How to really at presenting SUCK (and how to avoid it)
How to reallyat presenting
SUCK(and how to avoid it)
Every presentation starts with knowing what is your point
and why it matters.
The one thing you want your audience to remember once
they leave the room.1
Don’t worry about being interesting.
If you are interested, you
automatically are.
Start with a topic, job, product you
love.
So let’s start creating.
It’s hard to know where
our ideas come from.
But they surely don’t come from our
slideware.(Nor do they come from the same 4 office
walls.)
2
So log off, seek out new places and
inspiration.
Sketch out the main thoughts and
imagery of your presentation.“ ”
The difficulty is not tocreate new ideas, but to escape from old ones.
- John Maynard Keynes
Get rid of standard templates and bullet
lists.
They are easy to use and make us feel
safe.
But in reality they limit our creativity.3
Start with a blank side.
Choose a color to reflect
your personal brand.
Do the same for your font and imagery.
Apply them relentlessly.
Avoid text-loaded slides and confusing
graphs.
Your slides are not supposed to be a full-text report.
(if it was, why are you presenting it instead of simply sending it out?)4
Rather create empty space for your text
through asymmetry.
Let your slides breathe.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
- Leonardo da Vinci
“ ”
We live in a time when
communicating graphically is
natural.
So use pictures but avoid clip-art or cliché business stock photos.
Your pictures should support your words, not repeat them.
5
Search for symbolism tobring out your
message.
It’s not too late yet. (get it?)
So there you are. On stage.
And we fear presenting.
This fear is learned: as babies our job is to walk
and talk.
But once we do: to shut up and sit
down.
6
Every child is an artist,
the problem is staying so when you grow up.
- Pablo Picasso
“ ”
So be fearless like a child.
Don’t question your ideas.
Believe your audience is
not out there to kill you.
Rehearse several times upfront and out
loud.
And on the day itself:be rested and early.
Check the room at least
30 minutes up front.(and ps. Rehearse. Seriously.)
7
Take your presentation serious,
but not yourself.
Admitting a mistake is the most natural act.
Nobody is perfect.
Nor do we expect it.
Don’t start with a formal or standard
introduction.
You get only one shot at earning attention.
(ps. Know your audience. Depending on this,
a small thank you might be in place)8
Surprise your audience.
Start with a question, anecdote or novelty to challenge the mind.(ps. *don’t* hand out your slides upfront,
it’s like spoiling the plot of Game of Thrones)
Don’t read your slides. Say it how you would. Jargon is your enemy.
Let out your natural voice, pace it and
sometimes ... ... be silent. Leave a gap.
(It makes people truly *listen*)9
Tell a story.
It’s how we pass on information since the dawn of time.
We are not made to absorb an endless
list of facts and figures.
But most of all: understand your
presentation isn’t a job.
You don’t have to do it.
You get to do it. 10
It’s a privilege to be there, to spark
people’s minds and inspire.
Make it worthwhile.
So ... what’s your next presentation
going to feel like?
Dedicated to my students. My main
source of inspiration.
You guys are great. Don’t let anybody
ever tell you otherwise.
- Steven
And Garr Reynolds,
my role model.
Check out his great books to become a better presenter at www.garrreynolds.c
om