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| Bette Frick
The Text Doctor®
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| Quote of the Month |
Writing is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent elimination.
Louise Brooks
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Answer to last month's quiz
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Thanks to those who took the quiz! Here's how I would punctuate this string of words:
That that is is that that is not is not is that not so.
That that is, is; that that is not, is not; is that not so?
(Periods could replace the semicolons as long as you capitalize the sentence that follows.)
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| Quiz of the Month | |
How would you punctuate this string of words?
Time flies you can't they fly too fast. Try your hand at punctuating the gobbledygook here.
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The Text Doctor's Diagnosis
October 2010
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Greetings!
This month, a free webinar awaits you at the end of the newsletter . . . read on!
In this newsletter, you'll find how to avoid disasters in presentations; what typefaces might be "green"; where to find nonlinear presentation software; and what amazing links I've found for you.
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Nothing can go wrong-o. . .
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| I love listening to the Raffi song "Joshua Giraffe" with my grandchildren in the car. The chorus, "Nothing can go wrong-o, I'm in the Kongo," is a wonderfully ironic line that makes me chuckle, partly because the irony is aimed at adults, not children.
That chorus reminds me of some presenters I've seen. They arrive shortly before their scheduled presentation; their technology fails; they get rattled. All of this could be avoided if they would recognize that "If something can go wrong-o, it probably will."
Here's what I have learned about preparing for potential surprises and disasters.
"Buy" insurance
It's so simple: Insure against surprises by showing up at least ONE HOUR EARLY. This saved me when I arrived at a prearranged building in St. Paul, Minnesota, only to find that the class had been moved to Minneapolis (12 miles away) with no notice. Risking an accident or a heart attack, I raced to Minneapolis and started class on time because I had that one-hour buffer. Your potential disaster may not be so drastic, but certainly extra time will help cushion you against potential surprises.
Bring backup files
Projectors seem to be far more compatible with laptops than ever before, but technology is never predictable. Sometimes, my laptop won't work with the technology in the room; I always bring a flash drive loaded with my linked files and folders to use in another laptop or computer. I include a PDF of the handouts if for some reason they haven't arrived by mail. For extra insurance, I bring a DVD with redundant copies of all relevant files. The good news is that I've hardly ever had to use my backup material, but knowing that it is available relaxes me.
Bring redundant equipment
I use a remote to advance my PowerPoint slides. Since all batteries are fallible and the one in the remote gives no warning that it's going to fail, I carry a backup battery (it costs less than $4 and is about the size of my thumbnail). With a tiny screwdriver, I can replace the battery in less than a minute, or I can replace it pre-emptively about every two years.
I carry extra cables and an extra battery pack for my laptop, and I even bring an extra power strip and extension cord (all labeled with my phone number in case I leave them behind). My laptop is labeled with my tech support number and my account number. I bring a copy of my purchase documents in case I am ever questioned in customs. I carry duct tape to secure cables and cords to avoid tripping over them. All of this preparation costs less than $50 and one hour of time, but it has saved me countless headaches.
Troubleshooting a faulty projector
Check the lens cap, power cords, power switch, sleep modes, and cable connections. Synchronize your laptop with the projector; the method differs between brands. If the projector and laptop don't sync, completely disconnect both, then reconnect; turn on the projector first and laptop next.
We all hope to arrive at our presentation or training room to find the latest model projector and a professional support person eager to help us. Reality differs from this vision, of course, and we can prepare and insure against most surprises or disasters with a few simple steps.
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Some of you have asked about "green" typefaces
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| Several readers have asked about a 2009 study that showed that switching to Century Gothic rather than using Arial could save save businesses as much as $80 per printer per year. A recent article in The Economist discussed other tactics to save printing dollars.
It's all interesting, no doubt, but I haven't seen any studies that compare the readability of the toner-saving typefaces. I'd hope someone would factor in readability into the equation, and I welcome your thoughts on this topic.
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For fun: Prezi
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| Have you seen "zooming" presentations yet? Prezi software allows you to zoom on different parts of one large page.
The New York Times reviewed this new software and said: "Where a typical presentation is based on individual slides with a set progression, the starting point for a Prezi presentation is one big page. On this blank canvas, you place all of your elements for the entire presentation-- images, text, even multimedia." This results in stunning interactivity.
A free subscription provides access to your stored presentation. A paid subscription ($59 a year) allows you to download your presentations.
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A few of my favorite things: Periodic table of visualization methods
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I often joke that I was born without a right hemisphere in my brain, but my lack of visualization abilities really has limited me in my writing and presentations. That's why I was so glad to discover The periodic table of visualization methods. Run your mouse over any of the 100 blocks in the table and you'll see an example of a particular visualization method. (Warning: Such behavior can become addictive.)
What's even cooler is this list of all the methods, which provides downloadable examples of methods in action.
I'm never going to get any other work done now.
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As promised above, I am offering my Marketing Bingo webinar FREE for you, my loyal readers. This is a $29 value. Don't delay, as there is limited seating!
Marketing Bingo: A webinar for shy people who need to promote themselves Are you an employee who wants to gain exposure, improve your credibility, and become the "go-to" person in your group or organization? Do you have a small business you want to promote? Do you long to go into business but dread the marketing you'll have to do? "Marketing Bingo" will help even the shyest individuals promote themselves and their businesses. Learn new ways to think through your own marketing plan, as well as new marketing tactics that will help you increase your visibility in an organized way. We'll discuss a "bingo card" of 25 marketing tactics. You'll receive a link to the handouts a day or so before the webinar. But hurry! Seating is limited! Thursday, November 4: 5 pm Pacific, 6 pm Mountain, 7 pm Central, 8 pm Eastern, online with Citrix GoToMeeting. Register here and use the discount code CCreader. Thank you again for reading so loyally! Sincerely,
Elizabeth (Bette) Frick
The Text Doctor®
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