I am preparing the presentation for the upcoming 2012 SPE Deepwater Drilling & Completions Conference and Exhibition which will be held at Moody Gardens Hotel, June 20-21. My topic is how to optimize the centralizer placement.
I am a semi-expert in this area, but I reserved one month to make the presentation. According to Nancy Duarte, the author of “slide:ology – the Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations,” the estimated time for developing an hour-long presentation of 30 slides is between 36-90 hours! Inspired by her book and other experts in communication, I made up my mind to try a totally new approach using some fresh, yet not-so-popular rules such as:
- No more than 6 words on a slide
- No more cheesy images
- No font size less than 30
- No dissolves, spins, or other transitions
- No built-in theme
- Make ‘em laugh
- More fun
- …
A few years ago, I bought a book titled “Presentation Zen: Simples Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery” by Garr Reynolds. Garr is an internationally acclaimed communications expert. You can easily find his videos on YouTube, too. That book was such an eye-opener for me. I was literally woken up from my old way of making presentations. I suggest every engineer get the book so we may improve our presentation skills.
It is hard enough to be an engineer. Now, we are required to explain our findings in a concise and artistic style. Most engineers use PowerPoint software. One would think that having all the raw materials ready is 80% of the job and it would just be a matter of time to put it in the format of slides. But if one really wants to make a difference and let his/her hard work shine, then putting one’s heart and mind into the slide creation will pay off. After all, it is the finish line of a 36-90 hour-long marathon!
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Nancy Duarte cutely changed the last word and it became: “… give him PowerPoint.”
My presentation at the SPE Deepwater Conference will be on Thursday, June 21st, Session 14 (Casing and Tubulars), in Hall A3 at 2:30pm. The paper number is SPE 150345.
I welcome you to join me and check my character.