Powerpoint Geeks, Rejoice

Can’t wait to read Slide: ology by Nancy Duarte, the mastermind behind the Inconvenient Truth slideshow and highly-regarded presentation design guru.  Check out book highlights and other juicy stuff at her blog here.   Have already reserved a spot on the most important shelf in my office bookcase (located in my little powder room, alongside my Samuel Adams “standee” and my certificates of recognition from my Pantene clients.)

You thought perhaps I was kidding?

The other must-read for Powerpoint geeks is Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen.  Wonderful graphic inspiration but also super-smart advice on how to conceive a powerful presentation (e.g.,  don’t start at the computer screen.  This will paralyze you and lead to working and re-working of the same sentence for 2 hours.  Better to bust out the Post-Its and map your thoughts that way.)

Reynolds and Duarte collaborate often, online and in speaking engagements.  In fact, they’re leading an all-day presentation seminar in Santa Clara this March which I’m dying to attend (have already hit up the Boss to let me go, I will not be denied.)   Here is a great dialogue between them at Reynolds’ blog specifically on the creation of the Inconvenient Truth slides (which were done with Keynote, not Powerpoint…for the geeks who care.)