Last night Tony and I did a talk for a bunch of wonderful students at Ravensbourne. In order to get the damn thing prepared in time, in a collaborative fashion, we used Google Slides.
Whilst nerding around trying to get the thing sorted I noticed a feature I hadn’t noticed before. “Audience Tools”. Being a fiddler I turned it on.
Turns out it adds a handy promo bar to the top of your slides giving people a URL where they can ask questions.
The questions can then be voted on so that the hottest topics end up at the top.
It’s bloody ace. Especially for less cocky audiences that might be less confident about asking big questions in front of their peers (like students).
Some of my favourite questions from last night (along with edited versions of the answers):
For all those studying Digital Advertising here at Ravenbourne – are we doomed? We hope not :)
Depends what you’re studying on the course. Hopefully you’re learning how to acquire new skills and adapt as the digital landscape changes. And you’re learning to have fun with the unique bits of digital culture that make it a special place to do advertising-like things. If you’re learning that, you’re not doomed. I hope.
I saw just one black person in that office photo… That a thing?
Unfortunately yes. Not just for us, as an industry we’re too monocultural. Along with many other good people we’re working hard to address the issue. And we welcome any thoughts on how we can be better and do more to attract a more diverse pool of talent.
Would you rather be ignorant or know it all?
Our whole ‘Walk in Stupid’ thing probably answers this. It’s always safest to assume that you’re entirely ignorant. But I’m not sure I want to be regarded by others as totally ignorant.
What value do you place on a degree in a creative subject at Wieden and Kennedy? I.e. Is it a requirement for all of the employees?
It’s not a requirement. If you’re lucky enough to be on a creative degree course don’t squander the opportunity, milk it for all it’s worth. You’ll never have that much time and space to experiment again (said like a proper bitter old dude).
What types of activities do you do to feed the unconscious creative process?
Blah blah time off, etc.
Should young people be depressed because of Global Warming?
No, you should be angry, figure out the bit of the issue you’re passionate about and try and do something.
How have product designer contributed to the company & it’s advertising projects?
We love product designers, and anyone else who’s excited to solve problems in interesting ways. We’ve had a few great ones, and they’ve always broght fresh thinking.
Who would win in a fight Mike Tyson or Bruce lee?
Bruce Lee.
Thanks to Ravensbourne for having us. To Google for the Q&A functionality. And to the students of Ravensbourne for the attention and questions.
Iain – love this. I’ve dropped you a message via Instagram asking if you’d be keen on doing something similar for the Uni of Glos – not just for students but for the old, dusty and outdated lecturers! Be good to hear from you – Carl