Lowe's business operations and management strategies

¶ … Operations at Lowes

Ethics

Accompanying Paper to Presentation about Operations at Lowes

Accompanying Paper to Presentation about Operations at Lowes

The audience for this presentation has some interest and knowledge regarding business operations. This presentation may additionally be appropriate for those who have some introductory to moderate professional experience in the field of business operations. The information presented aims to walk the delicate balance of providing enough base information for a person who no or only superficial knowledge of the topic, while not insulting the intelligence of those in the audience who have background and experience in the field. The presentation will be given in an academic context; therefore, it is also directed for an audience of college/university students and relevant faculty. The presentation is intended for those with a fair knowledge base of the information and topic, who may be interested in continuing the discussion of business operations, Lowes the company, and business operations at that company (or similar ones) in the present in the future. The intended audience is that with interest and background in the utility and history of business operations.

I debated the use of the Lessig presentation style and the Hardt presentation style. Both are appealing to me and the presentation is a reflection of combining some more of the compatible aspects. From Lessig, I took that some slides should be very simple. Some slides should only have one word or just a few words. As an audience member myself, I do not like presentations where there are too many words on screen, as well as when the presenters read what is on screen to the audience. I believe that the best presentations are stimulating for the audience and provide contrast. The speaker notes should accompany the content on the slides; it should not mirror it exactly. Also, by limiting the content on screen, this puts more of the responsibility of presentation on me, the speaker/presenter, rather than relying heavily upon the presentation to do the work for me. This assists and contributes to my development as a presenter as within most professional positions, either as part of the job, or as part of the process to acquire the job, I will be required to make numerous presentations. The Lessig style contributes directly to my development as a versatile presenter.

The Hardt presentation is also very appealing and useful. I appreciate how he developed a style with numerous slides and the synergy between the speaker and the presentation content is phenomenal -- almost perfect. I like the idea of keeping the presentation moving and keeping the attention of the audience members with contrasting content (between what is spoken and content of the presentation). This style creates conditions for the audience member to take responsibility in its participation in the presentation. The audience is just as much a part of the presentation as the presenter and the presentation materials. This style invites them to keep up and stay alert. It gives the presenter a chance to move through a lot of content, presenting quickly, not necessarily at a pace that is good for retention, but rather is good for conjuring interest for further research, discussion, etc.

Both styles are strong and both styles are worthwhile to practice presentation skills. The presentation style for Business Operations at Lowes is a reflection of elements from both styles, for an engaging, informative, and entertaining presentation that sets a stage for participation and responsibility.

In reference to materials from the course, this presentation is particularly influence by Nancy Duarte. I have watched her videos on Ted and Youtube, as well as read as much as I can locate about her work with respect to presentations. Her five rules for presentations are: treat your audience as king; spread ideas & move people; help them see what you're saying; practice design, not decoration; and cultivate healthy relationships with your slides and your audience. These rules are simple, straight forward, and deep. The audience must always be respected. This is what I referred to in the opening remarks of this paper with regard to the descriptions of the intended audience. The presentations intent is certainly to spread ideas. Moving people takes some luck and talent because to stir others into change, big or small, is no small feat. The presentation at least attempts to do this in spirit even if it does not succeed in this respect overall. Helping people see what I am saying is such a great and helpful rule. This reminds me to use PowerPoint as a visual medium and exploit its greatest visual advantages. It helps me organize my ideas as well as communicate my ideas in more than one way, specifically orally and visually.

Visual aids also lend themselves better when a person wants to persuade as well as inform the audience. On a very basic level, by helping the audience see what I am saying, I am helping the audience understand my ideas and hopefully agree with them, or critique them in a productive manner. Practicing design and not decoration is a tough rule for people to abide by. I have seen many PowerPoint presentations in my time and hardly any them were aesthetically pleasing and effective. I want to keep my designs simple and consistent. I am going to make choices that create patterns that demonstrate an overall style for the presentation. It is easy to get overwhelmed or even just plain stuck in the details of creating the presentation. People want their work to look good. Sometimes the desire for a good looking presentation interferes with the presentation getting done, and often too much or too little attention to the design detracts from the presentation, even if the information is great. Her fifth rule is exactly why I chose to combine the Lessig and Hardt presentation styles. This approach reduces on screen text. This approach makes the presenter have to stand up and present, rather than hiding behind slides. This approach requires lots of speaker notes and practice of delivery. These rules combined with the style chosen put me in great position to make a highly effective and high quality presentation, despite the topic.