron (and their aides), I have a similar question or two.

Who has advised you that it's a good idea to be seen to be pretending not to have a script and have they shown you any empirical evidence that supports their claim. If so, what is it and where can I see it?

If not, why on earth are you taking any notice of their advice?

(P.S. And some questions for Mr Miliband: who thinks it's a good idea to have some of the audience behind you and do they have any evidence to support their claim? If so, what is it and where can I see it? If not, why are you taking any notice of their advice?)

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George Osborne speaks into thin air at a building site somewhere in London

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Readers will know that I've been mystified by the locations at which the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have delivered some rather important recent speeches (see list of related posts below).

Finding out exactly where, when and to whom he made his speech on the economy this morning has been quite a challenge.

The Daily Express tells us that he was at a building site in East London and, according to Sky News, he was "addressing an audience of academics, think tanks and businesses in London'.

As usual at such events, there was no hint of a response from anyone in the audience, if indeed anyone was there at all.

Also as usual, there's a weird backdrop of a blank window with a bar chart to the left that looks like a rather creative use of scaffolding - unless, of course, it's the latest in templates from PowerPoint...


Related Posts:

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UK Business Communicator of the Year, 2013


Background
The UK Speechwriters’ Guild emerged in 2009 to raise the profile of speechwriters and improve standards of speaking in public life. We now have over 100 members. We have launched a prize to be awarded to an outstanding figure in the business world who speaks well.

This is the fourth year that judges from the UK Speechwriters’ Guild have selected the Business Communicator of the Year. The winner in February 2010 was Sir Martin Broughton, Chairman of British Airways. The winner in February 2011 was Geoff Burch, the motivational business speaker and author. The winner in 2012 was Gillian Tett, the financial journalist.

The Business Communicator of the Year receives a small trophy with an engraved plate. This can be presented at the winner’s convenience but we do encourage the winner to receive the award at one of our conferences (London 16 May, Brussels 20 September 2013).

The UK Speechwriters’ Guild hosts regular conferences to showcase top speakers and share knowledge and ideas. Speakers have included Phil Collins, Tony Blair’s former speechwriter, Edward Mortimer, former speechwriter to Kofi Annan and Fred Metcalf, David Frost’s scriptwriter.


 The Winner 2013
Most of the business news we’re hearing is gloomy and dispiriting. The advertising executive, Rory Sutherland, has emerged in recent years with entertaining anecdotes and ideas to give entrepreneurs heart and make business fun.
David Ogilvy once said: “I only make a couple of speeches a year but they’re designed to cause the maximum stir on Madison Avenue.”: Mr Sutherland retains some of that provocative flair.
The UK Speechwriters’ Guild has awarded Rory Sutherland the prize of UK Business Communicator 2013 for three reasons:
The first is that he communicates with style. He uses self-deprecating humour to talk about business. He makes dull concepts, colourful, by drawing observations from familiar experience. And he can craft smart one-liners, like: ‘Saving is consumerism needlessly postponed’.
He has a schtick, but he’s always funny, clear and thought-provoking. You don’t mind hearing many of his stories over and over because he tells them rather beautifully. Politicians and CEOs would be wise to copy his formula.
The second reason he gets the prize is because his talks make him a great ambassador for his company. He has expressed a fear of public speaking, but he has overcome it. As Vice Chairman of the Ogilvy Group, he doesn’t make apologies about not representing the views of his employers. His presentations to the Californian conference TED attract millions of viewers, reaching audiences beyond specialists in advertising.
The third reason is because he uses the ancient art of persuasion. His material can be challenging, but he is likeable. He champions psychology over number crunching. He’s the first British business leader we’ve heard quote Charlie Munger, who we think is one of the best American business speakers.
Mr Sutherland‘s good example illustrates how wasteful it is to try to engage audiences with Excel spreadsheets and complex PowerPoint slides. He spreads optimism with insights like, ‘recession is the mother of invention’ and ‘human understanding is the future of business and Government’. These are the kind of sentiments that entertain audiences. Business leaders like Mr Sutherland, who can inspire audiences to try new things, will ultimately lead the way out of recession.

Brian Jenner
Chairman of the Judges, UK Speechwriters’ Guild
February 2013


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Obama demonstrates how to time your slides with what you're saying


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Many PowerPoint presentations fail because the speaker can't wait to press the button to bring up a new slide - usually because they haven't a clue what to say next until they can see what's there on the screen.

That's why I recommend the motto "later rather than sooner" -because the audience has to wait for whatever newsworthy or surprise element a slide might have in store for them and gets
the impression that the speaker is in full control and knows
exactly what's coming next.

I illustrated and discussed the point a while back, with video
clips of Steve Jobs getting it wrong and getting it right (HERE).

In his recent speech at the White House Correspondents dinner (above), President Obama demonstrated that he too knows that pressing the
button (or getting someone else to press the
button) "later rather than sooner" is an effective way to
time when to reveal each next slide.





It was also a marked improvement on his use of visual aids
than was to be seen in the slide-pack used in the 'enhanced'
version of his State of the Union Address earlier this year.
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