Presentations: A Show-Off's Guide

In December 2015 I gave a presentation at a 'Heritage Show + Tell' event in Leeds. The event rules were simple - three slides, three minutes, tell a story about your project. I've lost count of how many seminars/lectures/talks/expositions/etc/and-so-on I've sat through at heritage sector events, but this was one of the first formal events I'd spoken at and had to, like, dress smartly and that. 

Some of those drawings are mine. Drawing is not among my skillz.

I was working for Scarborough Museums Trust heading an Arts Council audience development project, part of which involved commissioning a pop-up 'Museum of Scarborough' which would tour the community and be an enthralling interactive celebration of all things Scarborial.  

This was an ideal project to roll-out for the Show + Tell evening, but my quandary was how to make my 3 minute presentation lively, enthralling and in keeping with the quirky nature of the pop-up project - an issue exacerbated by my allocated slot being the last speaker on a grotty winter's evening when any sensible person would have been good and ready to GO HOME.

My elegant solution was to conclude the presentation, following 2:30mins of precisely-timed wholesome professional public-speaking, thus... 

Dare to dream. Chase the rainbow. Note the exits before you start. 

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