The "Lessig Method" of presentation

The "Lessig Method" of presentation is not an official method per se, but many people who know about the work of Stanford law professor, Lawrence Lessig, have been inspired by his presentation style and informally refer to his approach as something unique indeed. Those who have seen Lessig present have been talking about his approach for a while. David Hornik at VentureBlog wrote a post entitled Putting the "Power" in Powerpoint over two years ago. In this post he heaps praise on the presentation style of Lessig. James MacLennan may have been the first to put a label on Lessig's presentation style, calling it the "Lessig Method" which he likens to the Takahashi Method in Japan because Lessig's slides often contain just a single word, short quote, or a photo. Here is a good example of the "Lessig Method" of presentation. See Dick present "Lessig Style"There are more videos of Lessig lecturing and presenting here. Hardt's presentation style is not applicable to every case, of course.

10 Tips for More Effective PowerPoint Presentations “Oh no! Not another boring PowerPoint presentation! My eyes, my eyes…!!!” How much does it suck to be in the audience for yet another drawn-out, boring, lifeless slideshow? Worse yet, how much does it such to be the one giving it? The truth is, bad PowerPoint happens to good people, and quite often the person giving the presentation is just as much a victim as the poor sods listening to her or him. Here are ten tips to help you add a little zing! 1. A little planning goes a long way. That’s bass-ackwards. And make sure your script follows good storytelling conventions: give it a beginning, middle, and end; have a clear arc that builds towards some sort of climax; make your audience appreciate each slide but be anxious to find out what’s next; and when possible, always leave ‘em wanting more. 2. At any given moment, what should be on the screen is the thing you’re talking about. Plan your presentation so just one new point is displayed at any given moment. 3. Congratulations. 4. 5. 6. 7.

The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint I suffer from something called Ménière’s disease—don’t worry, you cannot get it from reading my blog. The symptoms of Ménière’s include hearing loss, tinnitus (a constant ringing sound), and vertigo. There are many medical theories about its cause: too much salt, caffeine, or alcohol in one’s diet, too much stress, and allergies. Thus, I’ve worked to limit control all these factors. However, I have another theory. As a venture capitalist, I have to listen to hundreds of entrepreneurs pitch their companies. To prevent an epidemic of Ménière’s in the venture capital community, I am evangelizing the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. Ten slides. So please observe the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint.