There’s No Power without the Point

One day you’ll be able to just think of an idea and others will be able to see it, hear it, feel it. Until then, you have PowerPoint.

Here’s what I see about PowerPoint that many of us screw up – including me on the rarest occasions (cough!):?

Fail #1: You try?to cut corners by “cleverly” making your PowerPoint do too much, as in, “Let’s make this a combination?presentation and marketing document.” It doesn't work.?

PowerPoint is designed to be presented – by a human being! A document, however, is not. If you jam an overload of information into the PowerPoint, then it can’t be presented as a story—with its own engaging narrative. That’s what’s become known as “death by PowerPoint.” And, if you don’t put enough relevant data in a document, then it fails to be sufficiently informative. You?can’t solve both strategies effectively with one approach.

If you want to communicate your company’s capabilities with a document, there’s nothing wrong with that – heck, do it with panache! But, if you’re actually presenting your company’s capabilities, then tell me a story – something that I’ll remember and something that moves me emotionally. Different purposes call for different document?vehicles.?

OK, so how do you?put Power into a?presentation??

1. Remember that presenting is an opportunity to tell a story to an audience so you can?move their hearts and minds toward your?objective.?If there’s no clear, compelling point to your presentation, there’s no power in it either.
2. Be clear about the?meta story?or through line (theme) that connects all of your?slides. For me, I always write out the ONE?core, transformative idea that needs?to reach and inspire my audience and I use that as my compass so I don’t stray off the point.?
3. One point per slide.?Keep it simple; keep it focused. If the slide can’t stand on its own as one salient point, then you really shouldn’t use it.?
4. Use?evocative images.?I usually like one large image to fill the slide accompanied by?only a word or two. You want people to connect the story with the presentation and vice versa.

I had the chance to meet and chat with Seth Godin a few months back (yes, name drop!). His view was that presentations should be used to CHANGE something in the audience (take an action, fund a project, make a decision, green light a project, etc.). If not, then you shouldn’t be presenting it at all (use a document instead). He had four main points to his perspective:

1. Who?is it for? Be clear exactly who is the target of the presentation and what their mindset and worldview are.?
2. Share how what you’re presenting is important to you personally, and then why it’s important to the client – that's?how you gain trust and buy-in and?gain?alignment.
3. Present narrative?stories, scene by scene?(not bullet points). Lots of useful techniques here, which I’ll explain in a future article.?
4. Make sure there’s a clear?call to action.?It’s a way of relieving the tension for the audience and empowers them to take that next step?forward. Just make sure you know exactly what that step is before you ask for it.?

Don’t overthink it. Just?keep these things in your mind, and I promise: you’ll move in the right direction.?

One of my dreams/goals in life is to become a great communicator. I often consider the words of Mark Twain, “I could have written less if I had more time.” So make sure you give yourself enough time to sculpt it down until it really rocks—with attitude and inspiration.?

That means saying less to and communicate?more. In fact, some stories don’t need any words at all. Sometimes it's setting a whole new?context?for evaluating the content. That alone can be game changing and where I focus the heart of my solutions to business challenges. Happy to share those views upon request.?

?I hope this helps you find your Power . . . in your Point.?