Jonathan Schwabish
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780231175210
- eISBN:
- 9780231542791
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231175210.001.0001
- Subject:
- Information Science, Communications
Whether you are a university professor, researcher at a think tank, graduate student, or analyst at a private firm, chances are that at some point you have presented your work in front of an ...
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Whether you are a university professor, researcher at a think tank, graduate student, or analyst at a private firm, chances are that at some point you have presented your work in front of an audience. Most of us approach this task by converting a written document into slides, but the result is often a text-heavy presentation saddled with bullet points, stock images, and graphs too complex for an audience to decipher—much less understand. Presenting is fundamentally different from writing, and with only a little more time, a little more effort, and a little more planning, you can communicate your work with force and clarity.
Designed for presenters of scholarly or data-intensive content, Better Presentations details essential strategies for developing clear, sophisticated, and visually captivating presentations. Following three core principles—visualize, unify, and focus—Better Presentations describes how to visualize data effectively, find and use images appropriately, choose sensible fonts and colors, edit text for powerful delivery, and restructure a written argument for maximum engagement and persuasion. With a range of clear examples for what to do (and what not to do), the practical package offered in Better Presentations shares the best techniques to display work and the best tactics for winning over audiences. It pushes presenters past the frustration and intimidation of the process to more effective, memorable, and persuasive presentations.Less
Whether you are a university professor, researcher at a think tank, graduate student, or analyst at a private firm, chances are that at some point you have presented your work in front of an audience. Most of us approach this task by converting a written document into slides, but the result is often a text-heavy presentation saddled with bullet points, stock images, and graphs too complex for an audience to decipher—much less understand. Presenting is fundamentally different from writing, and with only a little more time, a little more effort, and a little more planning, you can communicate your work with force and clarity.
Designed for presenters of scholarly or data-intensive content, Better Presentations details essential strategies for developing clear, sophisticated, and visually captivating presentations. Following three core principles—visualize, unify, and focus—Better Presentations describes how to visualize data effectively, find and use images appropriately, choose sensible fonts and colors, edit text for powerful delivery, and restructure a written argument for maximum engagement and persuasion. With a range of clear examples for what to do (and what not to do), the practical package offered in Better Presentations shares the best techniques to display work and the best tactics for winning over audiences. It pushes presenters past the frustration and intimidation of the process to more effective, memorable, and persuasive presentations.
Danielle Fosler-Lussier
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520284135
- eISBN:
- 9780520959781
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520284135.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
During the Cold War, thousands of musicians from the United States traveled the world under the sponsorship of the U.S. State Department’s Cultural Presentations program. Using archival documents and ...
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During the Cold War, thousands of musicians from the United States traveled the world under the sponsorship of the U.S. State Department’s Cultural Presentations program. Using archival documents and newly collected oral histories, this study illuminates the reception of these musical events, for the practice of musical diplomacy on the ground sometimes differed substantially from what the Department’s planners envisioned. Performances of music in many styles—classical, rock ’n’ roll, folk, blues, and jazz—were meant to compete with traveling Soviet and Chinese artists, enhancing the reputation of American culture. These concerts offered large audiences evidence of America’s improving race relations, excellent musicianship, and generosity toward other peoples. Most importantly, they also built meaningful connections with people in other lands. Through personal contacts and the media, musical diplomacy created subtle musical, social, and political relationships on a global scale. Although these tours were sometimes conceived as propaganda ventures, their most important function was the building of imagined and real relationships, which constitute the essence of soft power.Less
During the Cold War, thousands of musicians from the United States traveled the world under the sponsorship of the U.S. State Department’s Cultural Presentations program. Using archival documents and newly collected oral histories, this study illuminates the reception of these musical events, for the practice of musical diplomacy on the ground sometimes differed substantially from what the Department’s planners envisioned. Performances of music in many styles—classical, rock ’n’ roll, folk, blues, and jazz—were meant to compete with traveling Soviet and Chinese artists, enhancing the reputation of American culture. These concerts offered large audiences evidence of America’s improving race relations, excellent musicianship, and generosity toward other peoples. Most importantly, they also built meaningful connections with people in other lands. Through personal contacts and the media, musical diplomacy created subtle musical, social, and political relationships on a global scale. Although these tours were sometimes conceived as propaganda ventures, their most important function was the building of imagined and real relationships, which constitute the essence of soft power.
Danielle Fosler-Lussier
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520284135
- eISBN:
- 9780520959781
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520284135.003.0009
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
This chapter describes how the State Department’s Cultural Presentations program was planned by the United States government and carried out through diplomatic posts in the field. Music played an ...
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This chapter describes how the State Department’s Cultural Presentations program was planned by the United States government and carried out through diplomatic posts in the field. Music played an important role in diplomacy. Both in person and through the media, music built relationships between individuals in the giving and receiving states. These relationships constitute the essence of soft power.Less
This chapter describes how the State Department’s Cultural Presentations program was planned by the United States government and carried out through diplomatic posts in the field. Music played an important role in diplomacy. Both in person and through the media, music built relationships between individuals in the giving and receiving states. These relationships constitute the essence of soft power.
Lisa E. Davenport
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732689
- eISBN:
- 9781604733440
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732689.003.0003
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
As anti-Communist fervor intensified in the mid-1950s due to the pervasive tyranny of the Soviet Union, racial oppression in America persisted despite efforts to buttress the image of American ...
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As anti-Communist fervor intensified in the mid-1950s due to the pervasive tyranny of the Soviet Union, racial oppression in America persisted despite efforts to buttress the image of American democracy. To confront the looming dilemma of race, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had to adopt a new approach to foreign policy. As a result, he helped lay the foundations for a global jazz diplomacy after asking Congress to allocate funds for Cold War cultural exchange. In August 1954 the U.S. Congress responded by authorizing the President’s Emergency Fund for Participation in International Affairs. This fund was granted permanent status through the International Cultural Exchange and Trade Fair Participation Act of 1956, and became known as the Cultural Presentations Program. Jazz diplomacy thus became an instrument that heightened an appreciation of the multilayered cultural nuances of American life. Jazz music, with its aesthetic appeal, was embraced by many as it helped improve the image of America’s racial dilemma in the global arena.Less
As anti-Communist fervor intensified in the mid-1950s due to the pervasive tyranny of the Soviet Union, racial oppression in America persisted despite efforts to buttress the image of American democracy. To confront the looming dilemma of race, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had to adopt a new approach to foreign policy. As a result, he helped lay the foundations for a global jazz diplomacy after asking Congress to allocate funds for Cold War cultural exchange. In August 1954 the U.S. Congress responded by authorizing the President’s Emergency Fund for Participation in International Affairs. This fund was granted permanent status through the International Cultural Exchange and Trade Fair Participation Act of 1956, and became known as the Cultural Presentations Program. Jazz diplomacy thus became an instrument that heightened an appreciation of the multilayered cultural nuances of American life. Jazz music, with its aesthetic appeal, was embraced by many as it helped improve the image of America’s racial dilemma in the global arena.
