Think about camouflage. The point of camouflage is to...
Transcript of Think about camouflage. The point of camouflage is to...
1
We all give presentations. And I hear time and time again from folks that they dread having to do it.
And the truth is, a lot of us don’t actually enjoy sitting in the audience of presentations either.
And I think that’s because there are a whole lot of truly bad presentations out there. Just lousy, rotten
presentations. Slides jam packed with bullet points and miniscule text. Presentations loaded with noises
and animations. And presentations that don’t seem to have a point.
When you get right down to it, at the heart of every presentation there’s a common goal: to persuade
your audience. Whether it’s more money for your budget, or to convince them a project was a success,
or to win their support for an initiative you want to undertake, you’re trying to persuade them to see
things your way.
So why do some ideas get traction and other ideas don’t? We’ve all had GREAT ideas that don’t seem to
take hold while other ideas that aren’t as good – and some that are even downright bad ideas – take off.
What’s the difference? A connection that motivates an audience.
There are folks who study products – which ones fail, which ones succeed, and the differences between
them. Their studies tell us that if two products have identical features, the one that appeals to an
emotional need will be chosen 90% of the time.
We need to find a way for people to connect with our ideas, with our presentations, if we want our
ideas to take hold.
2
Think about camouflage. The point of camouflage is to blend in. Well, the purpose of
camouflage is really to not to get shot at. But let’s not split hairs.
Bad presentations are like camouflage. They’re just slide after slide of text in bullet point
lists, the same old PowerPoint templates and Comic Sans fonts with the same pieces of clip
art you’ve seen a million times. Bad content. Bad design. Bad presentations. Camouflage.
But the more you want your idea to be adopted, the more you want to persuade your
audience, the more your presentation has to stand out. And the way to do that is to
connect with people by creating content that has real impact and connection and then
delivering it using striking and memorable visuals. Give ‘em a reason to take up your cause!
Now, the trick is: How do you do it?
Image: Martin Swatton via Flickr
3
This quote from Seth Godin speaks especially to us as technologists. We’re usually up to
our eyes in data – numbers, statistics and percentages. And those things are important –
you definitely need them in your presentation. But relying too much on proof distracts you
from your real mission: emotional connection with your audience.
When you give a presentation, think of it as telling a story. We’re going to take some of the
key elements of story – a beginning, suspense, even a hero – and we’re going to use those
to build more compelling, more effective, more resonate presentations.
4
Why storytelling? Well, for one thing, it works! Whether it’s ghost stories around the
campfire, or Greek mythology that has survived for thousands of years, or even episodic
television – I’m talking about good old-fashioned television that was written, by the way,
not “reality” television – storytelling is a very human way of communicating. And that’s
because it resonates with us.
Stories are built not only to keep our attention but they are also built to be repeated, right?
So they we connect with them, and we share them. And that’s not a bad thing for your
idea.
Image: Andrew Forgrave via Flickr
5
I’m not big on rules – more a fan of guidelines. So we won’t have many rules in this
webinar. But here is one important one: This is a presentation.
Seems obvious, right? But if you think about most of the really bad presentations you’ve
seen, ask yourself this: was that really a presentation, or was it just someone reading slides
to a group of people? Could that information have been conveyed just as effectively via a
report or even an email?
A presentation is not a report. And it is not a document.
So it might seem strange to be sitting in a webinar about how to create a great
presentation and have the presenter tell you that maybe you shouldn’t create one at all.
But, honestly, not everything should be a presentation. If someone says, “What’s your
presentation about?” And you say “It’s a recap of the third quarter help desk ticket
volume.” And that’s it. I mean, that’s really it. Like, your presentation is really just 30 slides
of bar charts and pie charts showing that we had 200 calls about Excel and 500 about
Outlook? Ask yourself: Is this really a presentation?
If you aren’t adding value – giving context, telling a story, or doing something other than
regurgitating the data points on your slides, then you’re not really giving a presentation.
You’re really giving a dramatic reading of a report.
6
Sounds harsh, I know, but it’s really important. When you’re giving a presentation, it’s easy
to think it is about you. And in part two of this webinar, I’m even going to tell you – spoiler
alert! – that you’re the most important thing in the room. You are. But you’re not the most
important person in the room.
Self-centered people do not connect with audiences. No one wants to date a self-centered
person. No one wants to work with a self-centered person. And no one wants to listen to a
self-centered person stand up and give a presentation.
I know you don’t.
I bet you don’t.
And your audience doesn’t either. So don’t be that guy.
I told you we’re going to think of our presentation as a story. And every story has a hero,
right? But here’s the thing: You’re not the hero of this one.
7
So if you’re not the hero, who are you?
You’re not Young Master Skywalker. You’re Yoda. Sorry. I know it’s not as sexy. But it’s true.
You’re the wise guide.
Image: www.imdb.com
8
You’re not Neo. You’re The Oracle. The experienced advisor with a point of view.
By the way, I tried very hard to find an image from the first Matrix movie showing the REAL
Oracle because everyone knows the first Matrix movie was by far the best of the three, and
the original Oracle was far superior to the replacement Oracle. But since this isn’t Comic-
Con I’ll just put my nerd soapbox away and move to the next slide.
Image: www.imdb.com
9
Ooh, I love a good 80s flashback! Here, of course, is Daniel – The Karate Kid! Guess what?
That’s not you! You are Mr. Miyagi. The sly-as-a-fox counselor who teaches young Daniel
without him even realizing he’s being schooled. Wax on…wax off.
So you’re not the hero. Big deal. You still have a critical role to play. After all, without
Miyagi, there is no Karate Kid. You have the most knowledge in the room. Or at least the
most information. I mean, I hope you do. But you have a mission, Miyagi: when you leave
the room your audience should know something they didn’t know before.
Image: www.imdb.com
10
Okay, so if you’re not the hero, who is? It’s your audience, of course.
They’re the ones who will carry your message out into the world and, hopefully, champion it. To
connect with them, you need to spend some time thinking about who they are. And not as a single
entity, but as individuals.
You have to think about what makes them tick. Is there someone in the room who is particularly
fond of the software your presentation suggests we decommission? Know that and be prepared for
it. Build something into your presentation to address it specifically.
You have to spend time thinking about who’s on the receiving end of your story. Designing a
presentation without understanding your audience is like writing a love letter and addressing it “To
Whom It May Concern.”
Some of you might have heard me speak about empathy at this year’s Conference, and I believe it is
the key to successful connections. If you know your audience, you can frame information in ways
that resonate with them, and you’ll be able to pull from your own experience to share stories that
demonstrate you have common ground with them and you understand their perspective. Powerful
stuff.
Image: istockphotos.com
11
So, a long time ago, like the 50s or something, Aristotle came up with this idea that a story
consists of three parts: Act 1 – the beginning; Act 2 – creatively known as “the middle” and
of course, Act 3 – the end.
I told you we’re going to use storytelling concepts to build the content for your
presentation, and Aristotle’s three act construct gives us the road map to build it. Sounds
simple, but it requires some thought and some discipline on your part. But I know you.
You’re up for a challenge.
So let’s take a look at each of the three parts.
12
13
14
This is where all the magic – and all the hard work – happens. This is your story.
And every good story has a central theme to it. A Big Idea.
Time to figure out what yours is.
15
The linchpin of your presentation is your Big Idea. What is your presentation really about?
What is the thing you want to communicate? Why does it matter?
So the very first thing you need to do is figure out what your Big Idea is. It’s not quite as
simple as it sounds.
To help, we’ll take a cue from Nancy Duarte’s great book Resonate. According to her, in
order to be effective, every Big Idea has to have three critical characteristics.
16
Even though you’re not the hero of this story, Miyagi, you are the one in front of the room.
So the story should be told from your point of view. Here’s why this matters:
1. Telling the story from your point of view makes you the undisputed subject matter
expert. After all, your point of view is based on your experience, your knowledge, and
your experience, right? So you’re automatically the authority.
2. Telling the story from your point of view makes it personal. If you’ve given the Big Idea
enough thought to have a point of view on it, then you must care about it. And when
you care about something it shows and that helps me as an audience member connect
with your story. You’re invested, so I’m more likely to invest.
Image: John Tseng via Flickr
17
Look out – it’s a homonym!
Since it’s Halloween, I couldn’t resist these wooden stakes…just a little nod to all you
Vampire fans out there. But of course, when I say your Big Idea has to convey the stakes, I
don’t really mean the wooden kind. Unless you’re speaking to a bunch of lumberjacks, I
guess.
But I digress.
Your Big Idea needs to tell your audience what’s at stake…why should they care enough to
take up your cause or come around to see things your way?
Let’s take a look at an example.
Image: Bernd Loos via Flickr
18
This is an idea.
But it doesn’t grab me.
Doesn’t move me.
It’s just an idea. It’s not a Big Idea.
What’s at stake if we don’t do this? What’s driving your point of view?
19
This?
Well, this has Big Idea written all over it.
First of all, you’re talking about security, which is a real buzzword these days, and rightfully
so, and that has emotional power. Fear. And, you also grabbed my attention with that dollar
figure, right?
So, security and money…those are definitely stakes. And I can see where your point of view
is rooted.
20
I couldn’t really find a great image to reinforce the idea of “complete sentence,” so when all
else fails, I just opt for a random image of Domo. I also admit that I enjoy the irony of the
caption.
In any case, the point is the third characteristic your Big idea needs is that you should be
able to express it in a complete sentence. With a subject. And a verb. And if you can work
the word “you” into that sentence? Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Let’s take a look at another example.
“Hey, Domo – what’s your presentation about?”
Image: Julia Montgomery
21
Eh.
Big whoop, right? I mean, that’s vague at best. Upgrading to Office 2010. What about it? Is
it good? Is it bad? Are you for it? Are you against it?
What happens if we don’t?
Let’s try this one again.
“Hey, Domo, what’s your presentation about?”
22
That’s more like it.
So I’m pretty sure I understand your point of view now. You’re for it. And you also told me
why. And you told me why in a way that makes me think I would like it, too.
Looks like we got:
- A point of view
- The stakes
- And a complete sentence
So now we can take this Big Idea and use it as the foundation upon which we’ll build our
presentation. We just got the plot of our story.
23
But wait – there’s a bonus round!
Nancy Duarte’s Three Characteristics of A Big Idea are right on the money. But I think your
Big Idea needs a fourth component: Emotion.
That’s a big ball of wax – I mean, there are a whole lot of emotions out there. So to make it
simpler, I’ll boil it down to two to choose from:
24
25
26
Don’t panic! We’re not going to veer into 50 Shades of Gray territory here. That’s a
different webinar altogether.
When thinking about the emotional component of your presentation, choose either
pleasure or pain to frame up your story using one of these perspectives:
- I’m going to tell the story of the increased pain and reduced pleasure that will be the
result if we don’t adopt this idea.
- I’m going to tell the story of the increased pleasure and reduced pain that will be the
result if we do adopt this idea.
Image: Michelle Gendron via Flickr
27
Holy cow, did I just peg the Nerdometer with this picture or what?
Okay, so a lot of the stuff we technologists present is data. And, I’m sure we can all agree that numbers
are just about the most scintillating thing in the world, right? Like, who doesn’t want to sit through a
deck of 50 bar charts mapping out number after mind-numbing number? Am I right? You’re laughing (I
hope), but let’s be honest: we have all been in a presentation exactly like that.
Our job as the storyteller is to give context and meaning to the data. And what we need to help us do
that is ideas.
So using your Big Idea as the guide, your next job is to generate as many related ideas as possible. Steal
shamelessly from others – keeping notes so you can be sure to credit/cite your sources later, of course!
Look at industry studies and publications, like ILTA’s Peer to Peer. Or surveys like the AmLaw 200 survey
on technology training trends that Traveling Coaches published earlier this year. See what I did there?
Shameless plug.
Another option is to generate ideas yourself. If you opt to go this route, then just let yourself think
about the Big Idea with no preconceived notions or limitations. If you could have a piece of information
that would really help tell your story, what would it be?
As you’re collecting ideas that support and reinforce your Big Idea, keep this in mind: According to our
friend Aristotle, to effectively persuade someone your argument – or in our case, presentation – must
employee three types of information.
Image: Flickr user puntxote
28
The first type of content you’ll need is Ethos, which is has an ethical appeal. What that
means is ideas that fall into this category help the audience connect with the Big Idea by
demonstrating shared values and experiences. Often this is a story you tell about your own
frustration or your own experience. “I can understand why you might be worried about X
because I ran into that myself…” or “Let me tell you about some of my own frustrations
with Y and you can tell me if they sound familiar to you…”
It’s sympathy and empathy. You understand the frustrations of the users and you
demonstrate that by sharing a common experience.
29
Next up is Logos, which is logical content. Lots of time this is data – something we as
technologists often have plenty of. But when you’re thinking about what data to
incorporate, try and choose data that supports a claim or a point you’re trying to make. As
tech folks, we sometimes overload our presentation with data, but don’t neglect the other
two types of content.
Having said that, Logos is probably the most important type of content in your
presentation. I mean, far be it for me to pick favorites, but Logos really is the Big Daddy of
the three. Why? Because without data to back it up, the other two types of arguments can
collapse. So, make sure you work your data in there…but you’re not off the hook for the
other two types of content.
30
Last but not least is Pathos. Pathos is emotional content. That doesn’t necessarily mean a
heartbreaking story that brings tears to the eyes of your audience, by the way. Fear is an emotion
too. And it’s a big motivator. You don’t want to terrify everyone – that’s only a very short-term
motivator and eventually turns folks against your idea. But a little fear can go a long way toward
making your point. Point is, there are a lot of emotions you can connect to with your content.
Recently, a client asked me to give a presentation to their secretaries about the evolving role of the
legal secretary. It just so happened that I got lucky enough to have Char LeMaire, our Chief Learning
Officer and one of the best presenters in the business, with me. So, of course, I tagged Char in,
because let’s be honest: when you have Michael Jordan on your team, you don’t leave him on the
bench.
Char shared a story with the secretaries about a friend of hers who had been a legal secretary to a
corner-office-Rainmaker type for many years. She felt she was untouchable at the firm, protected
by her partner. So when skills training was being pushed at the firm, she didn’t feel it was an
important thing for her. Char shared that her friend is now out of a job, and, at the age of 50-
something, living with her mother.
When she finished, you could have heard a pin drop in the room.
That is Pathos content at its finest. It resonates. It connects. It’s powerful.
So as you collect possible content for your presentation, make sure you keep an eye on whether
you’re covering all three types of appeals.
31
Look! It’s a “cereal killer.”
The phrase “murder your darlings” is an old saying among writers. Sometimes you write a character that
you love, but they’re just not working in the story. It’s hard. You get personally connected to them. But
you have to kill ‘em off to make the story work. Murder your darlings.
And that’s what you’re going to do now. You’ve collected all this great information. You have really good
data. And you’ve rounded up plenty of emotional content and you have some shared experiences to
weave in there so your story is really going to fire on all cylinders and resonate with the audience.
Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and distill all that good stuff down to the most impactful and
powerful points – the very core of your story.
The reason this is so tough is that you probably feel all the stuff you’ve collected is good. Heck, who are
we kidding, you probably think it’s all great. And you know what? It just might be. But when was the last
time you heard someone say “Man, I wish that PowerPoint presentation had been longer?”
These are words spoken by no one, ever, in the history of ever.
This really is one of the hardest parts of the entire process. But if you don’t distill your information, you
will absolutely lose your audience. Why? Because you’re making them work too hard to figure out the
important parts. EVERY part has to be important. You audience wants you to make it clearer – not make
it longer. So…how do you do it?
Image: Mariana Salas
32
Remember that Big Idea of yours? Well, it’s going to be the litmus test for weeding out your content and
distilling it down to its most important elements.
You’re going to look at each of the supporting topics or pieces of data you have and cluster them in
related groups. So, for example, if your Big Idea is the 2010 Upgrade you might have a cluster of topics
related to training. Group those together. Doing this is going to you see where you have gaps in your story
– plot holes, if you will.
There are a couple of ways you can do this – but I find it much easier to do the whole thing without the
linear confines of PowerPoint. This process needs to be a bit more freeform and I think you need room to
stretch and rearrange things. And PowerPoint isn’t the right tool for the job.
Option one is to go high-tech and use a mindmapping tool. There are some good free, online tools like
Bubble.us | Mindomo | MindMeister.
Image: www.shutterstock.com
33
Alternatively, you can use my preferred approach – the decidedly low-tech route. I put all
my ideas on sticky notes…and I color-code them. So, all the content that is an Ethos appeal
goes on blue post-its. Logos on yellow ones. And Pathos on hot pink ones. Then, I cluster all
the post-it notes that are about a similar concept – like training – together. Using this
approach helps me see that I might have some good topics around training, but all of it is
Logos…so I need to balance that out by dumping some of the Logos and bringing in some
Ethos and Pathos.
I know. I sound crazy.
But it’s a really great way to visually spot where you’re out of balance. I swear.
This might raise the question for you – beyond the question of “Are you crazy?” I mean.
And that is the question of time. Yes, this does take some time. But I’d say a couple of
things about that: 1. The more you use this process, the faster it gets. And 2. Yes, it does
take time…and it shows in the end result.
As you go through your content and apply your Darwinian eye to it – only the strong
survive, right? – the content that is left standing is going to need some back up.
Image: Flickr user Tangolorina
34
Next, you need to generate three to five supporting or related topics for each idea that
stays on the board…or the wall…or the mind map. Absolutely no more than five supporting
topics for each one. If you can stick to three for each, that’s the way to go.
So let’s revisit Domo’s Big Idea -- that Office 2010 upgrade example we keep coming back
to.
After weeding things out, let’s say one of the topics still in the lineup is Communications.
Now, let’s say the last time we had a big upgrade at the firm, we didn’t knock the
communications out of the park. That fact – that we didn’t do a great job with
communications last time – should be one of your “supporting” items for Communications
in this presentation. I know it doesn’t sound like it’s very “supporting,” but you’re
demonstrating your knowledge, you’re empathizing via a shared experience, and you’re
taking the wind out of the sails of those in your audience who would latch on to that past
failure and use it as resistance to this project.
So when I say a “supporting” idea, just keep in mind that it might not look like what you
typically think of as “supporting.” Maybe it’s more like “related.”
Image: Steven Smith
35
So you’ve weeded through the topics and narrowed the field. You’ve pulled together the supporting
ideas for each of your topics.
Next, you need to structure your story. This is a critical step in the process because your audience
doesn’t want to have to figure out the flow of the story themselves – you need to structure it for
them.
There are lots of ways you can structure your story…use the approach that makes the most sense
for your topic and your information:
• Chronological
• Process sequence
• Spatial/relationship
• Problem-solution
• Compare-contrast
• Cause-effect
• Pros-Cons
Image: Flickr user Jean-Baptiste Strobel
36
Okay, let’s pause for a moment for a quick sailing lesson.
When you sail against the wind, the sails have to frequently repositioned to harness the
wind. If you do it right, the boat actually sails faster than the wind itself, even though the
wind is opposing it. I don’t even know exactly what all that means. I read it on eHow or
something.
The point is: you can’t sail straight into the wind. You zig-zag into it. By the way, I’m almost
sure that “zig-zag” isn’t the proper sailing term for this, but just work with me.
So, where am I going with all this? Well, it’s an analogy, don’tcha know!
Your presentation has a destination, just like those sailboats. Your destination is your Big
Idea. And just like the sailboats run into wind resistance, your idea is likely to encounter
resistance among your audience. See what I did there? Clever, eh?
So how do you overcome resistance?
Zig zag into it!
Photo: Val Vieregener via Flickr
37
The zig-zagging in your story is the drama that keeps your audience’s interest.
You use those zig zags – we actually call them turning points when we’re writing a story –
to engage your audience.
You might use a “What is” versus “What could be” approach. Or maybe you compare and
contrast scenarios. For example, your zig might be “Last year, we spent X number of hours
on work that wasn’t billable because we didn’t have this software in place.” Then, you turn
into the zag – “Next year, with software Y in place, the firm could increase revenue by Z by
using the new automation features.” What is v. what could be.
There are two things to keep in mind:
1. There is something very comforting, and very engaging about repetition. Use that to
your advantage and build a pattern to your zig zags.
2. Make the gap between the zig and the zag as wide as possible. Really emphasize the
difference and the disparity.
Image: Flickr user {Andrea}
38
39
When your presentation is over, is that the end of things? Maybe. But maybe it’s just the
beginning. Maybe you now need the hero to take up the cause and do something. And,
hopefully, you’ve told a story compelling enough for them to want to do that.
But what is it you want the hero to do?
Your presentation should include a call to action. When they leave the room excited about
what you’ve told them, then what?
You might need them to provide resources, like money. You might need them to participate
in a beta or a test group. Or you might just want them to evangelize the good word out to
others.
When you create your call to action, keep in mind who your audience is. If your audience is
a group of secretaries, crafting a call to action that asks your audience to provide you with
funding isn’t the right fit. So take the knowledge you have about your audience and craft a
call to action that’s within their control.
And be specific: your call to action should be so specific folks know exactly what you want
them to do.
Image: Flickr user mqmazemaster
40
Not all great ideas are painless.
And, depending on what your Big Idea is, it might come with some pain.
It’s important to be honest about the sacrifices or risks or hardships that your audience can
expect if the Big Idea moves forward. Acknowledge it. Own it. When you do, you take away
the power it has a resistance point. And you’re also strengthening your connection to the
audience by showing empathy.
Image: Chris Tirpak via Flickr
41
The end. Finally!
The end of your presentation should recap the most important points from your story, with
emphasis on the positive outcomes that would result from your idea.
One note about this: This is the last moment to build their excitement and engagement
before they walk out the door. This webinar has been focused on building content and not
on the delivery of it. But I really want to throw in one important note here about delivery:
in this last moment, if you are not excited, or filled with wonder or enthusiasm, they won’t
be either. The tone you take when you deliver your closing will carry over to your audience
and influence the tone they take with them when they leave the room.
42
43
44
45
Wait, wait, wait…we forgot something.
Now that you know the story you’re going to tell, you need to go back and write your first
act.
Your beginning should leverage all the good stuff you’ve put into your presentation that
demonstrates that you understand where your audience’s thinking lies. You want to build
the connection at the outset. Then comes the tease – as part of your beginning, give them
a glimpse of what could be – what story are you going to tell them. You know you’re about
to tell a story that is filled with dramatic tension created by comparing and contrasting –
what is v. what could be – so use the last part of your beginning to set the hook. You’re
setting their expectation for what’s ahead.
The beginning shouldn’t be long. Ideally, it’s no longer than 10% of your total time.
46
Well, you might have noticed that we just spent an hour talking about creating a
presentation and you haven’t built a single slide. Not one.
If you’re going to put this much effort into your content then don’t you want to create
slides that showcase your story in the best possible light?
Of course you do.
And in the second part of this webinar, that’s exactly what we’ll do. We’ll cover practical
tips, tricks and best practices for building powerful, engaging and downright beautiful
slides. We’ll talk color, fonts and even some insider PowerPoint “how to” shortcuts.
Did I sell you yet? I hope so. And I hope to see you all back here for part two next week.
Image: Matt Thorn via Flickr
47
Get in touch!
I’d love to hear if this process works for you and how it changes the way you think about
and approach your own presentations.
Cheers!
48