Sitting in the audience for Rodney Hopson’s keynote at the 2012 American Evaluation Conference in Minneapolis, one thing immediately stood out. Those were some gorgeous Power Point slides. It was a heavy topic (Evaluation in Complex Ecologies: Relationships, Responsibilities, Relevance) and my expectations for something visually appealing in a conference keynote were pretty low. But […]
More cartoons, more ebooks, and more support
You know the thing I’ve been promising for weeks (months?), I’m launching it. Two weeks ago, this was not where I was heading. My plan had only a little to do with specific cartoons or guides. Basically, the thing was going to be a stretched out and really specific workshop on developing web savvy. Then […]
Creating an entry point for complicated topics
At the end of last week I reached out directly to the members of my email list to learn some of the things that they’re struggling with right now. I had a great response and received some nice detailed replies, which I really appreciate. What did I learn? Most of you are not really focused on the web […]
4 reasons to have a blog, even if you don’t blog
Have you considered including a blog? …I don’t want a blog. Just curious, why not? …I don’t have the time to add something else to my plate. -Conversation I’ve had, way too many times… While you might not have time to blog (verb), having a blog (noun) takes no time. A blog (noun) is not […]
Why your online presentation’s context calls for focus
Conference presentations are great because you have some control over the context. You can adjust the lights and quiet the room. You can walk around, carrying the gaze of your audience with you. At this moment, how are you reading this post? Are you sitting in your office staring at a desktop screen filled with tabs and […]
Christmas cartoons, my holiday tradition
The world is always changing but the simple things are still the simple things. I hope you're having a happy holiday season. Thank you for all of your support. Yours truly, Chris
You’ve got 10 seconds, make your point with a deductive presentation
Remember the power point glory days? You know, the time when you could give a super boring bullet-point filled presentation and not lose 99% of your audience. The web’s not like that. I mean, it’s really really not like that. Even some awesome 5 minute slide driven presentations don’t work well on the web. We […]
Make your website irrelevant, take the circus approach
What would rather have? Option A: 100 people experience your online presentation, but you only have proof of 30. OR Option B: 50 people experience your online presentation, and you have proof of all 50. I’m guessing you chose option A. Here’s a second question, is that your reality? Time and time again, online presenters […]
You should present online, here’s why
I wrote this post back in 2013, lots has changed since then. At the time I was trying to convince more people to deliver their conference presentations online. Today in 2021, a year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, more people are presenting online than ever. While this post still holds up, you may be hoping for […]
Building an Academic Book Trailer
I know what you might be thinking… “A trailer for an academic book! You kids have no imagination.” To which I respond, “sure, blame the audience.” The truth is, there are really important reasons why you should consider creating a book trailer the next time you publish. They have nothing to do with reaching unimaginative […]
Evaluation 2013: A Conference Story and 9 reflections
If you were to ask me last week how I was feeling after the conference, I would have probably said reenergized. At this moment though, to be honest, I’m a little overwhelmed. The conference was great but now I have so many plans for this blog, and evaluators I want to follow-up with, that it’s hard […]
Eval13 Day Four
Here it is, the last day of the conference. I present today and then am flying out a little bit after that. So if you’re here, take good notes in your sessions today. Evaluation Blogging Today is the blogging think tank presentation I’m giving with Ann Emery, Sheila Robinson, and Susan Kistler. It’s at 9:50 […]