Report From PIA – April 27
It comes as no surprise to many of you when I say that I’m a speaker, and my goal is to get people excited about plants and gardening. I often present talks that use images to illustrate the points I’m making, and as someone who thinks seriously and critically about my talks, I have definite opinions about how effective presentations are made.
I hate Power Point (or Keynote, or other software) presentations that have a whole bunch of text on the page. Don’t read me the recipe, feed me the cake! A title or two, a heading or product name is fine, but beyond that? Please…spare me!
Seth Godin blogged about this very topic today. Bullet (points) kill, he says.
This makes me consider about how we communicate, be it in relation to gardens or….. Do we plant in a way that feeds everyone the cake, or do we read a recipe? Feeding the cake means being our whole selves: passionate, opinionated, and flawed. Reading the recipe is distancing ourselves from life: being qualified, limited, or unsure of our abilities.
I want to plant with abandon, and to encourage others to do the same. Do you want to know about the pleasures of the garden? Taste this…
It might be nice to show this slide with the names of the plants spelled out, but only after we spend time looking at, and appreciating, the garden itself. The cake is delicious.
