Chapter 2

In chapter two of “They Snooze, You Lose,” author Lynell Burmark guides presenters in creating slides and handouts that shy away from the typical and boring slideshows we have become accustomed to at meetings. The typical presentations we experience consist of slides, handouts, and presenters- slides are displayed, handouts are printed out and presenters narrate aloud. The purpose of a slide should be used to encourage learning; however, learning would require words and pictures. Handouts should complement rather than replicate the slides in the presentation. Handouts should be printed in black and white in a two column format. Slides should contain more photographs and color versus text. Burmark explains that learners need to see a picture in order to visualize what is being described. Another point covered by the author is multitasking. Multitasking can be described as choosing to disconnect from the teacher or presenter. Burmark presents Eckhart Tolle’s quote, “You are never fully here because you are too busy trying to get elsewhere,” (37). In a world with too many things to do and not enough time to do it in, we often find ourselves multitasking in order to meet deadlines or make the most of our time. However, when we disconnect from the presenter, we miss out on the information being presented. As we know, when a presenter fails to entertain their audience, the audience loses interest in the presentation and wanders off into their thoughts or begins to “multitask.” In order to avoid this from happening, presenters should create engaging presentations geared to specific audiences and entertain them by creating a presentation that includes meaningful photographs accompanied by simplified text.