Careers: Interviews
A Pioneer of Digital Media on the PC
and Respected Authority in Multimedia Presentations and PowerPoint...
This week, Stephen Ibaraki, I.S.P., has an exclusive interview with Tom Bunzel.
Tom Bunzel is a writer, instructor, lecturer,
consultant, and respected authority in multimedia presentations and PowerPoint.
He specializes in knowing what other presenters need and has worked with numerous
speakers on their professional presentations. A pioneer in digital media on the
PC, his CPR public service announcement received the Mickey Eisenberg Award at
the Cardiac Care conference in Seattle.
Also known as “Professor PowerPoint�, Tom
has appeared on Tech TV’s Call for Help and has spoken at the PowerPoint LIVE
conference in Arizona. He has lectured at the Teamplayers Networking Group of
the Los Angeles Athletic Club, in Communicate, a multimedia facility in West
L.A. and at the San Diego Computer Expo.
A “technology coach� for the Neuroscience
Education Institute, he provides one-on-one instruction to physicians. As an
instructor for Learning Tree International, Tom has taught courses in
“Integrating Microsoft Office� and “Creating Interactive Websites – Hands On�.
He trained the principals of MTA Films in Los Angeles and Todd Yamada, D.D.S.,
in PowerPoint and multimedia production.
A prolific writer, Tom has written several
books including those on multimedia tools, and on PowerPoint. He is currently
the Office Guide and regular contributor to the InformIT website (on-line
division of QUE publishing). He has been contributing editor for PC Graphics
and Video, Laptop Buyers Guide, Computer Upgrade and Micro Publishing News. His
articles appear in the Presentation Magazine and in the ASTD online magazine.
His recent book credits include, “Easy
Digital Music�, “Teach Yourself PowerPoint 2003 in 24 hours�, “Easy Creating
CDs and DVDs�, and “How to Use Ulead DVD Workshop�. He updated “PowerPoint
2002/2001 Mac Visual QuickStart Guide and also wrote “Digital Video on the PC�.
He co-authored “Make the most of your Digital Photos, Video, and Music� and
“Get the Most Out of Your PCs and Add-Ons�.
He maintains an active website at
www.professorppt.com
Discussion:
Q:Â Thank
you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us!
A: Â Thanks
for the opportunity.
Q: Â What
sparked your interest in computers and digital media and how did that lead to
what you do today?
A:Â I
had done some video work and noticed a column in the L.A. Times on having a
video studio on your desktop – the Amiga Video Toaster. I was intrigued and
although I found the Amiga and Apple too pricey, I decided to see what could be
accomplished on the PC, and began by teaching myself a 2D animation program
from Autodesk.
Q:Â As a pioneer in Digital Media on the PC, what is required to be
successful in this area?
A: It’s
quite a bit easier today because both Windows and Mac have forced companies
that create hardware and software to conform to certain standards in terms of
drivers and also the look and feel of software. But it still takes a sense of
adventure, a willingness to experiment and try new things and the persistence
to find answers and solutions to complex problems.
Q: Describe your current work as a writer,
consultant, speaker, educator and coach. Can you share your most valuable
lessons and greatest challenges?
A: My preference in terms of writing is
material that is “task-oriented� and solves a specific problem or addresses an
issue, rather than focuses merely on learning a program. Often this involves
creative solutions among more than one program or peripheral so it’s fun and
gives me a sense of accomplishment. Similarly in my consulting and training
work I try to get a sense of what the ultimate goal of the client is – it’s
never learning a program. It’s using the
program or set of tools successfully in a business or similar environment to
accomplish tasks. The challenge is knowing not just how to teach the tools, but
to understand issues that may arise and prepare the client for them – this
gives the client a sense of confidence and that’s why I also like to call it
coaching. I would say the most valuable
lesson is to ask that question – what’s the end product or goal you’re trying
to achieve – before diving in and teaching or learning a set of tools. The
greatest challenge is working with a group, and maintaining interest among a
different set of expectations and levels of knowledge. In all cases it’s
important to remember that everyone started from the same place – no knowledge
– and to build from there in increments that are manageable in terms of being
processed.
Q: You have written a number of books, many
articles and are a regular contributor to several magazines. What prompted you
to start writing?
A: I was a creative writer before I got
into technology. I got into technology because I discovered word processing in
my creative writing. Then when I became fascinated by computer graphics, and
began solving problems, others asked me to let them know through my writing how
I’d done it. My how-to writing became more successful than my creative efforts
so I continued in that direction. I discovered that I derived quite a bit of
satisfaction in making complex concepts understandable to new users.
Q: How did you come to be “Professor
PowerPoint�?
A: I matriculated at PowerPoint
University. Kidding. Before I was
Professor PowerPoint I was “The Computer Chef� on a DVD project I created for a
book. I went to a marketing seminar on branding and discussed it with a
marketing maven Jack Barnett who asked me my main focus, and when I told him
PowerPoint presentations, he suggested that from now on I be Professor
PowerPoint. I went home, bought the dot-com URL and ordained myself a professor
of PowerPoint.
Q:Â What are your top ten tips for creating a memorable presentation?
A:
1) Define your message clearly and
decide what will be a successful result for the presentation.
2) Create a 3-Act or easily
followed story for the presentation – preferably in Outline form.
3) Assemble a “cast� (to use the
term in Macromedia Director) of the most powerful visual assets – photos,
video, diagrams, etc.
4) Set up your slides according to
the outline and populate them creatively with the visuals. Learn to use other
programs like PhotoShop, Visio, Flash and Excel to create creative content to
strengthen your message (not for eye candy).
5) Use animation judiciously but
effectively to pace the material and deliver it more effectively.
6) Cut the PowerPoint to its bare
bones and when you practice DON’T RELY ON THE SLIDES AS A TELEPROMPTER.
7) Learn to blank the slides and
become the show yourself – have enough personal energy and information to
deliver without the computer – use the computer (PowerPoint) to supplement your
personal message
8) Think about the venue and
audience and what sort of hardware will hold their attention best in that
environment – projector, screen, lighting, sound, etc.
9) BACK UP all of your initial
assets and each presentation for reuse at a later date. Bring a version on CD or DVD separate from
your laptop and have a disaster plan in case there is any sort of glitch or
equipment failure.
10) Don’t leave the presentation for the last minute and short-change
rehearsal time. You must work with the material over time to make it natural
and give yourself confidence. If possible present to friends or family to see
whether you are conveying the message you set for yourself in item one.
Q: Provide an overview of one of your
recent books, “Teach Yourself PowerPoint 2003 in 24 hours�. What differentiates
it from other books on the topic?
A: The book went significantly over page
count and the publisher decided to let me keep the additional material because
it was comprised not of how to use the program, but rather conceptual material
of why and under what circumstances to use various features of PowerPoint. I am
hoping that this puts it into a pragmatic framework so that the reader is not
asked to learn tasks for the sake of mastering a tool, but rather thinking
about how to apply the features of the tool for tasks that they find meaningful
and valuable. For example, I don’t teach how to create a diagram – I also
define the messages which the diagram might help deliver to determine what sort
of diagram is worth creating.
Q: Pick 3 books from the books you have
written and share five tips from each book.
A: Title 1:Â Easy Digital Music
a)Â Assemble your own music library from CDs in the best possible quality.
b)Â Connect your computer to the stereo to use the best sound.
c)Â Create and revise playlists for special occasions and private listening.
d)Â Share the music you have over a home (wireless) network.
e) Understand the types of music files and their locations to manage them
effectively and back them us as data, as well as burn them to audio CD.
Title 2:Â How to Use Ulead DVD Workshop
a) Start with a Wizard menu and then
modify it to be a unique interface.
b) Use PowerPoint slides as pictures in DVD
slideshows or create interactive Menus from exported PowerPoint slides.
c) Use a graphics program to create
business or other private images for use in your DVD projects in slideshows or
menus.
d) Don’t overuse chapters and chop up your
video. Create an interface that lets the
user see chunks of video that have meaning and tell a story.
e) Use DVD workshop as a simple video
editor and to create libraries of your favourite video and photo materials.
Title 3: Easy Creating CDs and DVDs
a) Create a picture slideshow with music
backgrounds for special family and business occasions.
b) Label your data backups by date and
content to protect your most valuable files.
c) Create autoplay CDs by using simple text
files so that you determine what launches when they are inserted – including a
web page.
d) Create quick and dirty DVDs using Ulead
MovieFactory by following a series of simple steps – capture – edit – menu and
burn.
e) Use a disc image to reduce errors and
re-burn your favourite material.
Q: Â Can
you share your top three “amazing� experiences in your career?
A:1) I sent a shot in the dark email to Leo
LaPorte and ended up appearing on Tech TV as Professor PowerPoint. The segment went quite well and I was invited
back and I received a ton of hits on my web site –
www.professorppt.com.
2) I taught myself Autodesk Animator during
a stretch of unemployment and made a 2D airplane sprite fly across the
screen. I went “aha!, I can do this� and
realized that I could create business video on a PC without using actors, sets
or lighting.
3) I created a short demo reel of 2D
animation and convinced my first client to let me create an information video
that ran at the L.A. Convention Center
Q: Â Can
you share with us, two humorous stories?
A: 1)Â I was teaching a class with a projector and went through the usual
nervous preparation. When I began the
seminar I inadvertently hit the “screen freeze� button on the remote and I
couldn’t do anything. I hadn’t learned
that glitch at the time and had to run out and get tech support to show me what
the heck was going on. It wasn’t that funny at the time but it reminds me that
the most complex problems often come down to the most simple solutions.
2) I was handling AV for a colleague during
a presentation at Starbucks and he asked everyone what their most satisfying
recent achievement was. When they got to
me I said “quitting coffee�. Everyone gasped and then laughed and I added how
much I love their Tazo tea. Now I occasionally treat myself to an espresso.
Q: Based on your experience of working on
presentations, both for yourself and for a variety of speakers, what do you
think presentations will be like 25 years from now?
A:Â Telepathic?
While I think some amazing visual tools will continue to be developed, I have
to say that the essence of presenting will still be conveying a message
effectively and that will involve human creativity, not technical prowess.
Q: List the 10 best resources for
technology and business professionals.
A:
1)Â www.informit.com
2) www.presentations.com
3) www.dv.com
4) www.zdnet.com
5) www.leoville.com
6) www.google.com
– advanced search
7) www.epinions.com
8) www.powerpointlive.com
9) the Public Library
10) the nearest barnes and noble or similar
bookstore
Q: What future books can we expect from
you?
A: I want to do a book that is more
business than tech oriented and that only uses technology tools to solve
business problems.
Q: What kind of computer setup do you have?
A: I have a 2.5 ghz desktop PC running
Windows XP networked with an old Pentium 150 to print individual labels, and
wirelessly networked with a Sony Vaio laptop with 32MB of video memory to run
high impact presentations using tools like OfficeFX. I use an ATI 9200 SE
graphics card to connect to a Princeton desktop monitor and extend my desktop
to a Princeton Arcadia monitor which also receives my satellite and video in
the living room. Audio and video is output to my stereo system through a series
of cables and switchboxes. I use multiple hard drives and devices to back up my
data religiously.
Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
A: I would love to be teaching part time
and continue writing, hopefully with a view of the ocean.
Q: If you were doing this interview, what
five questions would you ask of someone in your position and what would be your
answers?
A: Q1: What was the most recent program you
learned and why did you learn it?
A1: I’ve been using OfficeFX and Apreso to
make my presentations more visually exciting and to distribute them to places I
can’t get to myself.
Q2: What do you consider the most important
concept for computer users to grasp?
A2: The difference between files and
programs, and what kinds of files are created and used by which programs. This
leads to an understanding of the physical location of files and the ability to
back them up and restore them effectively.
Q3: What is the most enjoyable and satisfying task you do?
A3: Successfully capturing video and
putting it into a presentation or DVD in a way that makes other people sit up
and take notice. It’s so easy today with FireWire and Windows XP but it’s still
a challenge to edit it properly and present it in the most effective way.
Q4: What are the most common pitfalls for
using video in PowerPoint?
A4: Broken links or old or incorrect codecs. As easy as using video has
become, there is still an issue in using a capture or compression and
decompression software that is registered on the machine that is playing the
video. There are different requirements for capturing and editing versus
playback which the user needs to understand.
Q5: What’s the biggest mistake a new user of computer graphics can make?
A5: Fall for the hype and not do sufficient
research. I am a big believer in not
getting the latest and greatest but making do with last year’s model which is
proven and tested, and which will probably do 99% of what you need to
accomplish. This is equally true with hardware and software. This also relates
to not becoming intimidated by jargon – make anyone you deal with in technology
explain it in English. If they can’t move on.
Q: Tom, thank you again for your time, and
consideration in doing this interview and we wish you continued success in your
future endeavours.
A: My pleasure.
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