Throughout this course, we've linked to a number of TED talks.  I've cringed at the beginning of every one of them.  For a while now, I've had a distaste towards the TED conferences and TED talks.  A few years ago, I saw a documentary on the conferences that spawned this feeling.  I might have the timeline wrong, but I think the film was made when TED was still in its relative infancy.  Instead of presenting it as an collection of unique presenters sharing ideas, it came off as a bunch of rich people who got together to tell each other how smart they are.

This was not intentional on the part of the filmmaker, but she lingered way too long on how much money it cost to attend, how tough it was to get into, and the people who regularly attended.  I left with the feeling that instead of "Ideas Worth Sharing", their slogan should be "Pompous Jerks Tell You What to Think".  It's sullied my perception of each and every TED talk we've been linked to.  As I read this Presentation Zen chapter, I was thinking about that.

Reynolds talked about how Steve Jobs is such a skillful presenter because of his ability to connect with his audience- to seem affable and generally comfortable with what he was saying.  He connected with his audience on their level, and invited them to care about what he was saying, instead of telling them "Now everyone sit in awe while I tell you some awesome stuff!"  That's what I really took away from that section of the chapter.  In order to connect with an audience, you cannot come off as being "above" them- something that teachers can definitely keep in mind.  I can tell them all day long why Mark Twain is so funny, but the best way to connect with them is so much easier.  As he mentioned by bringing up Judo, let the kids think he's some stodgy old writer, and present his work at face value, without beating them over the head with the idea that he was such a cultural icon.  The work is good enough to speak for itself, and still relevant.

On an unrelated note, I was excited to take another shot at Prezi after some of what we've learned in this class.  One of our classmates mentioned on my first presentation, to summarize, that I was doing it wrong.  And quite right.  I like the zooming and twisting and flying that Prezi can do.  I think it looks cool.  But a few of my students have complained that my Prezis make them motion-sick.  I haven't made my Prezi yet, but instead of flying around this time, I want to concentrate on the idea of a "journey" (as hackneyed as that sounds).  I plan on choosing a few pictures from my neighborhood, and trying to make it seem like you're actually walking around the Waukesha.  That is how I plan to connect with my audience at a reasonable level.  I may like the flying-all-over-the-place that Prezi can do, but there's more of a "story" to be told by holding back on that.