Read the whole story: Diary of an Electronic Assessment

Read the whole story: An Effective Collaboration

Read the whole story: Eliminate Insidious Vocal Distractions in Speaking

It is interesting how a society makes psychological associations with colors based on appearances or cultural habits. Some of these associations shared in the United States include “red” being associated with danger and “green” being associated with money. While green is the color of U.S. currency, does “green” actually mean money?

For green to mean money, the meaning would have to be “universal” and therefore true for all people everywhere. But, is green the color of money all over the world? No. Then it cannot mean money. Or else, one hundred years ago, in the United States, the color gold would have meant money.

The cultural associations made with certain colors are not universal. An awareness of these associations is helpful when presenting in different countries, especially if a certain color denotes a very definite association. Nevertheless, the emotional effect of the color itself will be the same across cultural boundaries.

We all live under the same light of the sun. Blue looks the same in Borneo as it does in Bolivia. The effect of color on our emotions is derived from nature, not heritage.

All people, regardless of culture, share a universal range of emotions, such as happiness, sadness, excitement, anxiety, desire, passion, and so forth. The ability to tap into these emotions using correct color choices can increase the effectiveness of the presentation, regardless of where people reside.

The paper-white display of your PC is not a distraction because you can look away whenever you want, or switch to a different program to alter your view of content. But when you watch a presentation, you are being asked to keep your attention fixed for a longer period, with no ability to change the display to the next image. To maintain attention, proper visual contrast is necessary in the design.

When information is displayed from a distance, the rule of contrast is that the background should be darker than the objects in the foreground. Color theory teaches us that black absorbs all light and white reflects all light. The darker an object’s color, the more light absorbed, giving the object the appearance of greater distance. The lighter the color, the closer the object appears to the eye. In presentations, the contrast between foreground elements and background is critical.

Items in the foreground are meant to appear “closer” to the viewer than items in the background. Highway signs have brighter letters on darker backgrounds for visibility from a distance. The credits at the end of a movie are on a black screen. Even the crawl at the bottom of the newscast is a black strip with bright text.

When it comes to light absorption, black-on-white visual presentations are less effective. The contrast is opposite the norm. The data (foreground) on a black and white image — is black. By absorbing all the light, the information moves away from the eye. But the white background reflects all light back to the audience. The eye cannot handle reflected white light for very long. It’s too distracting.

Hence, use darker-color backgrounds and lighter-color foregrounds for optimal effect when displaying content from a distance.

A Guide to Better Teaching is a self-help book that provides a new teacher, an adjunct faculty, or a seasoned professor with a thorough understanding of what it takes to be an effective teacher. Several interactive assessment tools are also included to measure levels of effectiveness according to learner preferences.

Each chapter is filled with detailed explanations, relevant stories, and action-driven tables that help teachers understand and apply skills. This book aims to enhance teaching skills by offering critical perspectives, practical suggestions, and techniques for improvement.

The skills are divided into three core categories of Personality, Process and Performance. Interactive, electronic self-assessment guides help develop an appreciation for one’s strengths and challenges. By identifying key skills, the book can be read in its entirety or in random fashion for specific development purposes, as a reference, or review.

While the book targets educators, the suggestions and the assessment tools are applicable to the entire spectrum of organizational leaders and managers, in government or industry, whose work requires giving presentations or communicating in a public forum.

Some of the more distinguishing features of the book include:

EVIDENCE-BASED DATA: The connection between audience preferences and skill development is linked to principles derived from over 30 years of the combined authors’ experience, along with support from a published, in-depth research study and a continuing review of over 1,800 learners from a variety of fields.

WEB-BASED SUPPORT: Directly linked to publisher website for instant download of assessment tools in order to get interactive analysis and reports.

MULTIPLE ASSESSMENTS: Not only can be used for self-evaluation and self-improvement, but colleagues and administrators can use the assessments as observation tools (similar to peer evaluations) to identify strengths and challenges in others and even make comparisons to a “gold standard”. Assessments can augment or replace existing audience evaluations (such as student evaluations) using the SPICE MODEL format to arrive at a more comprehensive view of effectiveness from a group perspective.

ENTRY-LEVEL STRATEGY: As a basis for faculty development, the information serves the needs of the novice who has never taught or presented, by offering a starting point for learning how learners perceive skills related to personality, process and performance.

ACTION-ORIENTED ADVICE: For each of 21 skill categories, challenges, opportunities, activities and exercises are included to help with continual improvement.

AUTHORS: Dr. Leila Jahangiri, a graduate of King’s College, London, and Harvard University, is an active clinician, researcher, and teacher, since 1991. Her scholarly focus and passion is for effective teaching and innovative curriculum development. For the past 10 years, as Chair of a large department at New York University College of Dentistry, she has made significant strides to develop faculty in utilizing multiple strategies to optimize teaching.

Always looking for novel opportunities, she met and began collaborating with Tom Mucciolo, and in 2005, Tom joined New York University as an adjunct faculty. They share a common goal of finding ways to help teachers teach better, leaders lead better, and in the process, allow teachers to become leaders.

Set for release on November 28, 2011, A Guide to Better Teaching: Skills, Advice and Evaluation for College and University Professors can be found on the publisher’s website of Rowman and Littlefield, or on Amazon.

First aired during the 2010 Super Bowl, National Car Rental sends the wrong corporate message to would-be presenters in a corporate world. 

The 30-second ad is shown below, but the first 10 seconds tell the whole story.

After watching the video, we thought that a few still-images would clearly demonstrate the many mistakes that plague the poor presenter, commercially named Robin. The voice-over narrator uses the proverbial “you” to connect the viewer to Robin’s presentation with directed phrases like “you are a business pro…” But, it takes less than 10 seconds to watch her fade from “pro” to amateur.

“Robin” the Spotlight 

The commercial opens in a conference room with Robin standing directly in front of the screen. The lesson learned is that the image should never appear on your body, as the content will look distorted and difficult to decipher.

Figure 1 - Hands clasped together, standing in front of the screen.

In Figure 1, the problems mount as her body language suggests hesitancy and possible nervousness when the hands clasp together. 

Usually, if a presenter is unsure of content, the hands tend to cover the more vulnerable parts of the body as a form of protection.

This action is one of the biggest mistakes made by speakers who are trying to project confidence, but imply the opposite with hands held together.

Of course, standing in the light source only draws more attention to the problem. 

Visual Design is not a Piece of Cake Pie

Figure 2 - One slice too many - and it's missing!

The background image indicates a lack of attention to visual design. With a pie chart, the eye scans the slices starting from the 12 o’clock position. In Figure 2, the starting point is a slice of 0%. How can you have 0% of something? Imagine offering a guest a slice of nothing!

While the labels (percentages) are shown inside each slice, the floating “0%” sits outside of the pie, because even PowerPoint can’t display a pie slice that doesn’t really exist. 

In fact, the legend above the pie accounts for only 6 pie segments, ignoring the 0%. Imagine if someone asked for the backup data to support the missing slice? 

There are other visual contrast issues.  When labels are placed inside pie segments, text color may lose contrast, such as the dark text inside the darkest slice. Due to variations in data segment size and color, it is better to place labels on the outside so that font size and color can remain consistent.

The eye also navigates to the brightest foreground elements. So, for the pie chart, it is better to position the brighter color segments nearest the 12 o’clock position. But this is not done here. Moreover, although the two largest slices are brightest, they are also nearly identical in color. Compare the 35% slice in Figure 2 (above) with the 29% slice in Figure 3 (below) along with the related squares in the legend. The similarity in colors is visually confusing.

In general, the slide background color is too light, forcing the heading (Figure 1) to be darker. A white or bright background suggests a print metaphor, but slides should follow visual design rules, using darker backgrounds with lighter foreground elements. Although the attempt is made to offset the chart area in a slightly darker color, it is still too light because the legend above the pie uses darker text. 

A Negative Point of View

Figure 3 - When finger point meets PowerPoint.

The narrator gives Robin the title “princess of the PowerPoint” but perhaps “flaunter of the fingerpoint” is more accurate. Figure 3 captures one of the worst gestures a speaker can make — the pointed finger.  

The gesture is also mirrored in shadow and appears accusatory.  If you point a finger at someone, three fingers always point back at you.  

Always use an open palm to appear warm, inviting, and approachable.

The distracting delivery is compounded by her stepping into the light source, which visually splits her in two, reminiscent of a partial eclipse.  How is it that the director did not see this?

Left is Right

During the entire presentation, Robin is standing opposite of the reading anchor. English has left-to-right pattern, so she should be positioned on the LEFT side of the screen, from an audience perspective. When a presenter is positioned on the same side as the reading anchor, the audience makes faster connections to content.

Figure 4 - The wrong side of the argument.

In Figure 4, she is opposite the reading anchor, partially in the light source, creating a poor line-of-sight. For those seated on her side, she blocks the view of the most current data (4th Quarter) as well as any corresponding legend that explains the bar colors.

These items are distorted when projected on her face and clothes.

Examining the slide content, clusters of bars should follow a darker-to-lighter pattern, from left-to-right.

However, by placing the brightest bar in the middle of each cluster, the eye is drawn inward to each data set, rather than across the clusters intentionally placed along a quarterly timeline. In fact, the phrase “Quarterly Results” is not an emphatic heading and does little to guide the eye to specific data. 

Reading Body Language

Figure 5 - Not the way to read facial expressions.

One of the most distracting moments in a presentation is when a speaker stands directly in front of the projector, as words appear across the person’s face.

Keep in mind that when penetrating the light source you may become a walking billboard.

Figure 5 shows Robin looking completely unprofessional, wearing a less than visually appealing PowerPoint tattoo created from the legend labels that float across her forehead, nose and cheeks.

It is clear that neither a “business pro” nor a “princess of the PowerPoint” was present during the filming of this commercial. 

Apparently, the ad agency responsible for the commercial failed to consult with anyone who knows how to present; or, worse yet, the agency may believe this is the norm in a business meeting. One can only imagine how the agency pitches their clients.

Of course, the fact that this was aired during the Super Bowl (and continues to run) shows that National Car Rental thinks it’s acceptable to the widest possible audience, nearly everyone on the planet. So, both the client and the agency are cast in the same poor light and, unfortunately, this really projects a poor image (pun intended).

It is disappointing that a large business entity promotes such a visually distracting environment while attempting to market services to the very business clientele they insult. 

Hopefully, National Car Rental and its ad agency will consult with business professionals before making a commercial for business professionals!

The way you speak, look, and interact with an audience is compounded by how understandable your content is in relation to what you know. Audience evaluations that include these elements can now be linked to research data to measure a speaker’s effectiveness. The SPICE Model is helping speakers and organizations improve the seminar experience. READ MORE —>

Read the whole story:   7 Tips for More Compelling Presentation Messages

You wonder if it is a close-up view of some image, so magnified that only a few square pixels are in view. Actually, the graphic is an image of data. It is simply a two-dimensional barcode, just waiting to be accessed — using your cell phone!

You are already familiar with standard one-dimensional barcodes. These are printed on nearly every product you buy, scanned by electronic devices, carrying product details, pricing and other data. But here comes another level of information in the form of a 2-D barcode. . Your smartphone becomes a hand-held scanner that captures the code. The data goes beyond facts and figures, offering more of a visual experience.

What was once merely in print is now suddenly performed. The 2-D barcode connects you to an interactive world that displays, demonstrates, or discusses details that would otherwise have been left to your imagination.

For example, you’re leafing through the Lifestyle section of your Sunday paper and you notice a 2-D barcode printed in the corner of an ad for a new movie. You grab your cell phone, take a picture of the barcode graphic and within seconds you’re watching the video trailer. There is also a “now playing” menu of local theatres, with the option of reserving some seats for the next performance, and, for just accessing the barcode, a discount coupon is waiting for you to downloaded to your phone, so you can see the movie at half-price. You went from sipping coffee to smelling popcorn in about two minutes! 

During my recent trip to Zurich, Switzerland, I encountered a massive 2-D barcode display just as I was exiting the main train station in downtown Zurich.

The trend is growing as these huge posters are popping up everywhere. To the less technically saavy they seem rather odd — that is — until more and more people catch on and start scanning these codes to see what’s behind them!

Of course the possibilities are endless. Links to active content can be placed on business cards, brochures, packaging, store windows, and basically any place you can print a barcode for the purpose of providing more information. A Google search for “2-D barcode” will yield many sources of information, including blogs, such as Shel Holtz’s article, as well as in discussion forums that show the many types and uses of 2-D barcodes. 

2-Pieces to the 2-D Puzzle

But how does it all work? You need two things: a way to create the barcode and a way to interpret it. My Blackberry Curve does include the ”Blackberry Messenger” application, which has an automatic feature for scanning (reading) group bar codes, but I was also seeking a way to create my own codes, as well. Fortunately, there are a number of companies who provide applications that do both the creating and the reading. ScanLife is a mobile application that is already pre-installed on newer cell phones, especially those from Sprint or Verizon, but can easily be downloaded to nearly any smartphone in a few minutes. I did not have that particular application on my Blackberry Curve, but I searched the available apps and simply downloaded it to my phone in a few minutes.

Between Blackberry Messenger and ScanLife, I had multiple ways to scan a barcode. I just needed a barcode to scan. I might have tried to find a print ad with one of the codes — but I decided to make my own code, just to see how it all worked. I used my PC to navigate to the ScanLife website and I created an account (I thought using my PC keyboard for this activity would be easier than typing all this from my phone).

I had two setup choices: a personal account or a business account. The big difference is that the business account allows you to print reports to see how many times your barcodes have been accessed, when, by whom — basically the type of demographic data that you may want to keep track of from a marketing perspective. 

Either type of account allows you to create a few different kinds of barcodes, for different purposes, such as a contact code or even a menu (which can contain several links). So, using the ScanLife website, I created a code that links to one of my YouTube videos about presentation skills. The barcode is shown above, and if you have a 2-D barcode scanning application on your phone; or, if you download an app such a ScanLife, you can take a picture of the above barcode and the application will link you directly to my video clip.

Basically, you only need the application on your phone to read any 2-D barcode.  But if you want to create your own code, you need to use a program (barcode generator), such as ScanLife, Kaywa, RACO, and others.

In many cases these codes are free to create and use personally, but once you begin to distribute the code on a larger scale, some organizations that provide the free code-generators will ask for a fee based on the number of impressions or some flat-rate. For example, ScanLife charges $125 per year for a barcode placed on a business card. But for a code used in a print ad, the fees could range from $300 to $50,000 depending on the circulation, duration, tracking and reporting details.

A Code for All Reasons

Print advertising appears to be the most common place for a 2-D barcode because of the added utility of using a cell phone to access dynamic content while reading. But the use is not limited to advertising. For instance, barcodes can be strategically placed in handout documents which support a presentation to link the reader to a copy of the electronic presentation, or directly to multimedia content that can make the handout have greater utility, such as animation, audio or video. 

Yet, print is not the end point. It is not uncommon to see a 2-D barcode appear on a website, where, in addition to a direct link on the page, a person can also capture the related barcode into their phone, rather than type what could be a lengthy hyperlink, with many letters and symbols.

You will begin to see these barcodes on store windows or restaurant menu displays, for passers-by who may desire a video tour of the location even though the place is closed at the moment.

The good news is that the links you setup with a particular barcode can be changed, and you can make a new code to replace the old one whenever you want. Or, if you have the ability to change the target information, that is, the data shown at location that the barcode points to — then you only need one code. Printed pieces with existing barcodes do not have to become obsolete as linked content changes, as long as the web address stays the same.

For example, suppose you create a 2-D barcode of your contact information which points to a networking web page (such as Linked-In, or Facebook, Ryze, etc.) and then you print that code onto a business card. Because you can dynamically change the web page of your contact information, the barcode will always point to that page and you won’t have to print new business cards as you update your career highlights, until your job title or company changes.

I can envision a job seeker creating a resume with an embedded 2-D barcode that allows a potential employer to link to a YouTube video where the candidate makes a case for being the right person to hire. Maybe I should start a service where I help build 2-minute, high-impact interview videos, linked to a 2-D barcode, for people who want to land that high-profile position! I can call it the ”See Me Sell Me Service” or perhaps ”ExecuView” or maybe “MyQualiCode”… hmmm…

The bottom line is that the 2-D barcode is finding its way into the static print media as a way of expanding our experience using smartphone technology. With devices at our fingertips that let us explore a more visual world, it won’t be long before 2-D barcodes begin to appear in places we never expected, from tee-shirts to tattoos. Don’t be surprised one day if you strike up a conversation using the phrase ”So, tell me about yourself”; and, with a casual wink, a painted lid displays a 2-D barcode. This will give a whole new meaning to term “eye contact”.

Have your phone ready!