Shiplog #10
A key part of my job was to prepare and help executives deliver presentations for critical events in the organization. Here are a few ways to make better presentations and not spend so much time on content that is left on the cutting room floor.
Along the way, I have done all sorts of things to try to get better:
Read Books - a good one is Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences
Take Courses with video critique
Get candid feedback
Watch Ted Talks
And all of these things helped me a ton.
But if I had to start all over again (as a beginner), this is the simple framework to manage them like a product I wish I had used to present better:
Step 1: Know Your Audience
Focus the value on your audience. Learn who your audience is. What are interests, desires, and problems? Clarify what matters to the audience, and stick to that. Like with products that solve your problem, you want your information to also be a solution and drive action often. What you think is your valuable presentation is only so if meets their needs.
Step 2: Tell a Story
I have an engineering mind and default to bullets and supporting points. This is logical but not engaging so need to continue to use our life experiences and stories to illustrate and be more effective. If you don't have your own story, borrow from a famous biography or sports team and build your bank of stories to share. Even when it is data, there is usually an applied way of explaining it.
Step 3: Make Visuals Simple
It is common for executives to have communications staff or assistants draft slides for their review. The experts say 10 words on a slide, so challenge yourself to reduce them. This is often from a few ideas shared to get the process started and the development process centers on that rather than what would be a higher impact way of sharing story to move people or get support for your ideas.
Step 4: Clear visuals
How many times have you seen tiny font on a slide loaded with a lot of data? Spend time creating visuals with meaning and a story as they can be worth it and ward off the confusion and save you time.
Step 5: Practice, Practice, Practice
When you're first starting out, start with the basics and then use software and media to make a high-impact wow presentation.