The Mobile Presenter

The benefits of using a remote control (also called "clicker" or "presenter") to control the advancement of slides in presentation software should be obvious. Mainly, that you can be far away from your laptop and therefore better interact with your audience (instead of with your equipment).

Have you ever wondered how such a remote actually works?

When you look into creativity and innovation, you'll inevitably come across improvisation theatre. Since this isn't a topic I know a lot about, I recently read the classic "impro" by Keith Johnstone. This book (and topic) doesn't seem to have a lot to do with presentations, but bear with me for a moment.

So I wrote a checklist of things that you should take with you to your presentation. Here's how I handle that.

I originally started this blog to document my search for the best (for me) portable equipment that would allow me to give presentations easily without having too much to carry around. I soon settled on an iPad and haven't looked back since (although I'm still keeping an eye out, in case even lighter alternatives would show up).

So you've prepared your presentation, rehearsed it, and you're ready to give it to your audience. Did you check what else you need to bring with you?

If you haven't heard from the organisers, the default at most events is still that the speaker will bring his or her own device, usually a laptop, with them.

What else do you pack? Here's a checklist:

One way to make things more memorable for your audience is to involve some of their other senses, in addition to the senses of hearing and seeing. For example, have you considered making things more tangible?