Every year some of the greatest minds of our time gather in an attempt to settle an age-old question: which is better, latkes or hamantashen? The latke vs. hamantash debate is an annual event which has been held at such esteemed institutions as Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Chicago for the last 50 years. This important question has attracted philosophers, college presidents, and even Nobel laureates.
In addition to trying to answer a question for the ages, the latke vs. hamantash debates are also an excellent source for innovative presentation techniques. The presenters at this debate are unencumbered by the need to follow corporate presentation conventions. Their techniques include compelling slide data, geometric analysis of the subject matter, and even audience participation.
For example, during the 2008 debates Dr. Ari Epstein challenged his audience to join him in a hands-on exercise to settle the question.
“His assistants handed out paper plates to everyone, and the half of the lecture hall sitting on the Hamentashen side also received colorful stickers. The people with stickers were instructed to decorate their plates with stickers (representing filling that they wanted). Everyone was then told to fold their paper to resemble a hamentashen. Clearly it was better to have a delicacy-filled hamentashen than something that resembled a dry, folded latke.”
What’s The Point?
Esteemed professors and laureates gathering to debate pastry is humorous, but what is the point? Presenting remotely makes your presentation more boring. You become a disembodied voice droning on to your audience. Finding alternative presentation styles engages your audience. You may not want to pass out paper plates and stickers, but getting away from the droning voice and into the real world of your audience is always worthwhile.
Note: The latke image in this article was created by Kagor and the hamentash image comes from the Gluten-Free Bay. Both images are used in accordance with the create commons license.
