Got a Moment? Nano-presentations on iPad

Micro-presentations (built on the Pecha-Kucha project) help to tame some of the problems with traditional presentations. 20 x 20 (20 slides for 20 seconds each often with automated advance to the next slide) impose limits that can streamline presentations. Still, 20 x 20 is 6.67 minutes. Add to that the inevitable set-up time (even if it's just one person walking up and asking if the microphone is on), and you're knocking on the door of ten minutes. Furthermore, one of the big issues with slide presentations remains: the darkening of the room.

Nano-presentations take micro-presentations one step further (three orders of magnitude further if you're being pedantic). Nanos are an effective communication, advocacy, and involvement tool for iPad. The key points are simple, and they arise naturally from the iPad form factor and functionality.

1. There's no room darkening and no cable or hardware setup.
2. Nanos are designed for 1-on-1 (or at most, 1-on-3) presentations. If you use the VGA adapter and a projector, you're in the world of traditional presentations.
   • Note that there's always a "1" -- the person who initiates the conversation. Nanos differ from websites and books in that they are inherently interactive among two or more people.
3. Usually there are three to six slides.
4. In almost all cases, the software (most likely Keynote for iPad, FIleMaker Bento, or FileMaker Go) provides the ability to enter data either via a database or an email message.
   • When someone standing next to you is talking to you and asking if you'd like to get more information, the acceptance rate appears to be much higher than the solitary experience of being asked to click a button.
   • Because of the data entry functionality, you can think of nanos as enhanced clipboards. Anything you would do with a clipboard in your hand usually fits well as a nano (not to mention that it looks much better and the data can be available much more rapidly).
5. Nanos are stand-up presentations. This limits their length and preserves their focus much more effectively than an auto-advance slide display. (See Queen Victoria and the Privy Council for more background.)

Try it and you'll see.