Stuff about School in the Summer: My Homework to Prepare to Teach Speech and Debate Class

Lifehacker tells readers "How to Create Presentations that Don’t Suck."

Lifehacker's Melane Pinola lists several elements that plague sucky presentations.

Problem 1: Too many ideas on one slide

Problem 2: Cliches and Clipart

Problem 3: Lack of emphasis

Problem 4: Random design choices

Problem 5: No relationship to the audience

Pinola also offers several solutions.  First,

Remember this mnemonic: SLIDE

Simplify
Lose the cliches
Information needs emphasis
Designate elements
Empathy for the audience

More importantly,

Incorporate Storytelling Structure into Presentations for Added Drama and Effectiveness.

The best presentations and speeches share a lot in common with stories: they move you with a mix of drama and tension, taking you from the status quo to what could be—your ideas blissfully realized. . . ,but basically you can make your presentation more engaging—even cinematic—by using a storytelling framework.

Most of this is pretty basic.  Coaches tell debaters to tell the judge a simple story before every round.  It's the simple, basic elements that usually cause the most problems, however.  This article was a fortuitous reminder