Data Dumps

This week, I again saw two data dump presentations, one after the other. Both presenters were blissfully unaware that the audience is literate.

Why does the typical PowerPoint Presenter follow this process:
1. Open PowerPoint.
2. Type in (or Copy and Paste) all the data known about a topic,
3. Get up and read the slides to the audience?

I don't know if most presenters are too lazy to plan the presentation before creating the slides, or just don't yet know about the Pow'Rful Philosphy that is documented in Dodging the Bullet Points for everyone to follow.

Either way, don't allow yourself to become one of the Data Dump Presenters. When you prepare a presentation, and each slide, use some common sense. Answer these questions while creating your presentation.
1. What is the purpose of this presentation? What do I want my audience to think, do or act differently when they walk out of here?
2. What slides best suit my purpose? Should I use graphs, or photos, or black slides?
3. What is the purpose of this slide. You must answer this question for each slide, so that you can craft the best slide for your audience, on every slide.

Have you been in presentations when the presenter wants to show you a website, or a spreadsheet and suddenly hit a technical glitch? The presenter frantically tries to produce the desired result while tech people start to fiddle and the flow of the presentation hits a brick wall.

Remember that Murphy lives in your laptop. Don't "go live" in front of your audience without tons of rehearsal. Rather, when you need to show your audience the intracies of your whiz-bang spreadsheet, then record it with Camtasia so that your PowerPoint slides go smoothly and you are not puzzled by the laptop's embarrasing gyrations when Murhphy sticks up his ugly head and while your audience waits patiently.

Whatever you do, do not do a data dump slideshow for your audience. Stand up, stand out, and do it right - think before you create your PowerPoint Presentation.

Blowing the horn.

Alan Weiss says "If you don't blow your own horn, there is no music." Who am I to argue? Therefore, here is my music, to help you deliver eye-popping presentations.

Just to remind you that you are not alone when creating PowerPoint Slideshows, or when taking the stage to present your point of view.

You can purchase "Dodging the Bullet Points" and "Panic to Power CD" for both you and your Accountability Partner to deliver jaw-dropping Presentations. Click here to place your order now.

And join a Toastmasters club that is convenient for you. Presenting is an interactive skill and you cannot excel while rehearsing in front of your mirror.

Good place to consider bullet points

Yes, you read the title correctly. There is a at least one instance where you can use bullet points effectively in your slide show.

No, I am not smoking my socks. Contrary to the Pow'rFul Philosophy advocated in Dodging the Bullet Points, where I warn all presenters to avoid bullet points, I recently saw one slide with bullet points. (Of course, the rest of the presentation had a ka-billion bullet points as well to encourage MEGO - Mine Eyes Glaze Over).

You can use bullet points to list the accomplishments of an award recipient. For example, when presenting an award, you may say:

"Joe Soap is receiving the Dubious Darwin award today because he:
* Was chief cook from 1987 to 1999
* Had three mistresses while chairman of the International Censorship board
* Served in congress from 1999 to 2003
* Member of Toastmasters International since 1965
* Daredevil from 2003 until last week (Thanks to $10 of gas only filling 1/2 of his jump bike tank)
* 16 marriages and 15 unexplained disappearances of spouses

There is no reason for you to memorize these facts, and there is no reason for the audience to take home a handout of these facts. Your purpose with this slide and information is to show that Joe Soap deserves this award. That's it. Your purpose with this slide is to make your point and go forward. Once you have established Joe's eligibility for the award and presented the award, you can move on to the next slide.

You should enhance this slide with a personal story about the recipient. Tell any story that you and the recipient were involved in, so that your audience has some picture to take home with them - perhaps the night last week where Joe's jump bike ran out of gas on the jump ramp? Even a poorly told story is better than no story at all. You can also show a personal photo of Joe and his 16 wives - This will be a striking image that no one will forget.

There you have it. This is the only instance I have ever found where Bullet Points are appropriate on a slide show.

Till next time, keep Dodging those Bullet Points.

How much fun can you have with your clothes on?

Today's mail delivered my copy of Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. My first impression was that it looks thinner than the 230 Pages.

I have just paged through the book. WOW!!!!. This is one awesome book, and much better than I could have imagined.

Guy Kawasaki shows the foreword as an hilarious slide presentation. These 15 slides capture exactly what followers of the Pow'rFul Philosophy and Dodging the Bullet Points readers believe. Over 90% of presentations SUCK.

I wish I could show you some of the fabulous slides in Presentation Zen. You will have to just take my word for it, until your copy arrives - if you are a presenter you need Presentation Zen. Don't leave home for your next presentation without Garr's book.
(Disclaimer - I don't make anything if you purchase Presentation Zen. I just want you to know that you should own this book)

Favorite books from 2007

As the door on 2007 creaks shut, I reflect on what I did this year, and what I plan for 2008.

Here are some of my favorite books I read this year. I suggest that you consider them for your bookshelf to increase your Presentation Skills. Remember that presentations need to be entertaining and you are better able to entertain if you study humor.

1. The Comedy Bible by Judy Carter.
2. Stand up Comedy - The Book by Judy Carter
3. Beyond Bullet Points by Cliff Atkinson. Cliff explains his revolutionary approach to presenting with PowerPoint.
4. Comedy Writing Secrets by Male Helitzer.
5. The Edge of Their Seats Storytelling Home Study course from Craig Valentine. Craig is the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking and THE master story teller.

You may also find value in rereading some classics from my bookshelf, and which should probably be on your bookshelf.
1. Success through a Positive Mental Attitude by W. Clement Stone.
2. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. (When we left South Africa in 2001, this was the only book I brought with me. We could only bring six suitcases with us to the USA, and I dumped my library in South Africa, save for this one book).

For the writer in you, I recommend:
1. Writing Non Fiction - Dan Poynter.
2. The Self - Publishing Manual - Dan Poynter.
3. Damn! - Why didn't I write that? By Marc McCutcheon.

What I do not recommend are books of quotes and jokes. I studied a few this year and I have found no value in these books. The reason is that the jokes are often filthy (which I won't retell on stage or off stage) and the quotes are not relevant to my message. Perhaps you are luckier than I have been. I find more value in studying how to create and convey humor than using someone else's humor.

Of course, you would be extremely wise to order a copy of my book - "Dodging the Bullet Points" as well :)

And for off topic, thought provoking reading, get a copy of Money Talks or Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss.

I hope you enjoy reading some of these books and get great value from them in 2008.

What is wrong with most Presentations?

Here is a short clip from a recent presentation at a Toastmasters conference. Listen to what the audience endures in most PowerPoint Presentations.

You can avoid these problems by planning your presentation, reducing the amount of text on the slides and limiting or eliminating transitions. In short, follow the Pow'Rful Process laid out in "Dodging the Bullet Points" and your audience will herald you as a hero.