Writing and presentations 
One of the blogs that I regularly read is Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. I find myself looking forward to each of Reynolds’ new posts for a couple of reasons. First, Presentation Zen isn’t updated as frequently as other blog that I read. And Reynolds writes very passionately, and very well, about presentations and related topics.
Admittedly, I haven’t done as many presentations as Garr Reynolds has. But the information that I’ve gleaned from his blog has enhanced the presentations that I’ve given.
So, what does this have to do with writing? Plenty.
The process of developing a presentation is a lot like the writing process. Whether you intend to work from a detailed script or a point-form outline, you create your presentation from a single idea. You expand upon your argument, add data and anecdotes. You choose the right words, the correct tone, and the proper pace.
Once that’s done, you edit the presentation. You trim bits out and bolster certain portions of the presentation with new facts and ideas. Sometimes, a topic is so rich that you can spin at least one other presentation from it.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
While I’ve been writing professionally for over 15 years, I admit that I’ve still got plenty to learn about writing. And I can learn a lot from folks like Garr Reynolds — both as a writer and as a presenter. That’s why I recently ordered his book, Presentation Zen. The book arrived yesterday, and the only thing that stopped me from jumping right into it was a pile of work that needed to be done.
I’ll be reading Presentation Zen from perspectives of both writer and presenter. And I’ll post my thoughts and what I’ve learned from the book in this space in the next week or so.
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[...] while back, I wrote my first musings on the similarities between writing and presentations. Since then, I’ve finished reading the [...]