Presentation Prowess: Design Documentation

Overview
This instructional, music video presentation is intended to serve as part of
the marketing strategy for a class that was proposed to Hongik University
in Korea. The course name is ESP (English for Specific Purpose): Creating
a Professional Online Portfolio. The goal of this video is threefold: to
explain why to create a portfolio online, where to put a portfolio online,
and how to learn more. And, the finished product is aimed at garnering
interest from upperclassmen students who are eligible to take the course.
Note: ESP courses are only available to upperclassmen. This video will
serve more as a ballroom style presentation (Abela, 2008, p. 113) but will
be better suited as a stand-alone music video that can be embedded into
the university website, posted on social networking sites such as
Facebook, Ning or Elgg, or sent out via student email.

Audience
The students who will be viewing this video are eligible sophomores,
juniors, and seniors attending Hongik University. These students are
known for the dedication they put into their work. They are also generally
proud of their school, “which provides an underlying influence on the
positive effort and interest they have in class.” (Janis Hearn, personal
communication, October 29, 2009). Hongik University is widely regarded
as an Arts and Design and Engineering school. Koreans, and foreign
instructors who work at Hongik know its’ students as creative thinkers.
They are perceivers, feelers, and intuitors and as such they learn well
from presentations that provide alternatives, discuss who the information
being presented is valuable for, and they want the big picture of things,
respectively (Abela 2008, p. 19-21).

Learning Objectives
The learning objectives for this presentation include:

 Students will understand how using LinkedIn offers exposure of

their work to potential employers.

 Given the choice of creating a paper resume after graduation or

creating an online portfolio during their coursework, students will
be able to evaluate the benefits of creating a portfolio.

 Given facts about how much exposure they get by publishing their
portfolios online, students will conclude it is easier to find a job by
creating an online portfolio.

 Given all of the facts about what can be put in a portfolio, in

addition to using creativity to create a portfolio, students will take
action to contact me and/or register for this class.
Problems/Solutions
Listed below are some of the problems that students face if they don’t
take action on starting a portfolio.

 University students in Korea don’t have a professional online

presence. This is a problem because the job market in Korea is
competitive. If students want to get a good job, they must stand
out above the competition.

 Students tend to think they can do it later. They are lulled into
thinking that school si a time to passively “learn” and then after
graduating, students begin actively searching for jobs and creating
their resume. To create a resume or a portfolio when looking for a
job is too late. The time to start is in university so that students are
ready to apply for a job once it becomes available. If they wait until
later, it’s too late. Furthermore, if students first find a job and then
try and make a portfolio, the job will likely be filled before they even
get a chance to apply.

 Students don’t have the knowledge to create an online portfolio.

Students need to know of the many resources and need the
appropriate skills to make portfolio.

 Students don’t know why they should create an online portfolio.

Without relevance and context, students lack motivation. Without
motivation, students won’t learn. After watching this video,
students will be more motivated to create an online portfolio.

 Students think it will be difficult and time consuming to create an

online portfolio. To an extent, they are right. But that is why they
must take action now. With proper training and tools, students can
efficiently create a portfolio that allows them to add to it over time.

Evidence
Most of the evidence used in this presentation came in the form of
statistics found from the LinkedIn website. However, there was data taken
from a Portfolio website as well (See Appedix A).

Anecdotes/Annotations
These annotations serve as themes throughout this instructional video.
 Having students view a comparison of a drab, beat up and run-
down looking resume with a colorful collage of pictures that
represent a portfolio, and presenting it with the question, “Which
one represents you better?,” leads students to favor the idea of
creating a portfolio and thus strengthens this presentation.

 Providing students information on how many people actually visit

the site LinkedIn, each day helps create a sense of excitement that
 they can market themselves to the world.

 Directing students to contact me if they have interest in the

program, helps build rapport with students right away, since they
can get in touch with the person behind the course and
presentation before actually having to register for the class.

Format
The format I chose to present this instructional video was as a music
video. As aforementioned, the students at Hongik tend to be very creative
by nature, making them likely to learn knowing the big picture of things,
why things taught are important to them, and what alternatives to what is
being taught are out there (See Appendix A for more information). There
were a number of design decisions made in creating this video but one
thing I kept in mind throughout was the idea of “committing suislide,”
which is to say, keep it simple.

Sequencing
Sequencing should be determined by the content that needs to be
presented not by the confines of the tool using to present (Tufte, 2006, p.
160). Because my slides have a minimal amount of verbiage, and because
of the fast pace of the music, the pace from one slide to another is
relatively fast. After originally thinking that I may want to put some of my
text into chart form, I decided against it. This is because sometimes it is
better to have no chart at all (Duarte, 2008, p. 70). Since I wasn’t really
comparing data of any kind, I ultimately felt that leaving charts out was
more sensible than adding them to enhance the look of the project.

Unexpectedness is one of six important principles that help make ideas

stick. We should be counterintuitive (Heath and Heath, 2008, p. 16). In
creating this presentation, I made sure to make my transitions between
slides quite unpredictable. One of the great advantages of using Prezi to
make presentations is the capability of creating unpredictable movement
between slides. I did my best to take advantage of some of these erratic
movements in creating this work.
Making three sections to your presentation is good because it makes the
presentation manageable for the presenter and typically provides a
memorable structure for the viewer (Reynolds, 2008). I tried to adhere to
this idea and came up with three sections: Why Create a Portfolio Online,
Where to Put a Portfolio Online, and How to Learn More.

Since one of the main goals of this presentation was to convey the
importance of having students create portfolios, I felt it important to
discuss the alternatives. This is important in two ways. First, it helps the
learner who has a feeler personality type, since they want to know what
happens if they don’t listen to the advice presented (Abela, 2008, p. 21-
24). And secondly, to assist all viewers in understanding the material, it is
important to make comparisons (Tufte, 2006, p. 127).
Music and Graphics
In order to get people to care about our ideas we have to tap into their
emotions (Heath and Heath, 2008, p. 17) To promote a sense of urgency
and interest, I chose industrial music, which has no singing and a lot of
percussion. Additionally, logic alone only has a little to do with whether or
not people change their attitudes about something (Abela, 2008, p. 64).
While I did provide a number of logical pieces of evidence in the overall
instruction of this video, by using music to enhance emotion, I was able
(hopefully) to tap into viewers’ emotions and go beyond a simple
download of facts.

Of particular interest to me was the fact that music in an instructional

video can easily be a distraction. This is normal since music videos tend
to have the video serve only to enhance the music (Vernallis, 2004, p. 27).
To combat this factor, I chose music that has no lyrics. We are biologically
unable to multi-task. We cannot process multiple attention rich stimuli at
the same time (Medina, 2008, p. 85). So as to account for this fact, I
wanted to design something that would allow my viewers to focus on the
written words in my presentation, rather than any words from the music.

Another interesting finding in developing this video is that Asians tend to

focus more on the context of items in a scene. This means that while an
urban American may focus only on what is in the foreground of a scene,
Asians would look to the background so as to gain understanding based
on the context of the entire scene (Medina, p. 76 2008). To account for
this idea, and to account for the speed at which I moved through the
information, I kept my graphics simple so as to eliminate any confusion
that could come about if a student were to see a complex set of actions
happening in both the foreground and the background. Every idea can be
broken down into its core meaning and people should work hard to
present ideas simply (Reynolds, 2008, p. 2)

Visuals help improve the effectiveness of presentations by helping viewers

understand, remember, and be convinced of the material being presented
(Abela, 2008, p. 90). It’s important to keep pictures in systems or families
(Duarte, 2008, p. 160). Knowing this, I chose to group my images into
basically three sections, maps, pictures that represent the various majors
of the student viewers, and of course the pair that included the portfolio
and resume.

Text
Generating interest and curiosity is an important part of transmitting a
sticky idea. This can be done by opening gaps in our learners’ knowledge
and then systematically filling those gaps with important information
(Heath and Heath, 2008, p. 16). By posing a number of important
questions throughout the presentation followed by simple, detailed
answers, I feel this was accomplished. Creating tension is something that
is important in telling a story (Abela, 2008, p. 77). While I did not aim to
tell a story in this presentation, by posing questions like, “Why Create a
Portfolio?,” I was able to induce a degree of discomfort and tension.

Creating contrast in text can be done using color and audiences need this
contrast (Duarte, 2008, p.94-95). In addition, creating visual contrast
creates interesting and exciting designs that attract viewers’ attention
(Williams, 2004, p. 123). While I did use a template in the program Prezi,
and I am not a big fan of any sort of presentation templates, the template
I chose provided for a great deal of contrast. The charcoal gray
backgrounds makes the cat-eye yellow, white and light grey really pop,
creating attention and improving focus.

In trying to accomplish maximum effect with minimum effort in order to

achieve simplicity (Reynolds, 2008), I kept each slide very simple. I often
used a single word per slide. This ensured simplicity. This went along with
what Duarte wrote, “At a certain point, the number of words on a slide
prevents it from being a visual aid.” (Duarte, 2008, p. 6).

People learn more when their emotions are involved (Medina, p. 79 2008).
To account for this, I used a number of powerful words and phrases, in
addition to pictures, that are intended to arouse a sense of urgency and
importance in the viewers.

Layout
I also feel that by keeping my layout simple I was able to avoid “suislide,”
a term referencing the importance of keeping a minimalist approach when
creating slides to ensure a good visual layout (Duarte, 2008, p. 2)

Studies of PowerPoint for use in presentations showed that using it

actually reduces the analytical quality of a presentation (Tufte p. 157,
2006). While my original draft of this presentation was made using
PowerPoint, I was not at all happy with the turn out. Through this finding
along with viewing presentation drafts from other developers, I decided to
use the tool, Prezi as my layout tool. One reason for choosing Prezi is
because it offers the user the ability to create a great deal of fast
movement throughout the presentation. And, fast movement can create
excitement and energy in a presentation (Duarte, 2008, p. 179-183).

It’s essential to assign dominance to some elements in a presentation and

take a passive approach with others. Not all information has the same
value and it’s important to let the audience know that so they know where
to focus their attention (Duarte p. 93, 2008). By using all three of the
available font colors in Prezi, I was able to create a hierarchy that shows
the difference in importance between slides.

Measurement
The only true way of knowing whether or not this presentation was
successful is to tabulate how many students make contact with me. Again,
this video serves as a promotional video for a class that was proposed. So,
even if students are hoping to actually register for the class, they will not
be able to yet. That said, I suppose I could post this video on YouTube and
other social media online, to try and generate interest. Perhaps if there is
enough student interest created from the video, Hongik University would
be more likely to accept the course proposal that was submitted
previously. Additionally, since I am currently not even an instructor at
Hongik, I suppose the greatest measure of this video’s success would be
in terms of whether or not I land an interview and a job with the university.
Since, the video will be posted on my portfolio, and I gave the portfolio
Web address to the university with my application materials, perhaps they
will like the work done and want to hire me!

Peer Review Results

Peer review is something that always helps me make improvements on
the work I’ve done. This particular project review was no different in that
regard. However, what really served as the best part of the peer review
this time was my own disappointment and frustration in my rough draft.
And, from my malcontent, I went in search of what may work better.
What proved to truly be invaluable to me was being able to view the
presentations that others made in the class. I had initially been struggling
mightily in using a variety of technologies to get this project completed.
But, I wasn’t able to find any cohesion between these tools.
Upon looking around, the project that had the most impact on my
improvements was the one done by Jesse Elam. He used two technologies
that were both very familiar to me, and he made something that I really
liked.
I initially used a combination of PowerPoint, Windows Movie Maker
(horrible!), and Jing to create a video that I was not happy with. Upon
viewing Jesse’s work, I decided to upgrade my version of Jing (which
provides much smother formatting in regards to changing file types and
uploading to YouTube), and use Prezi to develop the slides.

In addition to using Jesse’s work as an example, I also received some

valuable feedback from my peer group which consisted of Chris Thomas
and Eileen Kirk, both of whom took some time to answer my guiding
questions. I was most pleased with Eileen’s answer to my second
question, which read, “I have some quotations in place. I was thinking
about adding more. I was also thinking about making a quote for every
point I make. That's too much right?”

Eileen replied, “I liked that the quotes couldn't be anticipated because

they arrived unexpectedly. It might lose something if there was a quote
for each point.” This was an important answer because it goes along with
what I found in my research of the Heath and Heath text along with
others. Keeping viewers on their toes is something that shouldn’t be
underemphasized.
 In addition to the feedback from Eileen, Chris’ comment on my fourth
question served me well also. I asked, “How is the music? And the
pacing? I like my music, but after watching my presentation, I can totally
see how the presentation doesn't match the excitement of the music. I
feel like I need to speed up the presentation and add more visuals to add
impact. Any ideas here?” Chris offered, “I really loved the music! It was
good and rythmical and I think that with images cut to the beat, that it'll
really carry the piece.” This is something I always appreciate when I view
audio/visual presentations so it was good to hear it from Chris. I did pay
more attention to coordinating my slides to the beat of the music but
there are some limitations with Prezi and making the song and the
transition match perfectly is one of those limitations. Still, just by paying
attention to this point certainly helped.
References

Abela, A. (2008). Advanced Presentations by Design: Creating

Communication that Drives Action. Washington D.C.: Pfeiffer.

Balakrishnan, A. (n.d.). Great Social Media & Content Marketing Quotes in

2009 | SYS-CON MEDIA. Home | SYS-CON MEDIA. Retrieved

November 13, 2009, from http://www.sys-con.com/node/1173364

Duarte, N. (2008). slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great

Presentations. Sebastopol: O'Reilly Media, Inc..

Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and

Others Die. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.

Medina, J. (2008). Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at

Work, Home, and School [With DVD] [BRAIN RULES W/DVD].

Chicago: Pear Press.

Plato Quotes. (n.d.). Famous Quotes and Quotations at BrainyQuote.

Retrieved November 13, 2009, from

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/plato_2.html

Portfolios. (n.d.). Portfolios. Retrieved October 3, 2009, from

www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea5l143.htm
Reynolds, G. (n.d.). Peachpit. Peachpit. Retrieved November 12, 2009,

from www.peachpit.com/index.aspx

Reynolds, G (2008) YouTube. Retrieved November 13, 2009, from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ2vtQCESpk

Tufte, E. R. (2006). Beautiful Evidence. Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Pr.

Vernallis, C. (2004). Experiencing Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural

Context. Columbia: Columbia University Press.

Williams, R. (2004). The Non-Designer's Design Book 2nd edition. New

York: Peachpit.

Appendix A: Abela Worksheets

Worksheet A.1a. Audience Personality Type
Audience Personality
Type/Presentation
Implications
Lots of discussion
Confident, extraverts
Keep short, they like
interactive
participation, not
passive listening
Sensor Include lots of facts,
details
Provide overview up
Inuitor front, convey
emotion. Consider
using famous
quotes.
Thinker Provide principles,
costs, and benefits
(higher paying jobs
Feeler go to those with
portfolios? Free to
make. Time: short,
copy and paste,
then add links to
resume. Upload
presentations,
embed projects
 made with
authoring tools.
Create, projects with
authoring tools.

Feeler: State who its

valuable for and
why: Valuable for
all! Valuable for job
seekers, and those
looking to go to
grad school, self-
employed.
Judger Present conclusions
up front (stats about
what employers
Perceiver prefer)

List alternatives to
consider (paper
resume, resume
attachment and
cover letter)

Where does audience find their information from? From online sources,
social networking sites, university publications, online, school newspaper.
Video serves the online format well. A summary of the course serves the
more traditional print forms better.
Worksheet A.1b. Audience Personality Implications
Presentation Implications
Provide all or part of presentation in advance
Plan for lots of discussion and Q&A
Make sure to include all relevant facts and detains in
presentation or appendix
Provide overview up-front
Identify principles, costs, and benefits
State implications for each person or group of stakeholders
involved
List all alternatives considered

Worksheet A.2. From-To Think-Do Matrix

From-To Think-Do Matrix
FROM TO
 Make it later Creating materials
THINK

I already have paper portfolio I need a digital one, too.

My work doesn’t transfer well Maybe some of the quality is
into a digital format lost but it will be leveraged
much better.
It’s difficult to make an online It’s easy to make an online
portfolio portfolio
Waiting Start it now
DO

Go from adding 0 projects to To adding one per class per

your portfolio online each semester
semester
Registering for the ESP
Not registering for the ESP Portfolio class next semester
Portfolio class

Worksheet A.3. Audience Problem

The problem that my audience has is      
Students don’t have a professional online presence. Why problem? b/c the
best jobs are competitive. If you want the job, you must stand out. Why
must stand out? Because you want that job. Why want that job? Money.
Students think they can do it later. Why problem? To create a portfolio
when you are looking for a job is too late. The time to start is now. Why
start now? So you are ready to get a job later. If wait until later, it’s too
late. If you first find a job and then try and make a portfolio, the job will be
filled before you can get it. Why is that important? Money.
Students don’t have the knowledge to create an online portfolio. Why
problem? To make portfolio, they need skills.
Students don’t know why they should create an online portfolio. Without
relevance and context, students lack motivation. Why problem?Without
motivation, students won’t learn.
Students think it will be difficult and time consuming to create an online
portfolio.
Why problem? If students feel it is too much work, they will resist.

Opening slides ideas: Worried about getting a job? Having trouble being
seen by employers? (pic of small guy, very small holding resume).

Do you have
a portfolio
online?
 Worksheet A.4. Audience Problem (Asking why 5x) See p. 41 and
45
Worksheet A.5. Solution Evaluation p. 49
Problem: Option 1 Option 2 Option 3
Students
Option 4
will
Evaluationstudents [Proposed
are students[Alternative [Alternative
Students will [Alternative
learn how to
Criteria invisible Solution]
should take 1] learn how to2] continue 3]
online my class start a adding to the
Create an
Students portfolio portfolio.
online portfolio
aren’t Students will
creating know where to
online post portfolio to
projects land jobs

Worksheet A.6. List of Evidence

1.      An average of 29.3million people visit LinkedIn each month
(3.1M each day) members from over 200 countries, 170 industries,
all fortune 500 companies, 46% are Business Decision Makers, Over
560,000 professionals visit the LinkedIn homepage on a
typical day, 42 page views per member per week
http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=advertising_premium

2. Unemployment rate is 3.8 august 2009

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/12/6/43860143.pdf