Monday, January 12, 2009
Some sage advice from a presentation guru
I have a lot of respect for Garr Reynolds. He's a cool cat regarding communication and he wrote a groovy book on better presentation design using the much maligned PPT and KeyNote. I read his blog, Presentation Zen, religiously because, not only are his presentations inspiring, but he always has links to other great content.
Since the new year he's been posting about jazz and Zen and lessons on creativity regarding jazz and Zen. My interest in jazz is pretty much limited to jazz- and bossanova-inspired electronica but I've always been interested in Zen asthetics.
Today he posted the greatest list: Twenty-one things I've learned from jazz and Zen. My love of lists no doubt contributes to my bias but so many things in this list speak to me. You can read Garr's list yourself but a couple that mean a lot to me include:
(#4) Good intentions are key. Sincerity is king, and yet...
There is nothing more repellant to me than people who don't have good intentions. Certainly the road to hell is paved with them but I firmly believe you can excuse many wrongs when someone has good intentions.
(#5) It's not about you.
Humans are inherently selfish. I accept this of myself without pause. But recognizing that the world doesn't revolve around me as an individual is something that I've worked on for a very long time. As an only child I've weathered the insult of "spoiled brat" more times than I care to remember. So I guess I always try extra hard not to be so self centered that I fail to recognize that my importance is no greater than anyone else's.
(#20) Always be learning. Always be learning. Always be learning.
Naturally, my chosen vocation is in education and professional development. But the bigger picture in this is that no matter how old or how smart you are, you can always learn something. It is a humbling experience to recognize that other people have knowledge and experiences which we can benefits from. And I also think the day there is nothing left to learn is the day there is no point in living anymore.
(#21) Curiosity is your greatest gift, nurture it (in yourself and in others)
Curious people are interesting people. Curious people get smarter - book smart and street smart - and curiosity gives you a reason to keep learning... its an important feature of #20.
Since the new year he's been posting about jazz and Zen and lessons on creativity regarding jazz and Zen. My interest in jazz is pretty much limited to jazz- and bossanova-inspired electronica but I've always been interested in Zen asthetics.
Today he posted the greatest list: Twenty-one things I've learned from jazz and Zen. My love of lists no doubt contributes to my bias but so many things in this list speak to me. You can read Garr's list yourself but a couple that mean a lot to me include:
(#4) Good intentions are key. Sincerity is king, and yet...
There is nothing more repellant to me than people who don't have good intentions. Certainly the road to hell is paved with them but I firmly believe you can excuse many wrongs when someone has good intentions.
(#5) It's not about you.
Humans are inherently selfish. I accept this of myself without pause. But recognizing that the world doesn't revolve around me as an individual is something that I've worked on for a very long time. As an only child I've weathered the insult of "spoiled brat" more times than I care to remember. So I guess I always try extra hard not to be so self centered that I fail to recognize that my importance is no greater than anyone else's.
(#20) Always be learning. Always be learning. Always be learning.
Naturally, my chosen vocation is in education and professional development. But the bigger picture in this is that no matter how old or how smart you are, you can always learn something. It is a humbling experience to recognize that other people have knowledge and experiences which we can benefits from. And I also think the day there is nothing left to learn is the day there is no point in living anymore.
(#21) Curiosity is your greatest gift, nurture it (in yourself and in others)
Curious people are interesting people. Curious people get smarter - book smart and street smart - and curiosity gives you a reason to keep learning... its an important feature of #20.
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