Brain Rules for Presenters

kea ways & Quotdenss Ta les i a’ Ru e fro m Dr. John M Br ain What all pr esenters n eed to kno w s) t ion (of sort A presenta s by Gar r Reynold

gs discussed edina’s findin Dr. M e ideas worth in Brain Rules ar spreading... ome quotes So I ex tracted s nts as they relate to and key poi tion — to y field — presenta m he word. help yo u spread t

nquote me: You ca

“ Brain Rules is one of the most informative, engaging, and useful books of our time. Required reading for every educator and every business person. My ” favorite book of 2008! — Garr Reynolds Presentation Zen

Here’s your host for this presentation...

Biff. ame’s ! My n Hello Agalychnis callidryas

r this online I’ll be your host fo n. presentatio ve rsion of the

y enormous ns: (1) Let m Why me? Three reaso t n is the mos y ou that visio eyes remind yo u humans. dominan t sense for

And (2) allow m y remarkable c shape to remind oloring and you that you hu wired to notice mans are differences an d patterns...

brain remind ny, primitive And (3) let my ti st use out o f o I get the m yo u that, while , my friend, I know), you my bra in (as far as e volved brain ur massive, could lea rn to use yo ffectively... much more e

brain remind ny, primitive And (3) let my ti st use out o f o I get the m yo u that, while , my friend, I know), you my bra in (as far as e volved brain ur massive, could lea rn to use yo ffectively... much more e Right, on with the preso...

Introduction

edina John M This is Dr.

He knows how these work edina John M This is Dr.

Why is he so happ y?

his book is Why is he Because astic! so happ fant y? * %$#@

These takeaways and quotes are based on three of Dr. Medina’s 12 rules > just

These takeaways and quotes are based on three of Dr. Medina’s 12 rules > just Here they are...

Rule #1 Exercise boosts brain power. Rule #4 We don’t pay attention to boring things. Rule #10 Vision trumps all other senses.

Why it matters

“ If you are in education, you are in the business of brain development. If you are leading a modern corporation... you need to know how ” brains work. — Dr. John Medina

Context

In our world today...

owerP oint is Death -by-P mon that it ’s just so com d “nor mal.” con sidere normal... Yeah, ab

owerP oint is Death -by-P mon that it ’s just so com d “nor mal.” con sidere normal... Abby Normal? Yeah, ab

Sometimes people aren’t even aware of their own ppt suffering: Check this guy out...

oint! werP ce Po Ni

What does Brain Rules say about presentations?

Dr. Medina on presentations > Today

“ Toss your PowerPoint presentations. — Dr. John Medina ”

Why?

k wh y you have to as reall y nt sli des? Do you your curre toss s hould

“ ” Because, says Dr. Medina...

“ ...it’s text-based with six hierarchical levels of chapters ” and subheads—all words. Get t hat t ext off th e scre en...

“ ...it’s text-based with six hierarchical levels of chapters ” and subheads—all words. Get t hat t ext off th e scre en... Huh?

,M c Fl y! H e llo

It’s not working ...

So what?

So stop doing this:

Which leads to this:

Which costs this:

Time Money

u get what I’m sayin’? Yo

u get what I’m sayin’? Yo Now let’s look at ho Brain Rule w s can help ...

12 Brain rules t #1, #4, and #10. We’ll look a

Brain Rule #1

Rule #1 brain power Exe rcise boosts

and yet...

What are some examples of perfect “anti-brain” environments today? according to Dr. Medina

the L e c t u re h all Classroom pic

Cl as the s ro o m

Th e o fﬁ ce Classroom pic

se are W hoa! Tho environ ments! scary

se are W hoa! Tho environ ments! scary How ca n you t in thos hink e space s?

“ There is no greater anti-brain environment than the classroom ” and cubicle. — Dr. John Medina

“ There is no greater anti-brain environment than the classroom ” and cubicle. brot her! en, — Dr. John Medina Am

Sure, you know exercise is good for you...

But exercise is not just good for general health, it actually improves cognition.

But exercise is not just good for general health, it actually improves cognition. Two reason s for this...

1 “ Exercise increases oxygen ﬂow into the brain, which reduces brain-bound free radicals ...an increase in oxygen is always accompanied by an uptick in mental ” sharpness. — Dr. John Medina

2 “ Exercise acts directly on the molecular machinery of the brain itself. It increases neurons’ creation, survival, and resistance ” to damage and stress. — Dr. John Medina

ore b rain b eneﬁts: M EF ITS BEN ion Reduce s depress a dementi Treats reasoning Improves m Improve s long-ter memory d Imp roves flui in telligence lzheimer’s Reduces A % 0 risk by 5 lems solve prob Helps you . A nd more..

What’s this have to do with presentations? Two things...

1 Passively sitting is a very unnatural thing. Audiences have no patience for tedium. Think of the presentation from your audienceʼs point of view.

2 During the preparation stage, if youʼre struggling with an idea, if youʼre stuck, then go for a walk, a run, just move...

...we were born to move. Evidence suggest we may even think better if we toss the couch-potato lifestyle.

...we were born to move. Evidence suggest we may even think better if we toss the couch-potato lifestyle. .. otato. H m mm...P

Brain Rule #4

Rule #4 do n’ t pay We ntio n to atte ngs ing thi bor

else important to ’s something n stage: Here in the preparatio remember ltitasking Mu is am yt h.

“ Multitasking, when it comes to paying ” attention, is a myth. — Dr. John Medina

“ We are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs ” simultaneously. — Dr. John Medina

Workus interruptus

People who are interrupted: Take 50% longer to complete a task. Make 50% more errors.

People who are interrupted: Take 50% longer to complete a task. Make 50% more errors. You’d be more eff without t icient he interr uptions

ine is great, but H ey, being onl ed how much of you ’d be surpris o n ected” is als yo ur “being con ” “being interrupted.

“ When you’re always online you’re always distracted. — Dr. John Medina ”

“ So the always online organization is the always ” unproductive organization. — Dr. John Medina

Yet, most presentations are put together while doing other things... Is this you?

Johnson! Where’s that pres entation I asked f or?!!!!

is an issue, and Yes time but... se is different, each ca

If the presentation matters, you need time off the grid to prepare.

If the presentation matters, you need time off the grid to prepare. o ditch the You might want t r a while... comput er too fo

Try “going analog” and focusing only on the presentation in the prep stage. Is this you?

Big p icture vs. details

Structure your presentation around meaning, and the big picture. Then support key ideas with details.

“ If you want to get the particulars correct, donʼt start with the details. Start with the key ideas and, in hierarchical fashion, form the details ” around these larger notions. — Dr. John Medina Good advi ce, but ho pay attent w long can ion to you people r talk?

The brain needs a break .

“ If keeping someone’s attention in a lecture was a business, it ” would have an 80% failure rate. — Dr. John Medina

After 10 minutes, audience attention steadily drops.

The 10-minute rule High Attention Low 10 20 30 40 50 Minutes of class time Source: www.brainrules.net/attention

So do something emotionally relevant at each 10-minute mark to regain attention.

Dr. Medina suggests changing gears every 10 minutes in your presentation (lecture, etc.). Tell a relevant story, show a relevant video, do a relevant activity, etc.

One more thing about attention ...

We’re wired to notice patterns

Chunking example IRSYMCAWTFIBMKGBFBI At first those letter won’t make sense... But eventually yo u’ll recognize chunks you’ve see n before.

Chunking example IRSYMCAWTFIBMKGBFBI Of course, graphic design can help you see the chunks... Adapted from: www.brainrules.net/attention

“ The brain pays attention to patterns. Remembering something we’ve seen before (like quick- sand) is a useful ” evolutionary trait. — Dr. John Medina

What’s the most common communication mistake? to Dr. Medina ac cording

“ Relating too much information, with not enough time devoted to connecting the dots. Lots of force ” feeding, very little digestion. — Dr. John Medina

“ The brain doesn’t pay attention to boring things, and I am as sick of ” boring presentations as you are. — Dr. John Medina

Brain Rule #10

ule #10 R trum ps Vi sion sen ses a ll o ther

Fa ct: we have r reca ll for bette l information visua

We are incredible at remembering pictures.

Hear a piece of information, and three days later you’ll remember 10% of it.

Add a picture and you’ll remember 65%.

Rule of thumb Oral 10% 3x 6x Visual 35% Oral & Visual 65% Source: Najjar, LJ (1998) Principles of educational multimedia user interface design (via Brain Rules by John Medina, 2008)

“ Why is vision such a big deal to us? Perhaps because it’s how we’ve always apprehended major threats, food supplies and ” reproductive opportunity. — Dr. John Medina

“ Why is vision such a big deal to us? Perhaps because it’s how we’ve always apprehended major threats, food supplies and ” reproductive opportunity. — Dr. John Medina Can I eat it? Will it eat me? Can I mate with it? Will it mate with me? H ave I seen it before?

Pictures beat text

Recognition soars with pictures “ Various studies show that recognition doubles for a picture compared with text. — Dr. John Medina ” pictures only text only 0% 50% 100% source: www.brainrules.net/vision

“ Pictures beat text...because reading is so inefﬁcient for us. We have to identify certain features in the letters to be able to read them. ” That takes time. — Dr. John Medina

a rned? e we le t hav S o wha

. gain.. ules a h ree r ose t s ee th Let’s

Rule #1 Exercise boosts brain power. Rule #4 We don’t pay attention to boring things. Rule #10 Vision trumps all other senses.

Review

Rule #1 Exercise boosts brain power. eview✓ Our brains were built for walking/moving! R ✓ To improve your thinking skills, move! ✓ Exercise gets blood to the brain, bringing it glucose and oxygen. ✓ Aerobic exercise 2x/week halves the risk of general dementia, reduces risk of Alzheimer’s by 60%. ✓ Exercise is just about the best thing you can do for yourself says Dr. Medina.

Rule #4 We don’t pay attention to boring things. iew✓ No multitasking. When it comes to ev attention, it’s only one thing at a time. R ✓ We are better at seeing patterns, abstracting meaning than recording details. ✓ Tapping people’s emotions helps them learn. ✓ People start to fade after 10 minutes. Get them back by telling stories, examples, and targeting their emotions.

Rule #10 Vision trumps all other senses. iew ev ✓ Vision is our dominant sense, using half of R the brain’s resources. ✓We learn/remember best through pictures compared to text or spoken words. ✓Try to communicate more with pictures. ✓Toss your current PowerPoint slides.

Question: or the 3 rules mean f What do these ? And f or the of presentation neral? world and sch ool in ge world o f work All 12 rules at a glance

John Medina’s 12 Brain rules >> PDF ist in this l nload site: a n dow e s web You c in Rul -rules th e Bra t/the from es.ne br ainrul www.

John Medina’s 12 Brain rules >

Includes a great DVD too! Want to learn more? Then get this book... And go to this website: www.brainrules.net

out these slides Ab w w.istockp hoto.com, All imag es from w ina which of Dr. Med xcept f or images es media e e Brain Rul e available in th mediakit ar rules.net/ kit here: www.brain

These slides were produced y GGarr eynolds by r RReynolds odu ced b ar es were pr Japan. Software used Tinehis slid in Osaka Japan. Software used h se home was hom e in Osaka, (but PowerPointwould’ve in his Apple’s Keynote (but PowerPoint would’ve ote . done pple’s Keyn well) and a bit of Photoshop was A the trick as a bit of Photoshop. nd ick as well) a done the tr Checkout t Checkout he PZ website the PZ websit!e ! ti i nzen. . om aatoonzenccom .p esent GARR ww.prresent R GARR EYN O REYN LDS OLDS w ww w

These slides were produced by Garr Reynolds in his home in Osaka Japan. Software used was Apple’s Keynote (but PowerPoint would’ve done the trick as well) and a bit of Photoshop. Domo Arigatou Checkout the PZ website ! GARR REYN ww.present ationzen.com OLDS w

Brain Rules for Presenters

garr

Brain Rules for Presenters