Lectures, videos and slides – loads more free resources from recent conference presentations

All my material is given away free (except for recent books which publishers understandably are sensitive about appearing online). You will find 40 more video clips on http://www.youtube.com/pjvdixon and also on Google Video (both now owned by Google so expect integrated listings sometime soon.

See http://www.globalchange.com/videolist.htm .

You will also find loads of new presentations (slides) on http://www.globalchange.com/ppt .

Other new resources can be found from the main page http://www.globalchange.com

Many are shocked that it is all available free but that’s the way the online world works. The days of subscription sites and restricted access premium pay areas are over – so last century. The spirit of the age is a community spirit where everyone helps each other and where the world combines to make amazing things happen. www.wikipedia.com is a wonderful example of this so-called Web 2.0 dimension.

Of course, if you have very limited intellectual capital then you will be worried at giving what you have away . Some speakers won’t even allow their slide sets out of their sight, while others make a total ban on videos being recorded of their lectures unless the distribution rights are strictly controlled. For me it is the other way round. I encourage recording wherever I can – but only on one condition which is that the entire presentation is then given away to the world.

The future is about being live, not recorded. That’s the future for musicians, and also lecturers, teachers, and others who stand up in front of audiences. Just look at the boom of festivals in cities around the world – an antidote to the video age. In an increasingly virtual world people want to breathe the same air, to experience the same thing, to be present at the same event. And of course one of the most important parts of any conference is not hearing a set piece pre-created package, but hearing a speaker weave material together in a unique way, responding to the mood and interest of the audience, engaging with their own questions and challenges.

Something extraordinary happens when you are PRESENT. The human brain engages in a totally different way and new mental connections are made that would never happen from just watching a programme on TV. Of course some speakers engage, and others don’t. And that is where the elusive magic happens. Great presentations are about persuasion, not mere information. They draw the person in, and take them on a journey to a new kind of thinking, a fresh perspective on the world. Yes a great book or video can do the same – but it is always an uphill battle compared to being in a live audience, where it happens together to everyone. Elusive, hard to define but the impact can be awesome.