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ASTD 2003 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION

S316

How To Make an Effective Presentation in 99 Seconds

Fifteen years ago we discovered the cure for conference boredom: Challenge presenters

to make a point—a real point with useful content—in just 99 seconds. We have

facilitated the 99-Second sessions at several international conferences in the USA and

Australia. In the process, we analyzed hundreds of presentations and identified a list of

engaging formats and best practices. We also discovered that the same principles and

practices can contribute to the effectiveness and interest level of longer presentations and

training sessions. After all, a 90-minute presentation is just a series of 99-second

presentations. In this session, the presenters will demonstrate and discuss a variety of

engaging presentation formats. Enjoy the session and master the skills that make you an

efficient, effective, and entertaining presenter.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Identify and explain the critical and desirable features of 99-Seconds presentations.

• From a collection of 30 different formats, select the most appropriate one for

achieving a specific goal with a specific target audience.

• Use the 99-second formats to design and deliver effective, efficient, and engaging

presentations.

PRESENTER INFORMATION

Sivasailam Thiagarajan, Ph. D.

RMS

Workshops by Thiagi, Inc.

4423 East Trailridge Road

Bloomington, IN 47408

Telephone: (812) 332-1478

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.thiagi.com

Raja Thiagarajan

VP for Research and Computer Applications

Workshops by Thiagi, Inc.

[email protected]

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How To Make an Effective Presentation in 99 Seconds

Sivasailam Thiagarajan & Raja Thiagarajan, Workshops by Thiagi, Inc.

99 Seconds is a special type of panel session that features 10 or more presenters. Each

presenter makes a brisk, self-contained presentation that lasts for less than 99 seconds.

Although all presentations deal with the same general topic, no attempt is made to

sequence them in any logical order or to standardize the presentation format.

A Sample 99-Seonds Session

Let's vicariously participate in a 99-seconds session to get a feel for what happens.

You are attending a session how to motivate your employees. You notice that the seats in

the first row have a reserved sign, each with a name of a presenter.

Alien Anthropologist. At the beginning of the session a large timer is projected on a

screen and it begins to count down the seconds from 99. Steve, the moderator for the

session, introduces his co-presenter as an alien from a far-away planet who has

transformed herself to look human. She is actually a well-known anthropologist in her

planet. She is visiting Earth on a special mission to observe and record human behavior

patterns in the workplace. She understands English, but prefers to speak in her native

language that Steve can translate.

The alien says, "Morba aayacharinama vishel anyana, lunna lewai resivaranlagai

mepoodud godumai daputharom."

Steve translates: "One of the interesting things about humans is that they always punish

their best performers. For example, if someone finishes a ahead of the scheduled time,

managers immediately punish the person by giving her more things to do. In addition, coworkers

yell at the person for not being a team player."

The alien continues: "Aalan mathapadi".

Steve explains that the alien language is so efficient that it could convey a lot of

information in just a few phonemes. He continues with his translation:

"These punishing consequences from managers and co-workers result in apparent

alienation of the high performer. Eventually, this performer slows down her productivity

until it is reduced to the lowest common denominator. This makes the manager happy

because he does not have to worry about his job security. This makes the co-workers

happy and they praise the high-performer's ability to appreciate important things in life."

The interaction between Steve and the alien continues in this vein, with an interesting

look at principles of performance management from an objective alien perspective.

The countdown timer on the screen is now down to 10 seconds. Something that the alien

says leaves Steve looking puzzled. He says something in the alien language, apparently

asking for clarification.

The alien snaps back in English: "I said we are talking too much. They already got the

point. Let's shut up and leave them alone."

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One Minute Survey. The timer displays zero while Steve and the alien anthropologist

leave the stage. When the next presenter, Diane, enters the stage, the timer reset itself to

99. It begins counting down as Diane begins to talk.

Diane asks each participant to think of the type of reward that would motivate her to

work more efficiently. She asks participants to write this type of reward on a piece of

paper and pass it to the back of the room. Ten seconds later, she asks each participant to

write the type of reward that she most frequently uses to improve the performance of

others. Diane explains that she would analyze the data later. She then proceeds to

summarize the data that she had collected from earlier groups. She identifies the top three

rewards that people prefer and compares them with the three most frequently used

rewards. During the last 10 second of her time, Diane invites the audience to ponder on

the discrepancy between these two sets of rewards. She suggests that people should try to

reward others the way they themselves would like to be rewarded.

Benefits and Limitations

Here are some advantages of the 99-Seconds strategy:

Efficiency. The tight time limit forces presenters to focus on the key learning points and

to avoid dwelling on trivial “nice-to-know” points.

Interest. The unusual format and rapid change of presenters maintains high levels of

audience interest, especially with the new generation of learners brought on MTV

programs.

Variety. Presenters talk about different points using different formats. This variety

enables audience members to receive a well-rounded picture of what is happening.

Participation. Audience members have to actively organize different presentations into a

coherent whole that makes sense to them. After the session, they may have to do some

research to close any gaps. These responsibilities give additional ownership to the

listeners.

Assessment. The 99-second format can be used as a performance test for presentation

skills.

The 99-seconds format also has some disadvantages:

Confusion. Because the individual presentations are not synchronized with each other,

audience members may find the ideas to be disconnected.

Contradictions. Another consequence of the individualized approach could be that later

presenters contradict the ideas and opinions presented by earlier presenters.

Incompleteness. Because of the time limit, it is possible that presenters may ignore some

critical elements of the overall topic.

Passivity. Also because of the time limit, presenters may not provide practice

opportunities or feedback.

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Types of 99-Second Presentations

There are many different types of 99-seconds sessions. For our convenience, we have

grouped 35 different formats into four categories in the discussion below.

Active Participation

This type of 99-seconds sessions involve interactive strategies. A major problem with

active participation is the time consumed by getting audience members organized and

interacting. Here are two possible solutions: You can ask independent participation by

individuals. Alternatively, you can bring a small group of people on stage to demonstrate

the interaction. If you choose the second approach, be sure to rehearse the session with

your demonstration group to get the timing right.

Creative visualization. Facilitator asks participants to close their eyes and takes them

through a guided visualization exercise to encourage creative problem solving or

empathic understanding. Example: Everyday life in a refugee camp.

Introspection. Facilitator asks a series of questions that provoke participants to arrive at

some truthful insights. Example: How would your career be affected if your sexual

orientation were different?

Physical activity. Performer demonstrates a physical activity, inviting audience members

to follow along. Example: How to relax by using yogic breathing technique.

Data collection. Presenter asks all audience members to write down one or two words in

response to an open-ended question. She then shares the results from a previous group.

(The new data are analyzed later and the results are posted on a web site.) Example:

What's the most important benefit of e-learning?

Debriefing. Facilitator asks audience members to focus on a common experience and

conducts a debrief by asking a series of targeted questions and sharing a typical response

for each question. Example: Encounters with irate customers.

Each Teach. Facilitator asks one half of the audience to close their eyes and cover their

ears and explains how to apply the first step of a two-step procedure. She then asks the

other half to close their eyes and cover their ears while explaining the second half.

Audience members are encouraged to partner with one another and practice the entire

skill after the session. Example: How to say 'hello' and 'good-bye' in Malayalam.

Jolt. A brief experiential activity that provides a powerful epiphany. Example: An

exercise in which two participants arm wrestle, ignoring the rules that actually support a

cooperative approach (“Your score depends on how many times your hand touches the

table”)

Poll. Presenter conducts a quick poll -- and reveals the data by asking audience members

to raise their hands or stand up. Examples: How many of you had meetings with SMEs

that were (a) positive, (b) neutral, or (c) negative?

Questions and answers. Prior to the session, presenter distributes questions to

confederates in the audience. During the presentation she "invites" questions from the

audience and responds to them. Example: Legal aspects of sexual harassment.

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Silence. Presenter observes a minute of silence to encourage a review earlier ideas.

Sing-Along. Presenter invites audience members to sing along with her, using a wellknown

tune and words from a handout.

Brief Presentations

This type involves effective presentation techniques that are usually incorporated as parts

of lengthier presentations.

Analogy. Presenter suggests an analogy (by holding up a prop or displaying a graphic)

and describes how it is similar to a real-world object or process. Example: Bullying as an

analogy to sexual harassment.

Cartoon. Presenter displays a cartoon (or a comic strip) on screen and explains a

powerful principle illustrated by it. Example: Dilbert illustrating the uselessness of

consultants.

Formula. Presenter displays a formula and quickly explains the variables and functions.

Example: How to compute your daily rate for consulting services.

Joke. Presenter tells a joke with a punch line that reveals an important truth. Example: A

small child exclaiming that the emperor has no clothes.

Magic Trick. Performer does a conjuring act and uses it as an analogy for an important

principle. Example: Linking Rings magic trick to illustrate the power of belief.

Pithy saying. Presenter displays an aphorism or a proverb and explains its application to

the topic. Example: Discussion of the impact of the German proverb on teambuilding

strategies: Durch zussammenleben, lernt man zussammenleben. (By living together,

people learn to live together.)

Poetry reading. Presenter recites a poem that highlights critical principles. Example: A

ballad about office romances to illustrate performance problems.

Rap song. Presenter performs a rap song that highlights important principles. Example:

New-hire orientation.

Story telling. Presenter tells a personal anecdote or a short-short story that highlights an

important principle. Example: Frederic Brown's Sentinel in which the admirable soldierhero

turns out to be an alien invading Earth!

Mediated Presentations

We can incorporated different types of media productions in a 99-seconds presentations.

An important precaution is to test out the equipment ahead of time and to have a back up.

Audio recording. Presenter plays an audio recording in the form of a new item to

highlight key principles. Example: "Scientists report a simple technique to prevent

repetitive stress injuries in the workplace ..."

Conversation with alter ego. Performer plays dual roles by having a conversation with

her "evil twin sister" presented through an audio or video tape recording. (This recording

is produced ahead of time with suitable pauses to permit a simulated conversation.)

Example: A debate about the advantages and disadvantages of teamwork.

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Movie excerpt. Presenter uses an excerpt from some popular movie to highlight an

important principle. Example: A 1-minute excerpt from the movie Gettysburg to show

visionary leadership in action.

Music. Presenter performs or plays the recording of a piece of music and quickly

highlights the critical message. Example: John Lennon's Imagine followed by an

exhortation for performance technologists to work on world peace.

Puppets. Performer conducts a conversation with a puppet to highlight important

principles. Example: Importance of environmental protection.

Puzzle. Presenter displays a puzzle on screen and asks participants to solve it to identify a

critical principle. The puzzle is gradually solved to speed up the process. Example: A

“Wheel of Fortune” puzzle with a statement about rewards and reinforcement.

Silent slide set. Presenter displays a set of slides (in an animated form) that explain a

process. Example: Five steps in rapid instructional design.

Video recording. Presenter plays a videotape recording to highlight some important

points. Example: Videotape recording of a typical office room to identify different safety

hazards.

Co-Presentations

More than one person can present a 99-seconds session. The key element in this approach

is for the co-presenters to rehearse the presentation and to time it tightly.

Conversation. Two presenters discuss a common paradoxical topic, highlighting the pros

and cons of the extremes. Audience members realize that the paradox has to be managed

effectively to reduce the disadvantages and to utilize the advantages. Example:

"Individuals cannot produce significant results" vs "Teamwork results in wasted effort".

Drama. A small group of people (in suitable costume, if possible) act out a skit that

highlights key elements of an effective procedure, usually by presenting a before-andafter

segments. Example: How to conduct a rapid performance analysis.

Gibberish. In this improv-theater technique an alien or a guru is interviewed by an

expert. The alien talks in gibberish and the expert translates what she says. Example:

What a Klingon has observed about human behavior during staff meetings.

Interview. Presenter interviews one or two experts to highlight important strategies for

achieving a goal. Example: How to handle cross-cultural clashes.

One word at a time. In this improv technique, three or more participants respond to

questions from audience members or present an important message, taking turns to speak

one word at a time. Example: The importance of equal participation.

Panel. Three or more presenters quickly present a series of strategies for achieving an

objective. Example: How to motivate the online learner.

Roleplay. Two presenters (or the presenter and a "volunteer" from the audience) conduct

a role-play that illustrates some important interpersonal skill. Example: How to present

bad news to the client.

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What Does the Audience Want?

Based on interviews of hundreds of audience members from previous 99-Seconds

sessions, here are five important guidelines.

• Balance learning with entertainment. Deliver powerful learning content, but don't

bore people. Use attention-getting devices but avoid 99 seconds of fluff.

• Keep your session self-contained. Make sure that participants receive immediate

value in these 99 seconds. Don't use the session to sell your other sessions or

publications. Don’t even mention them.

• Be realistic about what you can present within 99 seconds. Rehearse your session

so you can deliver it in 90 seconds without talking fast and running out of breath.

• Think auditory. Think in terms of story telling and radio. Don't distract audience

attention with too many slides or crowded handouts.

• Use interaction, but don't waste time with elaborate instructions. Focus on

cognitive interaction rather than physical interaction.

Suggestions for Presenters

• Choose a single concept, principle, or tip.

• Choose a topic that you can explain to someone in a minute's time. This leaves

you some extra time for additional embellishments.

• Practice your presentation with a timer. It's difficult to estimate the passage of 99

seconds. It is a longer period of time than you think. But if you are a long-winded

person, the 99 seconds appear to shrink.

• Don't memorize your presentation. But be sure that you can recall the key ideas in

the correct sequence.

• Practice your presentation with an audience of a one or two friends. Revise your

presentation based on the feedback.

• You don't have time to use elaborate media. Use your imagination to create

memorable props.

• If necessary, you may use a couple of PowerPoint slides. Make sure that each

slide has fewer than 6 lines and each line has fewer than 6 words.

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Sample Job Aid

Musical Interludes

Key Idea

Perform (or play the recording of) a piece of music and quickly highlight the critical

message. For example, you may play John Lennon's Imagine followed by an exhortation

to performance technologists to work for world peace.

Extended Example

Play a 50 second recording containing three musical excerpts, each a dramatically

different performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony of the same musical phrase: The

first performance is a symphonic recording; the second is Billy Joel at the piano, and the

third is the California Guitar Trio’s recording. Make sure that the recordings you use are

dramatically different in tone, sound, and style. Also, choose any piece of music that is

well-known and familiar to your audience: Jingle Bells, Happy Birthday, or I Want to

Hold Your Hand by the Beatles. At the end of the recorded playback, point out that

although the content was the same, our reactions to each performances were very

different.

Here are the learning points:

• How we convey a message (the form) is as important as what the message says

(the content).

• Our choices for how we communicate the message should be based on our

purpose.

• Different people are affected differently by the form of performance. So we

should select the form based on our audience.

Sample Applications

• Communication skills: There is a difference between what is said and what is

understood.

• Cultural diversity: There are different (and equally valuable ways) to experience

what’s around us.

• Cultural diversity: Different people have different preferences to musical styles.

• Musical Appreciation: Acknowledging and valuing different interpretations of

music.

• Motivation: How background music can affect our mood.

• Interpersonal Skills: Choose an appropriate recording with lyrics that

communicate a key priniple.

• Technical content. Create lyrics to present the content to a favorite tune.

Troubleshooting

Problem: The stereo output device you use (boom box or computer and speakers) or

your recording (cassette tape, CD, or MP3) fails to work.

Solution: Have back ups. Make sure you have another playback device and another copy

of your recording in case something happens.

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Sample Job Aid

Gibberish

Key Idea

In this improv-theater technique, introduce your co-presenter as a visitor from an alien

planet (or a guru from the Himalayas). The alien talks in a made-up language that sounds

like gibberish to the audience (because it is gibberish). You “translate” what she says. In

the process, you make up insightful observations about human interactions as they would

appear to an alien. This enables you to present serious messages in a humorous context.

Extended Example

At the beginning of a session, you introduce your co-presenter as a visitor from a faraway

planet who has transformed herself to look like a human. She is on an

anthropological mission to observe and report human behavior patterns to scientists on

her planet. Now, on the eve of her return to the home planet, she has agreed to share few

of her insights about human motivation principles. She can understand English, but she

prefers to speak in her native language which you can translate.

The alien say, “Romba aachariyamana visesham ennana, nulla velai seiravangalai

epoodum kodumai padutharom.”

You translate: “One of the interesting things about human beings is that they always

punish their best performers. If someone finishes a task ahead of time, managers give that

person more things to do. Coworkers yell at the person for showing off.”

The alien continues: “Aanal mathapadi”.

You explain that the alien language is so efficient that it could convey a lot of

information by using just a few phonemes. You continue with your translation:

“This type of consequences from managers and co-workers result in apparent alienation

of the high performer. Eventually, this performer controls her behavior patterns and slows

down her productivity until it is reduced to the lowest common denominator. This makes

the manager happy because he does not have to worry about his job security. This makes

the co-workers happy and they praise the high-performer’s ability to stop and smell the

flowers.”

The interaction between you and the alien continues in this vein, with you plugging in

basic principles related to the topic of contingency management.

Near the end, the alien says something that leaves you puzzled. With a quizzical look,

you say something in gibberish, apparently asking her to explain what she said.

The alien snaps back in English: “I said you are talking too much. They already got the

message. Let’s go do something useful.”

Tips

Choose someone who speaks a foreign language (preferably some language that is

unfamiliar to your audience) as the alien. Let the alien speak in this language rather than

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doing total gibberish. However, make sure that the alien can resist the temptation to use

strings of expletives in case someone else can understand the language.

Practice uttering long strings of gibberish in a fluent fashion. Use strange-sounding

intonation patterns and changes in volume. Learn to gesture wildly.

Prepare your message carefully. Chop into suitable chunks. Practice interacting with the

alien, talking alternatively.

Work out a series of cues to subtly signal the alien to stop.

Carefully work out the timing so the last piece of dialogue ends at the 95th second.

Get audience involvement. Prearrange with an audience member to ask a question.

Translate that into gibberish for the alien. Translate the alien’s response into English.

Sample Applications

You can use the gibberish at the beginning of a session to suggest ground rules and

guidelines such as these:

• Suspend your disbelief and have faith in what the presenter is saying.

• Stop thinking, “What’s in it for me?”. Instead, ask yourself, “How can I change

my behaviors to make use of the new ideas?”

• Think in terms of how you can apply the new principles and procedures within the

next 24 hours.

Present basic (and obvious) principles with an alien spin:

• We do not listen actively.

• We seldom walk the talk.

• We enjoy playing the role of victim rather than being accountable for our

behaviors.

Troubleshooting:

Problem: You cannot convince anyone to play the role of the alien.

Solution 1: Play both roles yourself. Put on a weird contraption on your head and claim

that you are channeling with an alien. Talk gibberish. Remove the contraption and

translate the message into English.

Solution 2: Make a talking-head videotape of yourself with a robot helmet, talking in

gibberish with suitable pauses. Claim that you are having a video interview with an alien.