A totally different kind of presentation

Dick Hardt, CEO of Sxip, gave a very compelling presentation at Web 2.0 of the Identity 2.0 concept. I highly recommend viewing this presentation, it is well done and convey the message very well.

What's interesting in the presentation style is the use of one or very few words per slide. It works well for conveying concept, less so for conveying detail (after seeing it, I do not really know any better how it is done, if at all). Apparently this is a well known style and Dick gives credit at the end of the presentation.

Geoff Feldman made an insightful comment on this presentation:

The opposite, long sentences that the audience reads are about the dumbest kind of slide there is. If you ever notice, when this is done, you see people reading and not listening. So, their attention is not on the speaker. You can also see them then talking amongst themselves and "comparing notes". Since they are not listening, they are bored and it all goes down from there.

It's not so much the single words as also the images. What is interesting is that he is conveying fairly complex topics (for those who have not thought about the problem). People are getting visual images that they then retain. It also provides a framework to avoid any real deep discussion of the issues. This gives a certain brain washing factor that is valuable for the presenter.

It's a masterful presentation.

Years ago, when I was very young, there was a very popular advertising on back roads by a company called "Burma Shave" (they made shaving cream). These consisted of little signs about 3 feet high and about 2x2 feet posted along the road about every 1000 feet or so. As you drove along, you would see single words or phrases that would then assemble in your mind as to why you should buy burma shave. What's interesting is that, if you think about it, the method holds attention longer than a single large bill board. People who were around then, still talk about the signs, they are an icon even though burma shave is no longer an important product.

UPDATE: Here's a Burma Shave link - nice.