If (like me) you find yourself on planning this Wednesday from 1 to 2 pm, consider attending this free webcast from O’Reilly:
We live in the most innovative time in history. That, coupled with pressure from a global economy, means that our corporate stories need to be told well and resonate deeply. In this session you’ll learn how to step away from your traditional content development process, fold in compelling stories and deliver presentations in your own uniquely human way.
It’s presented by Nancy Duarte, author of slide:ology. While the session description clearly identifies a corporate audience, I’m hoping to adapt it to my own presentations.
slide:ology sounds like a great read. I found this “trailer for the book” on the O’Reilly website:
Megan Hayes-Golding 
The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint
For candle lighting rather than darkness-cursing, there’s Tufte’s Tips for a Successful Presentation.
Most important among them are: Avoid the use of an overhead projector (putting people in the dark puts them to sleep); When you talk, talk (avoid overreliance on notes); and give everyone a piece of paper (you can put a lot more information on a handout than you can in a presentation; people can refer to it and read ahead and behind at their pace; people can really digest your points and ask questions about stuff you haven’t covered, instead of asking you about things you’re “about to get to” — or have already said.)
I have found that the chief problem of putting this type of presentation together it that it requires putting a lot of information and work into your presentation. I regard this as a feature, so I use it whenever I can get away with it. (The other drawback is that it isn’t what people expect, so they might draw negative conclusions about you for doing it. This is harder to address.)
“candle lighting rather than darkness-cursing” I love that!
You know another thing I love about you, Phil? It’s that in any conversation, you’re virtually certain to mention Tufte 🙂 Suppose now that I must read his work because I’m using PPT daily (yech!).
FWIW, I’ve decided to dub this Groce’s Law, kinda like Godwin’s Law but nicer.
It’s the Powerpoint. If I sit through another two hours in the dark while someone reads his notes off his PPT presentation, I swear I’m going to…well, go to sleep. It’s happened before. 🙂
I’ll link to a handout I did on a visualization basics presentation I gave not too long ago. Probably tomorrow — I’ll have to put it up, and I don’t have power at my house. (*shakes fist* Duquesne Light! *shakes fist*)