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Netcheck

By Garry Platt (November 2004 Issue)
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I went to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August for ten days. As a matter of fact I do this every year and it’s the most refreshing holiday I get. You encounter all sorts of people trying to do something creative and positive with their lives. It’s a wonderful experience; motivating, energising, inspiring and Edinburgh has got to be about the most exciting place on the planet during the three short weeks of the Fringe.

Quite often I see something or pick up something in the performances I watch that I can use when training and developing people, and this year was no exception. On this occasion it was a simple thing like a PowerPoint® presentation which a comedian had running while the audience was entering the auditorium and settling down in readiness for the show. The presentation was in fact a series of wacky pictures, videos, photographs and adverts with funny endings or situations, the type you might see on certain television shows. Watching the presentation while waiting for the comedian to appear gave me an idea and stimulated me into producing my own presentation.

And so part of ‘Netcheck’ this month I am going to show you how to produce a PowerPoint presentation (PPP) with material that you can download off the Internet. This PPP can be used as a way to help break the ice when large groups are assembling together and no one knows what to say or do. This PPP can also be used as an energiser. Perhaps the group has been struggling for some time with a subject and needs a chance to step back and take their mind off the subject, and so this five-minute presentation could do the trick.

I am going to presume that you know how to set up and create a PPP. However, if you don’t know, take a look at the excellent website at www.actden.com/pp/ and it should get you going and help you get to grips with the basics of this software.

So the first thing to do is create a simple opening slide using your organisation or company template. Next, create a follow-on slide using the ‘Picture Slide’ layout (options for this are typically located on the right-hand side of the screen). For a source of pictures, adverts and photographs that you can cut and paste into your presentation, go to www.worth1000.com This is a website dedicated to the manipulation of photographs and the production of weird situations via the use of Photoshop and similar image manipulation software. On this website you will find thousands of images with sections that include: ‘Future World’ – scenes from the not too distant future; ‘Fun With Propaganda’ – propaganda posters put to humorous use; ‘Wacky Snacks’ – unusual snack products; and ‘More Power’ – inappropriate use of power tools. In each of these sections you’ll find literally dozens of funny pictures and photographs. Pick the ones that take your fancy. If you work in a particular industry or service sector you might even be able to theme your choices. After this send an e-mail to the website via the ‘e-mail us’ button and explain that you want to use the images for a PPP on training courses. Typically they will grant you permission to cut and paste the images provided you are not re-posting them on another website.

An alternate website to access is www.free-photographs.net/funnies/ Here you have permission to reproduce the photographs provided you are not using them commercially. To quote the website: ‘The Free Photographs Network is an online resource for royalty-free stock photographs for non-commercial use.’

After I have posted four consecutive photographs into the PPP, I then insert a video clip to run automatically. If you don’t know how to do this, the following websites will help you: http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/t3/videoclipppt.htm and www.vcu.edu/idc/selfstudy/monographs/pp-video-00/pp-video_00.htm

Sources of funny video clips abound. The following website is, however, rich in good material: www.avolites.org.uk/movies/jokes.htm Permission is granted to download the files and this is achieved by right-clicking on the file and saving it to your PC. Once you have this stored in whichever folder you keep your video clips, then insert the required clip into your PPP. One tip I would give you here is that all my photograph slides are timed to run for 10 seconds before cross-fading into the next slide, but for the video clips you will need to time how long the footage runs for and then set the timing for the slide transition to accommodate it. An alternative source of video files can be accessed at www.funnyplace.org

Once you have completed the PPP, what you have is a piece of work that you don’t have to run through from beginning to end but rather run for whatever period you think is suitable, stopping the presentation at a convenient transition point between one slide and the next. Using the presentation in this way means that a 20-minute presentation might be broken down into four five-minute slots, which you interject into a learning event at various moments to change the mood, relax the atmosphere or simply have a break. It’s up to you how you use it, but I have found it a useful resource once I have put it together and started to use it regularly.

It also struck me this month that body language or non-verbal communication is a subject that’s not been addressed in ‘Netcheck’ recently. When I went searching for useful entries I soon found out why: to be honest there’s not much out there. However, I did manage to locate one or two useful websites that are worthy of mention. The first one is http://nonverbal.ucsc.edu/ This is an interesting website that breaks down body language into these distinct areas: personal space (exploring human proxemics); the human body (appearance, shape and self-image); a world of differences (understanding cross-cultural communication); the human face (emotions, identities and masks); the human voice (exploring vocal paralanguage); a world of gestures (culture and non-verbal communication).

This website is in fact a primer and introduction to a range of videos that explore this area in some depth. Despite not having the videos, this is still a useful website to visit as it contains such well-structured and ordered content with a nice style of writing that is easy to follow and lucid in its descriptions. It is a positive introduction to the subject rather than a detailed coverage of it, but as a starting point on the Internet I don’t think it can be bettered.

My second body language recommendations is http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/diction1.htm This website is the Big Daddy of non-verbal communication and body language. It is entitled ‘The Non-verbal Dictionary of Gestures, Signs & Body Language Cues’. It could certainly be used after you have reviewed the content of the previously mentioned website. This is no précis, but is a Magnum Opus; every gesture, posture or move a person can make is explained and detailed here. For example, an Adam’s apple jump is explained complete with pictures, explanations and referenced reports. Ever wanted to know about lip pursing, shoulder shrugs or even yawns? Well, it’s all here. The opening page is basically an introduction, but once you click on the ‘Entries’ hyperlink the full breadth and depth of coverage offered by this website becomes apparent.

As usual, our thanks to Garry for this month’s Internet tips and reviews. Clare Forrest will be back in the ‘Netcheck’ reviewer’s chair for the December issue of Training Journal.

Ratings
http://nonverbal.ucsc.edu/
Content ***
Originality ***
Navigability *****
Presentation and graphics ***
Downloads and freebies *
Links *

http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/diction1.htm
Content *****
Originality *****
Navigability *****
Presentation and graphics ***
Downloads and freebies ***
Links ****

Quick hits
http://staff.bath.ac.uk/psstc/index_files/nonverbal%20communication.ppt
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This is a PowerPoint presentation on non-verbal communication. It is comprehensive in explaining the discipline while not going into too much depth on the actual meaning of various gestures, movements and stances. If you’re preparing a session on body language, I would certainly take a look at this website as it will undoubtedly give you some ideas and perhaps even some ideas for content.

www.selfgrowth.com/bodyl.html
****
This is really a portal to further web pages focusing on body language. However, it’s a good one and contains more than 15 quality related websites including an article on body language in interviews, body language tips and the science of proxemics (how near or how far away we are happy to have people stand next to us or come into close proximity with them). Once again, if you’re exploring this subject, this is definitely worth a visit.

www.digilander.libero.it/linguaggiodecorpo/nonverb/
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In origin this appears to be an Italian website that has been translated into French and English, but don’t let this put you off. This website has some good follow-on pages, and if you wanted a one-stop shop for the subject of non-verbal communication this would probably be it. There are various sections that deal with frequently asked questions, articles that can be downloaded and further links that take the reader through to much fuller content.

 

This month’s ‘Netcheck’ is compiled by Garry Platt, a senior consultant at the Woodland Grange Management Centre in Leamington Spa, where he plays a key role in the centre’s provision of ongoing management training and development across both public and private sectors. If you think this edition of ‘Netcheck’ is good, bad, ugly or simply an affront to 10,000 years of human progress, do let Garry know at garry.platt@wgrange.com

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