Running Head: Surviving the First Year

Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum
November 15, 2014

Overview
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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

I created a pecha kucha presentation about surviving the first year of

fatherhood. My goal was to better prepare fathers for the challenges
of fatherhood. I recently survived my first year of fatherhood, and I
wanted to pass along some wisdom I have gained to others.
I designed my presentation to accomplish two learning objectives:
1. Viewers will be able to identify several problems they may face as a
new father.
2. Viewers will be able to identify several possible solutions to
problems they may face as a new father.
I designed my presentation for men who are either about to become
fathers, or who would like to become fathers some day. Although a
broader audience may benefit from my presentation, I specifically
designed my video for soon-to-be fathers who are in a stage of life
similar to mine. Other audiences who may be interested in my
presentation are current fathers, mothers, or anyone who might want a
child in the future.
My intent was to prepare future fathers for fatherhood, so I had to be
thoughtful in how I framed problems that children present. I did not
want to frighten fathers away from children. I kept my presentation
light hearted to avoid this issue. I also know expecting fathers are
busy. With this in mind, I used the pecha kucha format to keep my
presentation brief. I also designed with entertainment in mind to keep
my audience's attention.
I designed this presentation by telling a story. I told the story of my life
as a new father. I included problems I faced, as well as solutions I
found. I used visual images paired with audio narration to
communicate my story. I connected to my audience through stories
and humor. I used visual images to evoke emotion in my audience.
I designed simplistically to clearly communicate my message. I was
concise in my narration to fit the pecha kucha format of 20 slides, 20
seconds per slide. I included only essential text, images, and narration
to stay focused on my central message.
I created my presentation using many of my own pictures of my son,
pictures of different tools I have used during my first year of
fatherhood, and free online images. I composed my presentation using
iMovie and a digital camera. I planned my presentation and formatted
the pictures using PowerPoint. I recorded the narration in GarageBand.
After creating my video, I uploaded my presentation to YouTube, and I

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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

linked to my video from my ILT portfolio. My presentation can be

viewed through my ILT portfolio:
https://sites.google.com/site/flancbaumportfolio/projects/surviving-thefirst-year

Design Decisions
I designed my presentation with eight main goals in mind: storytelling,
simplicity, interest, emotionality, use of images, one thought at a time,
necessity and credibility, and concreteness. I used each of my goals to
clearly communicate my central message of how to survive the first
year of fatherhood.

Design Decision #1: Telling a Story

I used my presentation to tell a story. The story I told was about my
first year of fatherhood. I included struggles I had and solutions I
found. Heath and Heath (2008) stated, "A story is powerful because it
provides the context missing from abstract prose" (p. 214). Reynolds
(2014) quoted Dana Atchley as saying, "Digital storytelling combines
the best of two worlds: the 'new world' of digitized video, photography,
and art, and the 'old world' of telling stories" (p. 95). At 2:40 in the
video, I began a story about flying with your baby. I told a familiar
story of flying on an airplane with crying infants. I then placed the
soon-to-be father in the shoes of the parents they had seen many
times. By telling this story, I provided the context necessary for my
audience to understand how difficult flying with their infant would be.
I also alternated between factual information and stories in my
presentation. Duarte (2010) said, "Mixing report material with story
material makes information more digestible. It's the sugar that helps
the medicine go down" (p. 27). Along with the story mentioned above,
I told a story at 3:20 in the video about a mistake we had made by not
living near grandparents. These short stories helped me to get the
factual information across to my audience more easily.

Design Decision #2: Simplicity

I designed my video simplistically. I made simplistic decisions in the
format of my presentation, the images chosen, and the narration used.
I also had a simple core message. My core message was how to
survive year one of fatherhood. Heath and Heath (2008) said, "Simple
messages are core and compact." My message fit both criteria and I
did not stray from my message in my video. I needed to stay focused

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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

on my core message because I was limited in time by the pecha kucha

format.
I applied the principle of simplicity to my images, as well. Reynolds
(2014) stated, "One of the keys to good shots - like design itself - is to
keep things simple. Scott Kelby is a leading authority on digital
photography and he says that clutter and distraction are the things
that most often kill properly exposed shots" (p. 119). In addition, he
said, "We should do only what is necessary to convey the essential
information without excessive ornamentation, clutter, or anything else
that gets in the way of clear, direct attention to what's important" (p.
149). I applied the principle of simplicity to several photographs I took.
At 2:40 in the video I showed a picture of Benadryl. In the picture, I
removed everything except the cup and medicine. I used simplicity as
a major design goal for my video.

Design Decision #3: Interest

I considered my audience's interest when I designed my video. Medina
(2008) claimed, "We have known for a long time that 'interest' or
'importance' is inextricably linked to attention" (p. 76). One way I
considered their interest was by creating curiosity. Heath and Heath
(2008) argued curiosity occurs when we have a gap in our knowledge
(p. 84). I created a gap in the audience's knowledge at 1:10 in the
video. I told the audience I would provide them with tools to survive
the first year of fatherhood. Then, I waited until 2:00 in the video to
begin giving them the tools I promised. Interest was a design decision
I made for my video.

Design Decision #4: Emotional

I created emotion in my presentation. In particular, I made my
audience care. Heath and Heath (2008) said, "For people to take
action, they have to care" (p. 168). They also said the goal of making
messages 'emotional' is to make people care" (p. 169). Medina (2008)
said, "Emotionally arousing events tend to be better remembered than
neutral events" (p. 79). I created emotion several different times in my
video. At 6:00 I urged viewers to spend time with their baby because
time would pass quickly and before long, he would be driving away to
college. I also created emotion at 5:40 in the video when I talked
about how amazing fatherhood can be. Throughout the video, I used
pictures of my son to evoke emotion in my audience. I used emotion
throughout my video to better communicate my message.

Design Decision #5: Intentional Use of Images

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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

I used images to enhance my message. Reynolds (2014) said, "Vision

is our most powerful sense. Therefore, designing messages that
include images is a highly effective way to get people's attention and
help them understand and remember your content" (p. 97). He also
said, "One tip is to avoid the usage of imagery only as ornamentation"
(p. 98). In my video, I used each of my twenty pictures for a specific
purpose. I did not use any images only as ornamentation. The images
furthered the narrated message I gave. Reynolds (2014) argued, "The
first thing to understand is that you are the show; your audience has
come to hear you, not read slides. Use a slide to fill the listener's mind
with an image, then fill the details orally" (p. 111). Each of my slides
contained a picture and perhaps one or two words of text. I told the
story through narration, and I used the images to support the
narration.
I used images to create emotion. Duarte (2010) said, "While using
eloquent descriptive words is one way to create an image, a
photograph or illustration can frequently leave a more vivid imprint in
the audiences heart and minds" (p. 154). I used several images to
create emotion. One example was at 0:20 in the video, I included a
picture of my son lying on my chest asleep. The image was used to
connect to the audience and to communicate the message of
fatherhood being exhausting. I intentionally used images in my
presentation.

Design Decision #6: One Thought at a Time

I did not want to overwhelm my audience, so I only made one point at
a time. Reynolds (2014) said, "Make one point per slide, even if you
have room for more. This gives the viewer room to think and to 'own'
what you're saying, which are keys to good communication" (p. 112).
Medina (2008) claimed, "Multitasking, when it comes to paying
attention, is a myth" (p. 84). I used each slide in my video to make
one point for a total of twenty different points. Those twenty different
points came together to tell one story. I did not include more than one
point on a slide. Using the pecha kucha structure helped me because I
only had time to make one point per slide. Only having one thought at
a time was important for me to clearly communicate my message.

Design Decision #7: Necessity and Credibility

I made it clear why my audience needed to watch the video. Duarte
(2010) explained, "In a presentation, you create imbalance by
consciously juxtaposing what is with what could be." She also said,
"Drawing attention to that gap forces the audience to contend with the
imbalance until a new balance is achieved" (p. 34). At 1:00 in the

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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

video, I explain how fatherhood is tricky. Most fathers have to learn as

they go. In other words, fathers are unprepared for fatherhood. It
could be different though. If fathers listen to the advice in the video,
they will be more prepared to be a father.
Once a need was created, viewers also needed to know they were
learning from a credible source. I showed I was credible during my
presentation. Heath and Heath (2008) said, "The takeaway is that it
can be the honesty and trustworthiness of our sources, not their status,
that allows them to act as authorities" (p. 137). At 0:40 in the video, I
explained why I was a credible source who the audience should listen
to. I was honest and told the audience I was not an expert on
fatherhood, and I did not have a best-selling book on the topic.
However, I had just survived my first year of fatherhood, and my
position in life made me a credible source. I created a need in my
audience and showed them why I was a credible person to help with
their need.

Design Decision #8: Concreteness

I made abstract concepts concrete in my video. Heath and Heath
(2008) said, "Concrete ideas are easier to remember" (p. 106). At 6:00
in the video I urged the audience to enjoy fatherhood. Enjoyment is an
abstract concept. I made enjoyment concrete by providing specific
examples. I told my audience to laugh with their baby, hold their baby,
and get on the floor and play with their baby.
I also used images to be more concrete. Reynolds (2014) claimed,
"When we hear a story that is amplified by compelling photography,
the issue in the story becomes less of an abstraction. The issue
becomes more concrete and emotional" (p. 98). I showed images of
me with my wife and son throughout the video to make the abstract
concept of fatherhood more concrete for my audience. A soon-to-be
father would see these pictures and picture himself in that position. I
used the images to help make he concept of fatherhood more
concrete.

Formative Evaluation Response

I sought out feedback from my peers in five areas. Four different peer
reviewers' feedback is shown below.

Peer Review Question #1:

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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

Would you include music behind my narration in the video? Why or

why not?
I asked this question because I was unsure if music would detract from
my presentation or add to it. It is difficult to tell when you are listening
to your own voice if it is engaging or not.
Peer Reviewer A:
I dont think music is necessary, but it couldnt hurt. At the beginning
of your presentation you could actually open with a sound bite or a
small portion of the shows theme song. If you are going to consider
music, makes sure its just an audio track and no lyrics. You wouldnt
want to distract your audience from YOUR message by getting caught
up in the vocalists message.
Peer Reviewer B:
I actually don't think I would. You could, and I don't think it would
distract from the presentation, but you have a good voice for narration
and I thought the lack of music actually made me focus closer on the
narration and the images.
Peer Reviewer C:
I dont think you need it. Your voice is very compelling. The only place
you might add some music is at the beginning during the Leave it to
Beaver photo. It might help set the mood for that one slide. Then it
should go away in the second slide. You might even add a bit of humor
my adding a record scratch sound effect during the transition as
though someone abruptly turned off the music.

Peer Reviewer D:
I think the inclusion of music is a personal choice. Including music
might help to set a mood or influence the way the viewer sees each
image, so it should be done carefully. It might be a nice touch if you
can do so effectively.
Considerations:
The feedback I received regarding music was if used it appropriately it
might strengthen the presentation. Two peer reviewers mentioned
using music during the first slide only. Peer Reviewer C gave the idea
of using a record scratch sound effect to break from the idealistic first
slide to reality. I found this to be an excellent suggestion and decided
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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

to implement it into my video. I included the "Leave it to Beaver"

theme song at the beginning of the first slide. As soon as my narration
broke away from the idealistic view of fatherhood, I used the record
scratch sound effect and cut the music for the rest of the presentation.

Peer Review Question #2:

I am not sure if my storytelling design goal came through. What do
you think and how would you improve it?
I asked a question about storytelling because I knew how important it
was to communicating my message. I wanted to know if my video told
a story or if it was purely informational.
Peer Reviewer A:
I thought your storytelling was good. As a father with two little ones I
found your story informative and interesting. I think any parent (father
or mother) would enjoy watching your presentation. Parenthood is
scary for all new parents, especially the first time your child has a
fever. If you were to change out one slide, Id recommend swapping it
for a picture of infant/toddler Tylenol.
Peer Reviewer B:
Not quite sure what you mean with this question, but I think overall,
the presentation does a great job of being both personal and
instructional (and I'm not a dad yet!).
Peer Reviewer C:
I definitely think it came through. You told a very compelling story.
Peer Reviewer D:
I think you did an excellent job using storytelling as a teaching
technique. Your use of humor to deal with a difficult situation was
wonderful. I especially appreciated your first slide with the image of
the 1950s family and how you pointed out the falsity of the image. One
suggestion I have is to reiterate the words you used as descriptors for
the life-saving devices. It would be good to revisit them at the end of
the presentation.
Considerations:

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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

I appreciated the feedback I received regarding my storytelling. The

two suggestions I received were to include a picture of infant Tylenol
and to reiterate my key words at the end.
Although both were great suggestions, I decided not to use either. I
liked the images I used and did not want to use two different types of
medicine in my video. The idea of reiterating the key words made a lot
of sense, but I did not have enough slides to do so. Given the choice of
repeating my descriptor words or creating an emotional ending, I chose
the emotional ending.

Peer Review Question #3:

I tried to use humor in my video, but am not sure if it just came off as
corny or clich. Which elements of humor would you keep and which
would you remove?
I asked a question about humor because it was important to the
emotionality of my video. When I listened to my own voice, I found it
difficult to know if my humor came off well. It was helpful to get four
other opinions.
Peer Reviewer A:
First slide Leave it to Beaver a great intro!! There is nothing
wrong with corny or clich. They will be memorable for your audience,
which is good for knowledge retention. I thought it was funny how you
advocate for using Benadryl to put your baby to sleep. I think thats
something most parents do (or hope to do).
Peer Reviewer B:
I actually thought that the humor came off well, but I could see how
others might view the humor more apprehensively. That's where I think
perhaps pairing the humor with humorous images might do well to
underscore your satirical intentions.
Peer Reviewer C:
Most of it, you totally nailed! It kept the mood light and engaging. I
think the statement at 1:33 If these are new to you, I probably cant
help you was meant as humor. It didnt come across that way to me.
In fact, you might alienate your target audience with that statement.
Many new dads have not dealt with the items you have in the photo,
but theyll still benefit from watching your video. Id recommend rewriting that section.

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Surviving the First Year

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November 15, 2014

Peer Reviewer D:
I thought you did a fantastic job with your use of humor! My only
concern is associated with your intended audience. After reading your
overview, I was uncertain how you intended to choose your audience
and exactly who they might be. I understand that it is geared toward
new or expectant fathers, but what kind of fathers are you
anticipating? Are these men who have similar upbringing and values to
those you possess or is it intended for a more general audience? If you
are focusing on your peers, I think the humor is perfect; however, if
you are aiming at a larger audience, you may need to be careful about
some of your references. I was not offended by the suggestions that
Benadryl was a great way to handle air travel (I wish they handed it
out to children when they board a plane), but I wonder if some people
might be made uncomfortable with this suggestion. I also completely
understand the need for adult beverages, but I would take care with
that suggestion. You did a great job, overall.
Considerations:
I received more excellent feedback about my use of humor. Peer
reviewer C pointed out when I said, "I probably can't help you" in my
video. The comment was meant to be humorous, but I agreed it did
not necessarily achieve its intended goal. I decided to rewrite the
narration for the slide. Instead of assuming my audience was familiar
with these basics, I reminded them of these basics and talked about
how important it was to have many of them on hand.
Peer reviewer D had concerns about my use of Benadryl and adult
beverages. I understand the concerns, and I originally had the same
concerns before including these two slides. My primary audience is
fathers who are in a similar position in life as me. I understand these
slides could potentially offend a few viewers. That being said, I know I
cannot please everybody with my video. I believe keeping these slides
in my video is appropriate for my target audience.

Peer Review Question #4:

While keeping the mood light, I really did want to help soon-to-be dads.
Does it seem like this video would be helpful? Why or why not? If not,
what would make it more helpful?
I asked a question about the helpfulness of my video because I did not
want to go too far with my humor. I did not want to sacrifice
usefulness for humor.

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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

Peer Reviewer A:
I think the video calls out some of the more common things new
parents will experience. To capture everything in less than 7 minutes is
unrealistic. I think the one thing that every parent underestimates is
sleep. My oldest son is 4 now and I still dont get to sleep in. Im lucky
if I can sleep in until 7:00 on the weekend. Nonetheless, your
presentation provides a glimpse at what soon to be parents have to
look forward to.
Peer Reviewer B:
As a non-dad, but perhaps a soon-to-be dad, I think it was great.
Lighthearted, yet instructional and personal.
Peer Reviewer C:
As a father of a 5- and 7-year-old, memories of the exact same things
you told about in your presentation are fairly fresh for me. You nailed
so many of them perfectly. I think your light, humorous tone will appeal
to new dads. It appealed to me. It made me think, this a cool, young
guy whos going to give me some insider information. Well done!
Peer Reviewer D:
I believe this video would be extremely helpful; I actually have some
friends whose husbands would have really enjoyed and appreciated
having access to something like this presented. So many of the
resources available are aimed at women instead of men, and more
women tend to discuss the difficulties and the tricks of that first year of
parenthood. The video was also visually appealing.
Considerations:
The feedback about the helpfulness of my video was encouraging.
Each of the peer reviewers thought the video would be useful to new
fathers. No constructive feedback was given for this question.
Through the feedback, I determined my goal of helping soon-to-be
fathers was achieved.

Peer Review Question #5:

Was there anything you noticed in the images or the narration that did
not fit with the principles we have read about this semester?
I asked a question about design principles because I wanted to ensure I
followed the principles we learned about in this course. We learned a

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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

lot about design, and I wanted to be sure I did not violate solid design
unintentionally.
Peer Reviewer A:
I did not notice anything out of place. The placement of your text
within your presentation is good practice of CARP. You also applied
good design decisions within your presentation, which demonstrates a
good understanding of the content discussed this semester.
Peer Reviewer B:
I'm generally a fan of full-screen images, so I noticed that. Otherwise, I
liked that you generally shied away from generic stock imagery. Great
job!
Peer Reviewer C:
The only one Id recommend reconsidering is the close-up on the
graduation cap at 6:00. Most of the slide is about enjoying, playing,
and making most of the time. An image of the pure joy of doing that
would work better on this slide.
Peer Reviewer D:
I was not aware of any areas that violated the principles of design. I
thought your images were thoughtfully chosen to reinforce the
narration, not just to provide a pretty backdrop. The photos of your
child allowed the viewer a glimpse into your life and reinforced the
emotional content of your message. Where you included text it was
simple, easy to read and well placed. The use of dark background with
white writing and a consistent font across the slides added a measure
of continuity.
Considerations:
Most of the feedback I received regarding my use of solid design
principles was positive. Peer reviewer C mentioned the image of the
graduation cap not quite fitting with the spirit of the narration. After
reviewing the slide, I agreed. I changed the image to a close-up image
of my son climbing on me. I think it fits better with the narration.

Lessons Learned

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Surviving the First Year

Mark Flancbaum

November 15, 2014

The most important lesson I learned through the process of creating

my pecha kucha was the power of being passionate about your topic.
Compared to most other projects I do, I was far more engaged in this
project. I truly enjoyed the full process of creating my pecha kucha,
because the subject I chose was something I cared about deeply.
Peer feedback was incredibly helpful. I did not make many changes,
but the changes I made from peer feedback significantly improved the
quality of my presentation. Viewing my video through another set of
eyes helped me see things I would not have seen otherwise.
Through this project I learned to think more creatively. I typically only
think of my students as a possible audience for my projects. By using
a different audience, it made me realize I have other areas of expertise
to share. Because this different audience was older, I was able to
design differently and had fun doing so.
I learned to include only what was necessary to communicate my
message. The pecha kucha format forced me to cut a lot of my
material. I only included what was most important in my video.
The final product could help future fathers to be a little more ready for
the challenge of fatherhood. Designing this pecha kucha helped me to
see new possibilities for future products I could create.

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References
Duarte, N. (2010). Resonate. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2008). Made to stick: Why some ideas die and others survive.
New York, NY: Random House.
Medina, J. (2008). Brain rules: 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home,
and school. Seattle, WA: Pear Press.
Reynolds, G. (2014). Presentation zen design: A simple visual approach to presenting
in today's world (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: New Riders.

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