Stop thinking outside the box

Reviewed a presentation today, with multiple presenters. What a surprise - PowerPoint was abused (again). I wrote "Dodging the Bullet Points" which has helped many presenters raise their presentation standards, to avoid exactly these sort of painful experiences.

Anyway, rather than bore you by discussing the usual amateurish visuals, the real lesson is from the accompanying speeches.

Presenters used well-worn (worn-out?) buzzwords and phrases as if they were on the leading edge of management theory. "Thinking outside the box", and quoting Steven Covey isn't cutting it for me any more. It doesn't matter how convincingly you say it.

Where on earth have you been for the past ten, fifteen or more years, if you still think that "Thinking outside the box" is going to impress your audience?

Therefore, in your next speech:
1. Take some time to select contemporary quotes from the media or Internet.
2. Read a book published in this century.
3. Ask a trusted advisor to review your slides, to make sure that you are not still "Thinking outside the box"

Needless to say, most of the presenters were oblivious to the time restrictions on the presentation, and kept on quoting Old Dead White Guys (like Churchill) to a young, multi-cultural audience long after their allotted time had come and gone.

The only saving grace was the final presenter who acknowledged the time and cut short her segment of the presentation in an attempt to get the show back on the road. This is what speakers should do - paraphrase your segment of the presentation without making a big deal of it.

Exit Slides

Last week I presented at the East Windsor Rotary club. What a great group of people!! I enjoyed talking with this club and hope to be invited back again. I hope that the club also learned about my topic - the History of South Africa.

I created the PowerPoint slideshow to be presented from start to finish. We normally start the slideshow at the beginning and keep going until it the last slide is done. One problem with this approach is that the slide show is not flexible. We can only shorten the presentation to a point, if for example, the prior speakers go way over time and we have to start 20 minutes late in a 40 minute presentation.

It is a common situation to have the presentation time cut, to keep the program on schedule. For example, prior speakers often do not pay attention to the time at all, and you are expect to adjust accordingly. Fortunately, as experienced speakers, we are all aware of this common occurrence and are prepared for it.

My situation last week brought me to realize the need and value of building "Exit Slides" along the way, in the presentation. For example, if a slideshow has 50 slides, then I am goping to experiment with creating "Exit Slides" after every 10 slides. In this case, if I see that time is running out faster than we are progressing through the slide show, then I can stop on an "Exit Slide", and gracefully move into my presentation conclusion.

The audience has not seen the presentation before and we are serving the audience better by being ready to exit at multiple points during the PowerPoint slides, rather than being forced to show all the slides through to the end. We are not serving the audience by either rushing through the slides, or by sticking to the presentation timing and then going way over the time allotted for our speech.

So, the lesson from this blog posting is : "Think about how you can create exit points in your slideshows, so that you have graceful options to shorten your presentation if desired".

Go forth, and keep safe out there on the platforms. Time challenged speakers are already scheduled to speak before your next presentation...

The basics are the basics for a reason

Sometimes we are tempted to overlook the basics. How many times do you see a driver speed through an amber light, forgetting that amber lights are intended to warn you to stop before the light turns red?

The basics are the basics for a reason. The basic rule is that we should stop on amber lights, if given enough warning.

Similarly, as presenters, we know that we should always rehearse our presentations and always test our equipment if we will be using technology. Don't be fooled into thinking that your projector and laptop will automagically function as expected, unless you have tested them.

I am preparing for a presentation today at the November chapter meeting of SNEC-PMI. I tested my slideshow through my projector and lo-and-behold, it did not work. I have given presentations in the past with this laptop and projector, so what could have changed?

Puzzled at first I soon realized that I replaced my laptop a few weeks ago. The new one looks the same as my old one and I forgot that I had not tested this combination yet. Thank goodness for rehearsals. My new laptop has different function keys when connecting to a projector and so I saved my audience the embarrassment of learning the new function keys from the platform.

Don't be fooled. The basics are called the basics for a reason. Go ahead and rehearse your presentation using the actual equipment that you will be using for your presentation.

The TextUnread Rule

The Great TextUnread rule states: "The more text displayed on a PowerPoint slide, the less likely the presenter will read or explain the text, and the more likely the presenter will skip over the slide with a lame excuse.

Such excuses include, but are not limited to those listed below" (My comments are in parenthesis).

1. This slide is busy on purpose. (Why, why would anyone purposely create a slide that is busy? Your purpose as a presenter is to clarify and assist your audience to understand your message. Why would you place obstacles in the path of your communication to the audience?)

2. I know that you can't read this slide, but it illustrates my point. (What point? That you are an idiot to create a slide that you know no-one can read?)

3. I won't go through this now, but you can read it after my presentation. (Wait - let me understand how little you value my time in the audience. First, you created a slide that you did not intend to discuss with me. Then you did not rehearse your presentation where you would have seen that this slide should clearly have been culled from your presentation. Now, after you have insulted me by wasting my precious time, you think that I am going to invest more time trying to decipher your slide. I don't think so. Your busy slide does not motivate me to want to invest time reading your slide as a result of your lack of preparation.)

Over the next few weeks, as you observe presenters wade through "busy" slides with poor excuses, make a pledge to yourself to never, ever fall foul of the Great TextUnread rule yourself. keep your visually impactful slides simple and to your point.

Always limit the amount of text on your slides. Remember that less text on the screen means more probability that it will be conveying your carefully crafted message.

The AmountaSize Virus - coming soon to a conference near you

Have you noticed how many PowerPoint Presentations invoke the universal AmountaSize virus of inverse proportions? I observed two presentations yesterday and was again astounded at the impact of the thriving AmountaSize virus. This dreaded virus continues to grow and mutate in polite society, despite my unwavering and vocal support for the visual slide revolution.

The effect of the AmountaSize virus is described as follows: "The usefulness of a PowerPoint slide is inversely proportionate to the amount of text on the slide, complicated by the smallness of the font."

In other words, your slides become less useful and tend towards complete uselessness, as the volume of text increases with the accompanying decrease in font size.

The lesson is clear for all presenters - "Text on PowerPoint slides is your enemy." Tread carefully as you add text to your slides. Use visual images on your slides. Remember that the best content for your slides is impactful and emotional photographs on your slides, not clip art.

Don't fall prey to the AmountaSize virus. Keep fonts large and limit the amount of text on your slides.

Remember to tune in for the next installment right here on this blog, when you will learn how to stay clear of the dreaded TextUnread rule...

Screen Captures

I was in the audience the other day, and we were subjected to a MEGO presentation. (MEGO = Mine Eyes Gloss Over).

Our presenter did the following, and I warn you about this, so that you can rethink your strategy if you are tempted to follow this example.

Our presenter demonstrated a website, live on the Internet, and then clicked on "View" then on "Source". This shows the audience the code on a webpage.

Here are the problems with this setting, and the solution follows:

1. Never, ever, demo live websites during a presentation. You run the risk of at least the following, and possibly much more going wrong. Firstly, you may not be able to connect to the Internet. Who knows what can go wrong - your PC card fails at the last minute, your ISP account is cancelled, or martians land on the roof of the building. If you plan to demo a live website during your presentation then don't cry to me when you are left apologizing to your audience for your stupidity. Secondly, the website may not look the same as when you prepared for your presentation. You look stupid when you point out the ingredients for your case study and your case study is no longer valid. Thirdly, the website may look very different through the projection equipment. The vibrant yellow on the website may be a dull, dark distortion when the audience sees it through the aging projector. The audience sees this as your poor preparation.

2. Believe it or not, people at the back of the room cannot read the details of a page full of 10 point font. Yes, yes, I know, some people drool at their ability to decipher HTML code from a projector screen. The rest of your audience will politely (and soon become less polite) allow their minds to visit the beach while MEGO prevails.

3. You turn to the screen and point out the code which makes headlines, sub headlines and graphics while your audience looks at your back. If your audience did not mentally visit the beach in point 2 above, they are sure checking out now.

So, what is the solution? Put in some effort and use Camtasia to capture the screens you believe will cure world hunger, and highlight the all-important html code. Then put up your slides and go to the back of the room to see if you can read it from where your audience is reading from. If not, then put the code on handouts, with larger font and highlights so that your audience can play along with you at home.

Signature Slides

Professional Speakers have signature stories. A signature story is a story that a speaker tells to many audiences and the story becomes synonomous with the speaker. Professional speaker are often booked specifically to perform that signature story for a new audience.

Think of a signature story as a best selling musical hit. If you wanted to book a musician for your event to entertain with "Yellow Brick Road", then who would be your first choice? Elton John perhaps?

Do you have slides that are unique to you, and that you can relate to multiple audiences? Many of my presentations close with the above slide (from iStockPhoto.com). I have never seen anyone else use, and it always gets a chuckle from my audience. I wrap up presentations with this slide and story so that I leave on a positive note.

Why would you want to develop signature slides? Because great speeches are not written, they are re-written. When you present the same slides in many presentations you can refine this sliver of your presentation based on the feedback each audience gives you. Over time, you create a unique signature story that only you can deliver with your voice and your slides. Your audience benefits from watching a master of the Presentations craft through your signature slides.

Think - Which slides have worked well for you in the past? Use them in future presentations and continue refining your signature slides. You will deliver better presentations with signature slides.

PowerPoint Presenters Mindset

It seems like the dead horse doesn't die, no matter how often we beat it.

Your are the presentation. Your slides are not your presentation. Consequently, if the projector screen is sagging under the weight of your text laden slides, then you need to improve your presentation.

Did you catch the subtlety here? I did not say that you need to indiscriminately rework your slides and replace text with photographs (which may or may not be the correct approach).

Rather, you need to rethink your presentation and determine if you need text or photos or even need slides at all to get your point across. Should you have handouts? Is a flip chart more appropriate? What about an activity for your audience?

You need to go back to the basics and define your core message for this audience. Then determine if you need slides, and then determine the best approach to create slides for your presentation.

Why did I bring this up now? I recently saw two presentations from fellow revolutionaries who also support the revolution from text to visual presentations. In both cases the mantra was "Display visual slides, no matter the audience or topic". Just as a three year old with a hammer sees everything as a nail.

The correct mindset for presenters who use PowerPoint is "Use slides where appropriate, and make them as visual as possible with as little text as possible". This is common sense, no?

And may the dead horse RIP. You are the presentation. Your slides are only one component of your presentation. Don't assume that great slides automatically makes a great presentation.

Canned Slideshows

I presented at the Hartford, CT public Library last night. One of the questions from the audience was "How do I improve a canned slideshow?". For example, if you receive a slideshow from Head Office and are expected to deliver this presentation to many clients, what do you do?

This question is only relevant if the slideshow was created by someone not yet enlightened to the Pow'Rful Process, as defined in Dodging the Bullet Points. If the canned slideshow consists of slide after monotonous slide filled with text, text, and more bullet points, then here is what you can do:

1. Advocate to your manager that you need to reduce the amount of text. Reproduce the text on the slides onto a handout which you make available in your presentations, and remove some of the bullet points on the slides. Aim for no more than three bullet points on a slide as a guideline.

2. Craft your own slideshow that conveys the intended message and use the canned slideshow as handouts to complement your own presentation.

3. Try to enlighten the creator of the canned slideshow to the fact that text on slideshows is boring, and not appropriate in today's professional circles. Offer your carefully crafted presentation as a replacement.

When you are asked to deliver a canned presentation that is below the level of a presentation you would create yourself, then work to improve it. Don't willingly continue to deliver slideshows which negate the effort you have invested in learning how to craft memorable presentations.

Emotional Attachments

I was asked to critique a PowerPoint presentation for a group of colleagues. Having written "Dodging the Bullet Points", and co-authored "Panic to Power Audio CD", I was the obvious choice for this task.

The presenters are all IT professionals. They are presenting the results of a study. The presenters fell into the trap that most PowerPoint presenters fall into, namely:

Step 1 - Open PowerPoint.
Step 2 - Dump all known facts about the topic into PowerPoint.
Step 3 - Voila - we have a presentation.

Fortunately the presenters are receptive to wise feedback and made adjustments to simplify the slides while slashing the volume of text on the slides. Their presentation will stand out from presentations by their peers.

Here's the part which most presenters have trouble with - becoming emotionally attached to text. For example, if your slide lists the top 12 causes for divorce, then at most, discuss three causes with your audience. Why? Because your audience will not remember all twelve causes. You will succeed and can feel proud if your audience walks out and remembers three reasons.

Now - if it is essential for your audience to remember all twelve causes for divorce, then put it on a handout for audience members to take home.

Every time I recommend a presenter slash the text and number of bullet points I see them go into shock. First, the presenter defends their decision to list all twelve points on the slide. Then they want to keep it, but only speak to two or three points. I stop negotiating at the point where we have three bullet points on the slide and the remainder in the notes section of the presentation. Hey - at least it is off the slide and out of view from the audience!!

Do not become emotionally attached to the volume of text on your slides. If you cannot remember all the points on your slide without reading your slide to your audience, then how do you think your audience will remember all of your points?

Rather have your two strongest points on a slide then support and illustrate your points with examples and stories that demonstrate these two points. Your audience will thank you and possibly remember your points as well.

Pacing your Presentation

What do you hate most about sitting through a PowerPoint Presentation? Most presenters do something like this:

"Good morning. My name is Joe Soap. Today I will tell you about Acme Corporation and how wonderful we are". Then Joe Soap goes on to read his 200 slides to you which all are so heavily laden with text that you are surprised the projector screen does not come crashing down with the weight of all that text being displayed.

How can you drastically change this atmosphere? With two strategies that my clients learn during my coaching sessions:
1. The Pow'Rful Opening. Have your title slide on show while your audience enters the room, and settles in. Your title slide tells the audience that we are in the right room, and Joe Soap is the presenter. Then your next slide is a black slide. This is where you build rapport with the audience, without the distraction of a slide. You use this time to deliver your opening story, and determine the audience's level of knowledge about your topic, if appropriate. Then you move onto your slide show.
2. Then, pace your slideshow with questions and reviews after you have covered every major topic. This is where I see many presenters fall flat - they just keep on going, irrespective of audience engagement. You need to stop and pace your presentation. It is not a lecture, this is a presentation. Stop speaking and stop presenting. Have a slide stating "Questions?", and then wait a moment for questions. If you don't get any questions, then initiate conversation by stating "At this point I often get asked...". Then have two questions ready, with answers to stimulate audience engagement.

Pace your presentation with the Pow'Rful Opening, and stopping after each major topic, to interact with your audience.

The PowerPoint Secret

PowerPoint has a hidden benefit. A secret known only to a few seasoned presenters. A secret that is shared with a wink of the eye. Just like a dark family secret. Like an uncle who served jail time - The whole family knows about it, but no-one speaks about it.

The PowerPoint Secret is "The Presenter View". When you computer is hooked up to multiple monitors, such as when your laptop is connected to a projector, you have the option to have your slides on display for the audience while you see a view that includes your notes and a timer.

Craig Strachan reveals this secret to the world in this dynamite ebook - Putting the POWER back into PowerPoint®. Read his book to astonish, amaze and astound your fellow presenters, as you display your knowledge of "The PowerPoint Secret".