{"id":627,"date":"2010-05-09T10:09:49","date_gmt":"2010-05-09T09:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.feedingedge.co.uk\/blog\/?p=627"},"modified":"2010-05-09T10:39:49","modified_gmt":"2010-05-09T09:39:49","slug":"helping-organise-thoughts-and-speaking-freely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.feedingedge.co.uk\/blog\/2010\/05\/09\/helping-organise-thoughts-and-speaking-freely\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping organise thoughts, and speaking freely"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Once again for my pitch <\/a>at metameets I used a little bit of virtual world technology as a mental aid to help me figure out what it was I was going to say and in what order. I am finding thins an increasingly useful technique, so as this is the second time around for it I thought I would explain it again.
\nI created the presentation in the usual fashion a set of keynote\/powerpoint slides, mostly because I had ones from other presentations that I wanted to thread in and re-use. Once I had the single threaded narrative sorted, and the slide in the right order a structure, for what is in effect a story, appeared.
\nIn order to preserve this structure I took images from all the slides and put them into my local Opensim.
\nOnce in there these simple flat panels take on a relationship to one another that just does not happen when you are flicking from slide to slide.
\n\"Snapshotmetameets_001\"<\/a>
\nIn the picture above the pitch really started at the back. The back row is the underpinning, an introduction. Seven related slides to go through at any pace, but ideally quite quickly.
\nNext is a challenging step forward, as the next row comes forward. To support that is a another row, which is held to the side a little as it is really optional. In this case its a slide about how it feels to attach things to your avatar. That allows free expression, no script but just a memory of a feeling.
\nThen the next row is group into three groups. This is a change of pace, a set of ideas with an example in each of the three.
\nThen the penultimate row as you come forward is the tying it all together picture. Ideally by the time I get here the other 3 ideas have started to make a little sense.
\nThen there is the final slide to finish on.
\nRather than sit and read the slides or over rehearse I just had this image on my iphone of the layout. It is enough that I can see the sort of pages I had created and when presenting I can think where I am in the flow. So if there is some sort of distruption, or an idea that comes to mind whilst talking I can think quickly as to where it will fit in or if it has missed its chance.
\nThis is really just storyboarding meets mindmapping, but the multiple dimensions of it and the visual memory of having been there is incredibly powerful and I recommend anyone try and structure some thoughts or ideas or keypoints in some way like this to see how it feels.
\nDoes anybody else do this, I would love to hear stories about it ?<\/p>\n