Nancy Duarte's Blog, page 30
January 3, 2012
10 Mobile Apps for Highly Creative People
With an increasing number of mobile design options emerging by the day, creative people are finding new and powerful ways to flesh out their visual concepts while on the move. The era of the mobile studio is upon us, so we thought we'd share a handful of brilliant apps to help you capture your inspiration whenever–and wherever–it may strike you.
Adobe Ideas
A vector app for iOS and Android that lets you finger paint and sketch. In addition, It works seamlessly with the desktop versions of Illustrator and Photoshop so you can take your creations to the next level when you get home.
http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeideas.html
Source: http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeid...
Adobe Photoshop Touch
Create multilayered images, apply filters, and share your creations using your Android tablet. Not only this, the layers are preserved when you bring you creations into Photoshop on your desktop.
http://www.photoshop.com/products/mobile
Source: http://www.adobe.com/products/touchap...
Air Display
Brought to you by Avatron. Multiple monitors in a coffee shop for ten bucks. Hard to argue the creative benefit when paired with your laptop and your favorite creative software.
Bamboo Paper
A simple and effective sketchbook app from Wacom, the ever-popular tablet people. Use your fingers or try their Bamboo Stylus for even greater precision.
http://www.wacom.eu/index2.asp?pid=294&lang=en&gm=3
Moodboard2
Collect and organize things that inspire you. Plan your creative projects when the mood strikes, then share with friends or clients.
http://www.atinytribe.com/apps/moodboard
Source: http://www.atinytribe.com/
Photoforge2
Full resolution editing and layer support make this one powerful tool for creative nomads.
Source: http://itunes.apple.com/app/photoforg...
Procreate
Savage Interactive delivers a whopping 1920x1408px canvas to your ipad. Use their intuitive interface to sketch, paint, and even edit photos.
Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/procre...
Sketchbook Pro
Autodesk introduces their digital sketching software to iOS and Android. Voted one of the "5 Must-Have iPad Apps" by Wired Magazine.
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=6848332&siteID=123112
Snapseed
Nik Software brings us a stunningly simple photo editing app for iOS that features some innovative new filters and options.
http://www.niksoftware.com/snapseed/usa/index.php?view=intro%2Fmain.shtml
Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/snapse...
And last, but not least… the zero dollar app that requires no installation:
Light Table Pro-Series Alpha: Championship Edition
Photo courtesy of Andrew Heine. All Rights Reserved.
Now go download one or a bunch of these apps and hit the road!
December 20, 2011
It's fun to share with Cops That Care
Throughout the year, Duarte host several events to raise money for one goal: purchasing a veritable mountain of toys! … that we donate to Mountain View's "Cops That Care" program, who then distributes the gifts to children in need of a little—or a lot—of holiday cheer.
Although I must admit it's very tempting to keep them.
I will also admit that the raising of the funds isn't too terrible. From the good old fashioned bake sales and Taco Tuesdays, to screen-printing parties and extravagant auctions and raffles, we have a great time parting with our dollars.
Duarte has been collecting and matching donations for several years now, but this year, we toted a camera along, and captured photos of children's sheer delight. And we'll share those with you now. Because, obviously, we're really good at sharing.
A little more info about Cops That Care program:
This wildly successful event, founded by Officer Ron Cooper, provides gifts for children whose families may not have the means to purchase gifts on their own. Children who have an affiliation to the Mountain View community will be able to visit the North Pole (also known as the Police/Fire Auditorium at 1000 Villa St.) and select a toy from the thousands available.
[Source: http://www.mv-voice.com/news/show_story.php?id=2232 ]
Happy Holidays from the Duarte Family!
December 16, 2011
PowerPoint at war – how one soldier changed US strategy in Iraq
US forces in Iraq lowered their flag on Wednesday, officially marking the end of our nine-year military mission. As the final few thousand troops begin their journey home, we celebrate their bravery and mourn the thousands of lives lost during the war.
In a historic moment like this one, we also take the time to reflect on the people and events that changed the course of the conflict. One of those people was Captain Travis Patriquin.
In 2006 the Army sent Patriquin's brigade to reclaim to the city of Ramadi from al Qaeda. At the time Ramadi was the source of some of the worst violence in the country, having claimed the lives of hundreds of US soldiers. As Patriquin got to know members of the Sunni community and an influential local sheik, he grew concerned about the ideas driving US strategy. He became convinced that the solution to the bloodshed was to arm and train the local Sunni tribes to aid in the fight against al Qaeda.
He created and circulated a now-infamous PowerPoint presentation entitled "How to Win in Anbar" which argued for this change in strategy. Captain Patriquin purposefully discarded most of the "bad" conventions he saw in military presentations – complicated infographics, long lists of bulletpoints – and instead used simple illustrations to focus on the story he wanted to tell.
His design had the desired effect. His presentation went viral, getting passed around military servers around the world and eventually landing at the Pentagon. According to a recent book on Captain Patriquin's legacy, it even ended up in the inbox of General David Petraeus.
Today, many credit Captain Patriquin with inspiring the "Sunni Awakening," a phenomenon that helped hasten the end of the war. Col. Joe Harrington, the current executive assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was recently quoted as saying that "Travis Patriquin has as much to do with the success that the Americans and the Iraqi government has as anyone else."
Tragically, Captain Patriquin is not here to witness the success of his ideas. He was killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq in December 2006. But he left behind a powerful legacy of service and a reminder to all of us that good ideas have the power to change the world.
Visit http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/how_to_win_in_anbar_v4.pdf to see Captain Patriquin's presentation and watch this video to learn more.
December 9, 2011
Executive Coach Uses Humor and Acting to Deliver Unforgettable Presentation Performances
Sounds crazy, but I met Victoria Labalme on Twitter and we've become lifelong friends. Her background in acting and improv gives her a special edge as an executive presentation coach. She coaches completely differently than anyone I've met. Most delivery coaches want to record you so you can "see" all the things you need to stop doing. Sometimes that negative chatter of "stop umming" and "use bigger gestures" disrupts us from being our true selves. She uses the metaphor of a Prism Effect. Victoria believes that if you bring your true self and true colors to your presentations, your message will come across more pure and clear, plus you'll come alive!
I had the privilege of interviewing her at my office. Topics covered include remote presenting, her paradigm "The Prism Effect", Velcro communication, Twitter-inspired friendships, and peach bellinis. (And at 6:44, there's a little bonus where we delved a little deeper into Victoria's personal life.) You can see why she's my first choice to recommend to keynote in my stead.
November 22, 2011
Duarte.com/edy Episode 1: Make Your Slides Count
Welcome to the very first episode of Duarte.com/edy (we pronounce it "Duarte Dot Comedy"), starring our puppets, Bob & Finn. They're both really excited about their on-camera debut, so sit back and enjoy the zaniness.
If you like what you see, please share with your friends, and be sure to leave a note in the comments. You just might hear back from Bob or Finn in person!
Visit www.duarte.com/edy to sign up to be notified about future episodes.
November 8, 2011
Communication Across Cultural Divides
Good communication can be difficult enough in English. When you complicate it with a cross-cultural divide, the challenges increase immensely—and sometimes hilariously.
That's the premise behind David Henry Hwang's play Chinglish, which debuted on Broadway on October 27. We geeked out because this hit production opens with a PowerPoint presentation. That's right, goodbye boardroom, hello Broadway!
Production shot from Chinglish's run at Chicago's Goodman Theatre.
The presenter is an American, and he talks about the difficulties of doing business in China. His company is vying for a job creating English signage for a Chinese cultural center.
Hwang got the idea for his new play during a trip to Shanghai in 2005. He told the New York Times, "We went to one brand-new cultural center that had gorgeous Italian marble, fine Brazilian wood, smart German design and these horribly translated signs for handicapped restrooms that read, 'Deformed Man's Toilet."' Everywhere he looked, he saw "an eagerness among Chinese and Americans to impress one another, yet wildly basic misunderstandings because of language and cultural differences."
The topic of cultural differences is especially timely for us, because the opening of Chinglish coincided with Nancy's visit to Beijing and Taiwan. Over the course of nine days, she presented to Chinese dignitaries, businesspeople, and educators and researched how cultural differences influence storytelling.
To avoid the kind of misunderstandings that Hwang observed in Shanghai, Nancy hired a cross-cultural consultant. The coach spent three hours helping Nancy understand her audience and the cultural gap between how she communicates and how the Chinese process information. Her coach compared culture to an iceberg. Behavior is the tip of the iceberg, and the customs, assumptions, beliefs and values that influence behavior are hidden beneath the surface.
Nancy had an incredible experience, and she brought us back one priceless souvenir that's very apropos to Chinglish:
This was an actual placard from a panel discussion in Taiwan. Though, as mis-translations go, it's hard to imagine a better title than "Instructor of World-Class Spellbinders."
October 31, 2011
Prize-winning Pumpkins and Creative Costumes
The results are in! Check out the prize-winning pumpkins. We hope you liked them!
In addition to Pumpkin Palooza, we turned our competitive energy toward another Halloween tradition: costumes. This morning we had a Costume Parade in lieu of a Staff Meeting. Best Monday ever. Even our newest Duartian dressed up, on her very first day!
Happy Halloween from Angel and Zoolander, and everyone in between.
Six Tips for Working with an Interpreter While Public Speaking
I spoke in Beijing on Saturday, and worked with an interpreter for the first time. Public speaking is hard enough, and working with an interpreter complicates things… unless you're prepared.
I had two interpreters. One was the primary and the other was a secondary interpreter, plus they had two on stand-by (paranoid event planning I guess). The primary interpreter, Sally, was a subject matter expert, and the secondary interpreter, Rebecca, was a professional interpreter. Sally kicked it off and was doing great (I thought) and then I got a note to have it switch to Rebecca. Then a note to switch back to Sally. Apparently, because Sally wasn't a professional interpreter, she was looking at me and at her notes and not at the audience. Even though she is a compelling communicator when alone on stage, they felt she was bringing down the energy of the talk. They slipped in Rebecca, coached Sally and had Sally come back on and she kicked it up! She and I both learned from this experience.
Interestingly, it was when Rebecca was interpreting that she created a S.T.A.R. Moment. That's an acronym for Something They'll Always Remember. In my talk, I was describing in what a S.T.A.R. moment is. But when Rebecca relayed in Chinese what a S.T.A.R. moment was the place roared with laughter (they didn't laugh when I explained what it is.) Rebecca had inserted a traditional 4-character Chinese saying that means "something you'll remember until you're so old your teeth are falling out." She did a great job mapping my information to the local culture.
Here are six tips for working with an interpreter:
Prepare half as much material. If you are given an hour, prepare half an hour of material. It takes twice as long to convey your information with an interpreter.
Transcribe or write out your talk. A week ahead of time, I sent over a transcript of a similar talk that I had delivered so the interpreters could read through it and practice. Even though I didn't deliver it exactly the same way, most of the material was incorporated.
Work through idioms and metaphors. Many of the phrases and sayings we use have no direct interpretation into other languages. Since my interpreters had the transcript ahead of time, by the time I landed, they had already identified areas where they had questions, so they could make sure they applied regional stories and metaphors that would work. They also identified where some of my language should change or simplify so the English-as-a-second-language audience members would understand what I was saying.
Practice for pacing and pauses. You need to practice with the interpreters. Each interpreter has a different length of phrase they can handle interpreting at one time. They also need to coach you on the speed you're talking, so the English-speaking audience members can process what you're saying.
Complete your thoughts. Each burst of content you say should be a complete thought. Sometimes I would say a phrase that felt like the length the interpreter would need, and I would leave the last few words off for the next phase of interpretation. It broke the content into odd blocks and opportunities were lost for laughter and understanding.
Have good chemistry with your interpreter. I was very fortunate that I knew Sally before I went to China. She writes a blog in Chinese about presentations, so I knew she would know the material. Rebecca spent most of the morning with me getting me to laugh and relax. I knew both these ladies so well. Several times on stage we would laugh together and even hugged on stage as we pulled the audience along. It made me more comfortable to feel like they were comrades, and being able to trust they would value my material and represent it well.
One of the greatest things I've learned on this trip is that when you're presenting in another country, knowing your audience is almost more important. The studying I've done about the culture and how it communicates paid off. I modified my natural communication style and even answered questions with more nuance to their culture and, threw in historical context and cultural examples that were relevant. So, know your audience and know your interpreter and everything else will fall naturally into place.
September 9, 2011
It's All Geek to Me
The description of the fictitious Turbo Encabulator has long been used by engineers to warn against the use of technobabble. It has a lengthy and fascinating history, which includes this 1977 performance by Bud Haggart.
There is most definitely a lesson here about avoiding the use of confusing jargon in our presentations. We should be conscious of our audience and sensitive to their familiarity with the terms that we use. We should only use jargon, acronyms and other technical terms if we are sure that our audience will understand them. If there is the slightest chance that they won't understand, then we need to simplify our language. Remember, if they can't understand your message, they can't adopt it.
Here at Duarte, we also saw this as a challenge. We believe that visuals can help bring clarity to otherwise confusing information. So, we took this on as an exercise in graphic recording, wondering if illustrating this epic masterpiece of nerd-dom might somehow make sense out of the confusion. Here are the results of our efforts:
Now re-listen to the video while looking at the visual. Does it help? Can using a visual make even a purposely confusing, technical-jargon-filled message clearer? What do you think?
So, if you have very technical information to convey, consider evaluating the words you use and eliminating jargon that won't resonate with your audience. Then, visualize! Use a picture to replace those thousand (technical) words. If you do, your presentations will be so strong, it will be as if they are powered by the modial interactions of magneto reluctance and capacitive deractants!
August 31, 2011
We've got spirit, yes we do!
If you're at all familiar with Duarte, you know we're more fun than the average bear. And bears are a pretty good time. Take Yogi for example. When he's not stealing your lunch, that guy is a hoot.
But I digress.
Duarte is fun.
Case in point, last week marked Duarte's 4th Annual Spirit Week. This year's theme: Summer Through the Ages. Every day, we paid homage to a different era, by dressing up and doing an activity appropriate to the time period. We ended with week with a (dress-down) day at the park, complete with good eats, cold drinks, and a Spirit Week Relay Race.
Check out the photos below, and hearken back to the good (and maybe not-so-good) ol' days.
MONDAY – '80s DAY
Totally.
Jump (For My Love)
Babies of the '80s
TUESDAY – '70s DAY
Duartians, diggin' it.
Our pets rock.
A paisley pet.
Sleaziest frame salesman this side of the Mississippi.
WEDNESDAY – '60s DAY
Mad Men are standing, hippies are sitting in.
Mad Men & a madman.
Jam sesh.
THURSDAY – '50s DAY
Too cool for school. Or work.
Wanna rumble?
FRIDAY – PICNIC DAY!
Relay Activity # 1 - Water Cup Fill 'er up
Spoonful by lovin' spoonful.
Nothin' but bucket.
Relay Activity # 2 - Picture Puzzle
They don't call it a relay RACE for nothin'.
Relay Activity #3 - Ahem, cornhole.
Winners of the Spirit Week Relay! (And proud owners of the coveted rainbow giraffe trophy.)
The gang's (almost) all here.
Big thanks to Mark, Nancy, and all my fellow Duartians for making Duarte such a spirited place to work.
Yay,
Paula
