Those are some really useful points you have. And I agree with the risk that you identify – that the presenter becomes a narrator. But I think it is a different danger to the one when the presenter simply talks to bullet-point slides. In that case, not only is the presenter just a narrator, they’re also reciting stuff that the audience can see for themselves. So that’s boring. Even if the presenter does become a narrator when showing videos, I don’t think it would be as bad as if they were showing bullet-point slides.

In seeing Michael Wesch present and seeing the potential for others to take on this style – I wasn’t thinking so much of a narrator as the model – but of the presenter as a TV documentary presenter.

I don’t know the answer to this… but a question to explore is… Does it matter if the video takes over from the presenter – if the audience is engaged and the “presentation” achieves its objectives?

Olivia

[Bladerunner is best in the director’s or final cut without Deckard’s laconic voice over, which was introduced by the studio because they thought the story was too complex for the audience ... and you can tell Harrison Ford hated doing it; which, by the way, is the only reason it kind of worked.]

In many contexts [webinars], as a teaser/intro, or a stimulus during the presentation, video is an essential format. We love to watch things move. We cannot look away. We don’t want to. As a background tool, less great. For the same reasons. The danger is the same as with textridden slides and a talking presenter.

With Michael’s video you can study nicely what can happen: you don’t look at him, you look at the screen. He becomes invisible.

E.g. clip 2:00: He introduces the video, and talks over it. So I have the song and Michael talking [fast, and increasingly inaudible] and the video itself to look at.

And that is when I switched it off. Literally. Which is a shame, really. But I will return to it and watch some more, I promise.

What I suggest is, plan your choreography carefully; use video sparingly; never for too long [especially as an intro, as it is hard to return to boring real live] and never let it take over your live presentation.

Unless of course, you produce excactly that: a presentation in video format for the web or to send around.

Which is a different thing altogether; and follows rules of its own.

Best wishes from Germany and thanks for the interesting post.

AT

Cheers.

I got onto your blog when I was searching Google for ‘presentation and public speaking skills’, and I am loving your content.

I was looking for resources to improve my presentations I do every now and then about my around the world journey by bicycle and skateboard (www.14degrees.org/en).

Thank you so much!

Rob Thomson