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	<title>Graeme Bowman&#039;s Blog &#187; Conferences &amp; Events</title>
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	<description>Some observations on humour, creativity, communication and a few other things I haven&#039;t thought of yet.</description>
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		<title>Bad PowerPoint: Waterboarding for the Rest of Us.</title>
		<link>http://www.graemebowman.com/wordpress/index.php/2010/02/bad-powerpoint-waterboarding-for-the-rest-of-us/</link>
		<comments>http://www.graemebowman.com/wordpress/index.php/2010/02/bad-powerpoint-waterboarding-for-the-rest-of-us/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:46:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Graeme Bowman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Conferences & Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Getting Your Message Across]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Presentation Skills]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.graemebowman.com/wordpress/?p=88</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>I’m not a great fan of torture. No, really, I’m not. I particularly dislike torture during business presentations. To my mind, it borders on the unacceptable when conference delegates, who enter a room with nothing more than the innocent aim of catching up on some sleep, suddenly find themselves the victims of an unexpected outbreak [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I’m not a great fan of torture. No, really, I’m not. I particularly dislike torture during business presentations. To my mind, it borders on the unacceptable when conference delegates, who enter a room with nothing more than the innocent aim of catching up on some sleep, suddenly find themselves the victims of an unexpected outbreak of flagellation or kneecapping.</p>
<p>And then there’s bad PowerPoint. Not quite the immediate effect of, say, garotting, but an effective punishment nonetheless. In fact, you’re no doubt aware of the jump in the confession rate at Guantanamo Bay, once waterboarding was replaced with a simple corporate slideshow.</p>
<p>Despite the howls of derision about awful colours and unreadable charts, ugly PowerPoint is alive and well – and, I dare say, coming to a screen near you. So let’s <strong>stop</strong> the howling, as it’s clearly not working. Instead, let’s do what one should do when something is laughable – laugh!</p>
<p>Firstly, grab everyone you know of, who uses this form of torture, and force them to watch this satirical piece from the brilliant Don McMillan . . .</p>
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<p>If, after viewing this clip, your PowerPoint culprits still don’t ‘get it’, do their future audiences a favour by reducing them to a pulp. If, however, they do see the light and want to mend their ways, send them via this link to the very clever PresentationZen man, Garr Reynolds, for some <a href="http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html">free remedial instruction</a>.</p>
<p>Cheers!</p>
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		<title>Tropical Resorts: Where the Real and Unreal Collide.</title>
		<link>http://www.graemebowman.com/wordpress/index.php/2009/11/tropical-resorts-where-the-real-and-unreal-collide/</link>
		<comments>http://www.graemebowman.com/wordpress/index.php/2009/11/tropical-resorts-where-the-real-and-unreal-collide/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:11:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Graeme Bowman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Conferences & Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humour]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.graemebowman.com/wordpress/?p=83</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>A few nights ago, I had a vivid dream that I was Casanova. When I awoke, my wife, stifling a guffaw, assured me I was no such personage, and ordered my pajamas be put back on without delay.</p>
<p>And so, with my tail between my legs, I fled to Hamilton Island to amuse a bunch of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A few nights ago, I had a vivid dream that I was Casanova. When I awoke, my wife, stifling a guffaw, assured me I was no such personage, and ordered my pajamas be put back on without delay.</p>
<p>And so, with my tail between my legs, I fled to Hamilton Island to amuse a bunch of mortgage brokers with a hoax speech and comedy spot.</p>
<p>Also fleeing with me was my video camera, which has a mind of its own and decided to film a few of my observations about Hamilton Island, tourists and hotels. Here’s the result:</p>
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