Our Presenting Team

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Keynote Speakers

Temple Grandin

Autism activist and animal behaviorist

Temple Grandin

Autism activist and animal behaviorist

Carmen Simon

Neuroscientist and presentation specialist

Carmen Simon

Neuroscientist and presentation specialist

Nolan Haims

Presentation designer and magician

Nolan Haims

Presentation designer and magician

Seminar Leaders


Matt Abrahams

Rick Altman

Ric Bretschneider

John Chen

Glenn Gibson

Richard Goring

Temple Grandin

Nolan Haims

Stephy Hogan

Emily Lefebvre

Mike Parkinson

Sheila Robinson

Carmen Simon

Echo Swinford

Julie Terberg

Jody Wissing

Detailed Agenda

Here is our lineup of seminars, subject to change, mental machinations, future inspirations, and abject wishy-washyness. The detail below is for the upcoming virtual event and all times are Pacific Standard (-8 GMT).

Click the Download button to get the entire schedule as a single PDF file.

12:00pm - 1:00pm  |  Conference Central

Open House No. 1
A virtual tour of the joint
A fun, informal, and relaxed spin around the premises, so you can familiarize yourself with our virtual digs and hopefully meet a friend or two. This first open house will be more Europe-friendly.
Rick Altman  |   Detailed outline

5:00pm - 6:00pm  |  Conference Central

Open House No. 2
A virtual tour of the joint
A fun, informal, and relaxed spin around the premises, so you can familiarize yourself with our virtual digs and hopefully meet a friend or two.
Rick Altman  |   Detailed outline

8:45am - 9:00am  |  Conference Central

Morning Jo with John (Mon)
To get to fifth gear faster
Jumpstart your day with a jolt of John -- our virtual MC John Chen. He's more potent than caffeine!
John Chen  |   Detailed outline

9:00am - 9:55am  |  Conference Central

Face to Face or Virtual?
Cognitive Conclusions Curated from Covid
Which mode of presentation delivery is the most effective? Scientific results might surprise you.
Carmen Simon  |   Detailed outline

10:00am - 10:45am  |  The Studio

The Art of Motion
Animation without embarrassment
Is PowerPoint s animation engine one of the finest works of digital engineering or one of the most loathsome creations? The real control is in the hands of the violinist, not the violin.
Rick Altman  |   Detailed outline

10:00am - 10:45am  |  The Lab

Charting Secrets
Next-level PowerPoint charting
Take your PowerPoint charting to the next level with more confidence and more solutions for those pesky formatting frustrations.
Nolan Haims  |   Detailed outline

11:00am - 11:45am  |  The Studio

The Makeover Mentor
Before-and-after example slides
Makeovers inspire us by giving us a glimpse of the possibilities.
Julie Terberg  |   Detailed outline

11:00am - 11:45am  |  The Lab

Artificial Presentations?
Is AI the new life-blood or death knell?
Are ChatGPT and other AI engines the best thing ever or the worst ever? Perhaps both...
Rick Altman  |   Detailed outline

11:45am - 12:15pm  |  Conference Central

The Daily Dish for Monday
Once around the virtual conference
Join Rick and John for lunch on the set.
Rick Altman  |   Detailed outline

12:15pm - 1:00pm  |  Conference Central

Birds of a Feather
Discussions among the like-minded
Let's talk! Join in on one of five conversations on topical topics. See the descriptions under Everything Else.
Detailed outline

1:15pm - 2:00pm  |  The Studio

Accessible Design Gotchas and Goodies
Not just for websites
Learn about PowerPoint s gotchas and get some time-saving goodies to help out when you re pressed for time, but need to make sure your presentation is accessible.
Stephy Hogan  |   Detailed outline

1:15pm - 2:00pm  |  The Lab

Template Makeovers
Simple tricks for more effective templates
A little bit of show and tell, a little bit of theory, and a little bit of technique.
Echo Swinford  |   Detailed outline

2:15pm - 3:00pm  |  The Studio

Super-Simple Slide Designs
For the minimalist in all of us
These techniques will take you from busy and complex to clean and clear in no time.
Mike Parkinson  |   Detailed outline

2:15pm - 3:00pm  |  The Lab

Plan, Create, Deliver
Managing (impossible) internal requests as an in-house designer
Company communications are critical to decision making but slide content is typically crammed full of text, data, and visuals too difficult to see on most screens.
Chantal Boss   |   Detailed outline

3:00pm - 4:00pm  |  Conference Central

The PowerPoint Trivia Contest
The intersection of creativity, ingenuity, and foolishness
You haven t lived until you have watched or participated in our PowerPoint Trivia Contest.
Detailed outline

8:45am - 9:00am  |  Conference Central

Morning Jo with John (Tue)
Your morning rush
Jumpstart your day with a jolt of John, our virtual MC. Have you ever sat on a lit firecracker? He's kind of like that.
John Chen  |   Detailed outline

9:00am - 9:55am  |  Conference Central

Look Over There!
What magic taught me about presentation
Enter the secretive world of "prestidigitation" and learn what a magician can teach you about making better presentations.
Nolan Haims  |   Detailed outline

10:00am - 10:45am  |  The Studio

Fabulous Fonts and Terrific Type
Both geeky and inspirational
Make better, more professional presentations and avoid font accessibility pitfalls.
Mike Parkinson  |   Detailed outline

10:00am - 10:45am  |  The Lab

Think Faster, Talk Smarter
Effective in-the-moment speaking
Learn science-based strategies for thriving while speaking in the moment.
Matt Abrahams  |   Detailed outline

11:00am - 11:45am  |  The Studio

Neurodiverse Makeovers
Because we don't all think alike
Learn about what neurodiversity is, its various flavors, and how to build presentations in a neurodiverse-friendly way.
Stephy Hogan  |   Detailed outline

11:00am - 11:45am  |  The Lab

Kill Your Next Virtual Presentation
Make Zoom Fatigue a thing of the past
Jumpstart your virtual game with vital fundamentals, well-kept secrets, and a few OH WOW moments.
Rick Altman  |   Detailed outline

11:45am - 12:15pm  |  Conference Central

The Tuesday Dish
Once around the virtual conference
Join Rick and John for lunch on the set.
Rick Altman  |   Detailed outline

12:15pm - 1:00pm  |  Conference Central

PowerPoint Karaoke
Expect the unexpected
PowerPoint Karaoke is a social exercise that helps train you to think quickly on your feet.
Ric Bretschneider  |   Detailed outline

1:15pm - 2:00pm  |  The Studio

Think Like a Designer
Because details matter!
Details matter! Spot and fix slide design flaws like a pro.
Julie Terberg  |   Detailed outline

1:15pm - 2:00pm  |  The Lab

Train Forward, Teach Back
The power of retrieval practice in presentation
Retrieval practice is both an instructional and a study strategy with extraordinary benefits for presenters, instructors, and learners.
Sheila Beth Robinson  |   Detailed outline

2:15pm - 3:00pm  |  The Studio

Persuasive Visual Storytelling
Compelling ways to move your audience to action
Marvel at how amazing your presentations can be using the power of visual mind-control and PowerPoint.
Richard Goring  |   Detailed outline

2:15pm - 3:00pm  |  The Lab

No PowerPoint Allowed
Could you present without it?
We all love PowerPoint, but what if you had to present without it? Could you still get your message across? Let's find out in a session delivered with no PowerPoint slides whatsoever.
Glenn Gibson  |   Detailed outline

8:45am - 9:00am  |  Conference Central

Morning Jo with John (Wed)
Start the day off with a bang
Jumpstart your day with John, our virtual MC. By Wed morning, it might be like a food fight, but you won't actually get slimed.
John Chen  |   Detailed outline

9:00am - 9:55am  |  Conference Central

Brilliant Minds DO NOT Think Alike
The power of thinking in pictures
A powerful story about overcoming challenges, stereotypes, and societal expectations.
Temple Grandin  |   Detailed outline

10:00am - 10:45am  |  The Studio

More than Just a Cameo
Coolest thing since Morph?
Creating slides for virtual might never be the same once you have discovered Cameo.
Rick Altman  |   Detailed outline

11:00am - 11:45am  |  The Studio

Killer Backgrounds
Creating great virtual art starts with the real world
Learn how to make killer custom virtual backgrounds.
John Chen  |   Detailed outline

10:00am - 10:45am  |  The Lab

The ROI of DIY
Getting the best return when creating your own presentations
Get into a deeper relationship with your slides by exploring how to engage with them, and the unstoppable power of setting a system for slide success that you can draw upon at a moment's notice.
Jody Wissing  |   Detailed outline

11:00am - 11:45am  |  The Lab

My Top Ten
Tips and tricks that every PowerPoint user should know
Here are 10 of Echo's favorite tricks and features.
Echo Swinford  |   Detailed outline

11:45am - 12:15pm  |  Conference Central

The Wednesday Dish
Once around the virtual conference
Join Rick and John for lunch on the set.
Rick Altman  |   Detailed outline

12:15pm - 1:00pm  |  Conference Central

The Miracle of Pecha Kucha
Embracing two easy rules creates amazing presentations
Twenty slides, 20 seconds each. The Pecha Kucha presentation style entertains, informs, and is the antithesis of Death by PowerPoint.
Ric Bretschneider  |   Detailed outline

1:00pm - 2:15pm  |  Conference Central

Five Minutes or Fewer
Tips to match your attention span
Here is a friendly procession of short tips, pieces of advice, and anecdotes, as told by both conference team members and patrons.
Detailed outline