This week in MCOM we talked a lot about presenting, and a lot about how to use Powerpoint. I've always known the very basics of Powerpoint (probably a little more than Michael Scott), but nothing crazy impressive. CARBS is something that is easy to remember that can make a big difference in any Powerpoint presentation. Contrast, alignment, repetition, balance, and spacing. Understanding how to use these five treatments can have a drastic impact on the presentation we are giving. They are what will capture and hold the attention of our audience, or without effectively using them, do the opposite.
At the end of class on Thursday, our teacher gave us an assignment to make a good slide in Powerpoint of an invitation to a valentine's day dance. My group decided to make it right after class, and working with my group members, I learned more things about Powerpoint than I previously knew. It was also a good moment to put into practice the things I learned in class and from reading the book.
“PowerPoint doesn’t kill meetings. People kill meetings. But using PowerPoint is like having a loaded AK-47 on the table: You can do very bad things with it.”
(Peter Norvig, Google Director of Research)
I really enjoyed the quote that you used at the end of your post. Presentations are a very powerful weapon we can use for good and for bad. I loved these last couple of classes because they really taught us how to use it successively so we don't shoot our self in the foot. As long as you apply what you learned this week, you will be a successful presenter.
ReplyDeleteI thought that assignment was fun. I can't wait to see everyone's tomorrow. It will be exciting to see who wins. Using CARBS does help to analyze why we think something doesn't look good. Now we know why and how we can fix the problem.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed that assignment. I put way too much time into it for it not being worth any points! I guess not all CARBS are bad!
ReplyDeleteGood stuff. PowerPoint is useful for a lot of stuff, but like you said, if you use it you create a lot of opportunities for problems. I like that CARBS is easy to remember and simple in application. Also, this video clip makes me laugh probably a lot more than it should :)
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