Organization & Preparation Tips

 Organization & Preparation Tips by Garr Reynolds

1.  What do you think are the author’s three most important points?

            In his article “Organization and Preparation Tips” by Garr Reynolds, the author mentions ten major points to keep in mind when preparing for a presentation. However, to me, three of the points – the first, fourth, and seventh – stood out. The first point, titled “Start with the end in mind,” instructs the presenter to think about what the purpose of their talk is, why they were asked to speak, and what the audience expects. It will be easier to put together a great presentation if you are aware of why exactly you are doing it. The fourth point, “Keep it simple,” is essential because it emphasizes the importance of focusing on the essentials of your presentation. Supporting details and evidence are certainly important, but a presenter must be wary of straying too far from the purpose of his or her presentation. The tenth point is titled "Dakara nani? (So what?)” I especially liked this point in Reynolds’ article because it explains why it is incredibly important to be careful not to make a presentation into simply an “information dump.” Explaining the true meaning of what you say and analysis of what you have researched is vital to a great presentation.

2.  How might you apply his advice to your own presentation?

            As previously stated, I believe that the three points mentioned above are the most important – and this may be because they are the ones I most need to work on. Often when I am preparing for a presentation, I find it difficult to begin simply because I do not know where to start. Reynolds’ advice to “start with the end in mind” is extremely helpful. Furthermore, I have found that my presentation have sometimes not been as simple as they should have been and also not have answered the question of “so what?” very well. For my own presentation this time, I will definitely take extra care to address all three of these tips.

3.  What do you think presentation preparation has in common with product design?

            Presentation preparation and product design are actually incredibly similar. For both, it is necessary to think things through and develop a detailed plan before beginning anything. In addition, simplicity – sticking to the essentials – is key because a presenter does not want to bore or confuse his or her audience, and a designer does not want to make his or her product too complicated for consumers to use.

4.  Briefly discuss, on your blog, the areas of design you would be most interested in exploring.

            I would be most interested in learning about and discussing more real-world examples of the complete design process, such as the information presented about the iPod in “The Perfect Thing.” I would also like to explore the initial, first few steps of the design process. How is it that most designers decide what exactly to design?