Become a PowerPoint Guru -...

Become a PowerPoint

Guru [Sample Chapters]

Learn How to Create Effective Presentations

By Dave Tracy

[email protected]

www.learnppt.com Become a PowerPoint Guru [Sample Chapters]

Thank you for your interest in my eBook. This PDF includes a sampling of

content from a number of chapters. Specifically, I’ve included the

following sections:

• 4 pages from Chapter 6, Storyboarding

• 4 pages from Chapter 8, Approach

• 2 pages from Chapter 10, Charts & Uses

Enjoy!

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Table of Contents

Section I Introduction

Chapter 1. Intro & Motivation 4

Section II The Basics

Chapter 2. PowerPoint Set-up 7

Chapter 3. Consulting Presentation Framework 9

Chapter 4. Rules of Thumb Checklist 13

Chapter 5. Critical Shortcuts 16

Section III Getting Your Story Straight

Chapter 6. Storyboarding 20

Chapter 7. Content Structuring 26

Section IV The Art of PowerPoint

Chapter 8. Approach 32

Chapter 9. Tracker 37

Chapter 10. Charts & Uses 38

Chapter 11. Building Diagrams 44

Chapter 12. Color Scheme Selection 51

Section IV Conclusion

Chapter 13. Final Thoughts 56


Chapter 6

STORYBOARDING

This chapter will cover the proper techniques for creating a presentation that

follows a cohesive and logical sequence. We will discuss widely followed

principles used in management consulting, such as the Pyramid Principle (also

known as Minto’s Pyramid) and MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively

Exhaustive).

First, recognize there are 5 basic principles of good writing. These principles

underline all good presentation writing.

1. Write for your audience.

2. Keep it simple.

3. Support assertions with facts.

4. Stay in the active voice (i.e. use verbs).

5. Tell a good story.

Now, let’s dive deeper into this last point. You need to tell a story your

audience can follow with ease. A scattered storyline is a sure way to lose your

audience’s interest! But, how do you tell a good story?

The Pyramid Principle

Let’s forget about creating slides for a moment. The purpose now is just to get

your story straight. After that, we can transfer story onto the slides in your

PowerPoint presentation. This whole process is known as storyboarding.


To tell a good story, structure your information according to the Pyramid

Principle. The Pyramid Principle is also referred to as Minto’s Pyramid or Minto

Pyramid Principle. A fun fact: Barbara Minto developed this structured thinking

and communication technique; hence the reference Minto’s Pyramid.

There are 4 basic ideas that underlie the Pyramid Principle:

1. Information is always absorbed sequentially.

2. People have a limited capacity to take things in. (The critical number of

things a person can take in is 7.)

3. Comprehension is easier when information is summarized in logical

groups.

4. Groupings are perceived more easily when there is a shared criterion at

the higher level.

With these ideas, Minto suggested that the best way to structure your story is to

start with your high-level, basic message. Build to that with your supporting

statements; and then build each one of these statements with further sub-

points. The diagram below illustrates this concept and why it is referred to as a

‘pyramid.’ Note that in structuring your story like this, it clarifies the hierarchical

relationships between your arguments.

That’s simple enough, right?


Each pyramid has three structure elements:

1. Key statement,

2. Vertical relationship, and

3. Horizontal relationship.

Key Statement

Your key statement should be short and catchy. Preferably, it can be explained

in 20 seconds (or less). Here is a made up example of a series of key

statements:

• There is a noticeable change in consumer behavior as digital media

becomes more prevalent—we need to modify our business model to stay

relevant.

• We have developed several strategic options to accommodate for

growing usage of digital media.

• We recommend distributing digital media through Vendor X using a

subscription model.

• Focus studies show that 70% of our existing consumer base and 80% of

our target market will buy digital media on a subscription model.

• However, various technological and organizational barriers exist, which

we need to remove before we can successfully implement any changes.

Vertical Relationship

The vertical relationship implies that all statements as the same level of the

pyramid answer the same question. For example, they all answer a question of

what (what is the purpose of this software?), why (why is this option the best?),

or how (how can this solution save energy?). To provide a specific example, at

a common level, each statement can be a benefit to eating more dairy products.


Horizontal Relationship

The horizontal relationship implies that sub-points under a common supporting

statement must follow a logical order. This logical order is typically one of the

following:

• Based on Time / Chronological – This helps illustrate timing. An

example would be steps in a process.

• Based on Structure or Category – This helps divide a whole (the

supporting statement) into component parts. It is used when ideas fall

under a structure. An example would be lines of business within an

organization.

• Based on Relevance or Significance – The relevance and significant is

a judgment call and is taken from the perspective of your audience or

your own organization (e.g. what do you want your own audience to pay

attention to?). An example would be different buckets of findings

resulting from a market research study.

MECE Principle

With your pyramid laid out, you will have the general structure of your storyline

laid out in a logical, understandable manner. In doing so, it is important to

always pay attention to the MECE principle. MECE stands for Mutually

Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive. In other words, this principle ensures

the following:

• Your story is comprehensive and doesn’t leave any gaps. This is what

collectively exhaustive refers to.

• The key statements, supporting statement, and sub-points in your story

are clear and distinct. In other words, you aren’t making the same point

in various components of your pyramid. If you are, this indicates


Chapter 8

APPROACH

You will find most executive presentations have an Approach slide somewhere

in the beginning. The Approach shows a simple, intuitive diagram of how a

certain initiative is laid out. An example would be phases of a project (e.g. 1.

Define the Problem, 2. Generate Hypotheses, 3. Conduct Research, etc.). This

chapter will cover how to quickly create an Approach Diagram and leverage it

throughout your presentation for consistency.

First off, an Approach is nothing more than a sequence of steps. A very basic

example is a series of phases. See below for an illustrative example:

Almost every presentation produced by a consulting firm has a diagram like the

one above. PowerPoint also makes it very easy to draw a diagram like that, as

it is comprised of 2 PowerPoint AutoShapes, the Pentagon (used to start the

Approach) and the Chevron (used for all other subsequent steps). You can

find both these AutoShapes under ‘Block Arrows.’ Because these two shapes

are so widely used, you may have noticed I have added them as shortcuts in

my PowerPoint Set-up (Chapter 2). See below.


When you construct this diagram, always use a pentagon to start the Approach.

The flat edge on the right delineates that this is the start of the Approach.

When creating the diagram initially, don’t worry about sizing things correctly.

Once you create the full, X-Step Approach diagram, select all the shapes and

group them (i.e. Ctrl+G). This will allow you to easily resize the diagram as a

cohesive unit.

Building on the Approach Diagram

There are many small things you can add on to this simple diagram to add

additional insights and depth. For instance, adding numbered circles furthers

emphasizes the sequence of steps. You can highlight a specific chevron to

indicate ‘current phase/step.’ Furthermore, you can add an element of timing

using a parallel arrow—or, by resizing the lengths of the chevrons. The

examples below illustrate Approach diagrams with added embellishments.

Example 1


Example 2 (Approach-Gantt Hybrid)

Beyond the Basic

So, a series of steps not cutting it for your approach? There are various

deviations from the basic Approach Diagram outlined above. Here are the most

common:

• Steps in parallel instead of series

• Steps that are cyclical – i.e. the last step returns to step 1

• Steps that converge

Creating parallel steps requires some rudimentary creativity. For me, it helps

tremendously to first draw out the full diagram on paper and then transferring

that vision into PowerPoint. The general idea here is piece together various

polygon AutoShapes into an overall pentagon/chevron. These polygons can be

prebuilt shapes or you can create your own polygons using the PowerPoint

Freeform AutoShape (found under ‘Lines’). See the example below.


This may require some practice, at first. To maintain a straight edge for the

long sides, hold down the ‘Shift’ key. Remember, you can readjust the corners

of a polygon you constructed with the FreeForm AutoShape by right clicking on

the shape and selecting ‘Edit Points.’

There are several ways to create cyclical steps that form a circle. The easiest

way is to piece together circles, arrows, and slender rectangles. The best way

to understand what I may by this is through illustration. Observe the before and

after depiction below.


Chapter 10

CHARTS & USES

In representing quantitative data, it is best to use charts. Not only are charts

intuitive for your audience to quickly grasp, but they’re also a lot more pleasing

to the eye then just a table of values.

However, it is equally as important to know what charts work best for what

types of messaging. If you use a chart incorrectly, it may be misleading and

lead your audience to draw inaccurate conclusions.

The table below breaks down the most common forms of charts mapped

against different types of data comparison. Use this as a reference guide in

selecting a chart for visual enhancement.

Now, let’s discuss each data comparison type (i.e. the columns) in more detail.

Composition Charts

There are 4 commonly used charts to depict composition:


• Stacked Columns – These are bar charts, where

the segments/bars for each column add to the total

height. The most important segment goes at the

bottom of the column. You can add dashed lines

between segments to emphasize comparison. State

the absolute value at the top of each bar.

• Pie Chart – Use a pie chart if you only have a single

data series. Unless your purpose is to show

fragmentation, use a maximum of 5-6 segments.

Lump the smaller segments into a catch-all bucket,

such as “Other.” Order your segments from largest

to smallest, with the exception of ‘Other,’ which goes

last. Start at 12 o’clock and go clockwise.

• Waterfall Chart – This is one of the most graphic

ways to demonstrate the change from one position to

another, to provide a breakdown of an aggregate

number into its components, or to show a change in

position. It is most frequently used as a descriptor of

the causes of financial change. However, it can be

just as effective as a conceptual representation of

any change.

• Mondrian Graph – This is similar to the stacked

columns, except it is stretched both vertically and

horizontally to occupy the whole space in the chart.

Its strength lies in the visual impact of the largest

areas, which represent the most significant parts of

the universe. Some great uses for a Mondrian

include market maps, post-merger portfolio analysis,

trend analysis, and substitution analysis.

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