ELIMINATE DEATH BY POWERPOINT
How to develop and deliver engaging presentations
Gabrielle Dolan and Yamini Naidu
Do you deliver presentations? ..If so, ‘Eliminate Death by PowerPoint’ is for you. But only if you want
your next presentation to grab and hold people’s attention, you want your audience to connect with you
and engage with your messages.
At the end of your presentation, people walk away gasping, but not for breath to revive their comatose
state but gasping for more! OK enough with the hyperbole. This book packed with insights and practical
tips that will help all of us eliminate the dreaded ‘Death by Power Point’ and become better presenters.
(Two birds with one stone and all that jazz).
We have all no doubt been the victims at some stage in our life of “Death by PowerPoint”...perhaps
narrowly escaping the inevitable only to be subjected to the same torture by the very next speaker. And
perhaps we have also inflicted this on others.
Whether you rock at presenting or not, or like most people are somewhere in between those extremes,
whether you are a CEO, or a humble cog in the wheel or a parent presenting at the next School Council
Meeting, this book will help you be a better presenter.
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Endorsements for Eliminate Death by PowerPoint
"To get to the top you need to be noticed. Every time you present you have an opportunity to impress
people or bore them to death. This is the best book I have read on the do's and dont's about
PowerPoint. It explains that what you don't do is just as important as what you do do."
John Stewart, Chairman, Legal and General, London, Member of Court, The Bank of England, London and
Director, Telstra Corporation, Melbourne.
“People now say I'm gifted and mesmerizing speaker. I was hardly the case to start with. If I'd read
‘Eliminate Death by PowerPoint’ and engaged Gabrielle and Yamini, I could have not only saved many
a needless death by PowerPoint but more importantly engaged and thus helped many more people
over the years. It holds the keys to taking a good speaker to a great speaker.”
Sherry Strong, Food Philosopher & Nutritional Strategist and Curator & Co-Founder World Wellness Project
Summit
“Reading “Eliminate Death by PowerPoint” spoke volumes to me, as a professional event director I
have seen time and time again the exhausted and emotionless expressions on conference delegates at
the end of a long day of presentations especially those who have been inflicted with PowerPoint
torture. This book points out some fundamental but often forgotten truths that all presenters need to
know and confront before planning any presentation. A poignant and great resource for anyone who
wants to be heard and most importantly remembered!”
Taren Hocking – Director, Champion Events
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Acknowledgments
Our clients have been the inspiration for this book and we thank them for their support.
Many of our clients are already eliminating death by PowerPoint by having the courage to do something
different. Many other people want to do the same …so we hope this book helps.
Every day we have the opportunity to work with a variety of amazing people who inspire us……and we
learn so much from them.
We would like to thank Sandra Marks, coach extraordinaire and eagle eyed editor of the book and
Michael Abulencia of Clever Creatives who has brilliantly designed the book while handling all our
demands with patience, tact and charm.
Our families make the world go around, make everything we do worthwhile and keep us grounded with
love and endless demands of “What’s for dinner?”…some things never change! So thanks to Alex,
Jessie, Steve, Tara and Vish.
To all of you we dedicate this book and acknowledge your role in making it happen. We have much to
be grateful for.
So, before this gets anymore maudlin ‘Thank you and Thank you again’!
Gabrielle & Yamini
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Contents
Introduction
6
‘I don’t have time for audience participation‘ 33
STAGE 1 – READY – Content is King
9
Use video and other aids
34
Your Audience
11
Props
36
Have them at hello
12
Power in the unexpected
37
Lose them at hello
13
Different ways to present
39
Who are you?
14
STAGE 3 – GO - Presenting
42
Your Key Messages
16
Practice makes Perfect
44
The Ending
19
Notes
46
STAGE 2 – SET – Delivering My Content
22
Visualise Success
47
PowerPoint Rules
24
Avoid the Lectern
48
A picture paints a thousand words
26
Actually Presenting
49
Read and Hear
29
What Next?
51
Split your presentation
31
Checklist on a page
52
PowerPoint-less
32
References…
53
Mixing it up
32
About the Authors
54
Increase the involvement of your audience 33
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Introduction
We have a confession to make. We have a personal, even selfish reason for writing this book. Our
professional goal (which we hope you will share with us) is to eliminate Death by PowerPoint.
Just like you, we have sat through too many boring presentations. Presentations that are too long,
dense with data and PowerPoint slides with text-heavy information that no one can read.
We have no doubt all been both victims and perpetrators of this heinous crime!
Now don’t get us wrong, we do not want to start a war with Microsoft. We do not have a problem with
PowerPoint per se. We do have a problem with the poor use of PowerPoint and unfortunately that is
about 90% of the time. But wait … there’s hope: together we can change this!
We came across something years ago that said if PowerPoint was a drug, there would be global recall.
Think about it ...if there was a drug that promised to make you a better communicator but actually had
the reverse effect, in that it significantly reduced your ability to communicate properly, would you take it?
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So we think enough is enough. This problem has been going on for too long and action is needed. We have
not seen one Government inquiry into boring presentations. We have not seen rallies in the streets with
people holding placards and chanting:
“What do we want?”...
”Interesting presentations”...
”When do we want it?”...
“NOW!”.
Where are the colourful wristbands emblazoned with
‘ELIMINATE DEATH BY POWERPOINT NOW’?
If you are going to do things well you may as well create a funky fashion accessory for your cause!
Well we want to start a revolution. We want to eliminate death by PowerPoint. And if you are reading this book
then hopefully you are ready to join the revolution.
In fact Margaret Mead, the world renowned cultural anthropologist, might specifically have been referring to
PowerPoint when she said, “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s
all who ever have.”
So if you care about delivering engaging presentations yourself and eliminating death by PowerPoint this is the
book for you.
OK now that we have got that off our chest (and hopefully you have been nodding your head in vigorous
agreement) down to the nitty gritty.
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This book is segmented into three sections called Ready, Set, Go.
Ready is planning the content. It is about what you want to say, what your audience wants to hear and
your key messages.
Set covers how you are going to present that information ...which MAY include PowerPoint but it may
not.
Finally, Go is about what you can do just before you walk up to present, what you can do during the
presentation and afterwards - besides knocking yourself out at the closest bar.
There are hundreds of books and blogs on how to deliver better presentations and we are not about to
recap and cover all of those. What we will do is provide some of our, hopefully, fresh insights and
practical advice.
Some of the information we provide in this book you may agree with and adopt. Other stuff you may
not ... and that is completely fine. In fact we encourage it because not everything will suit you, your
audience or your organisation’s culture.
But that is not a cop out! We encourage you and hope you will
try at least some of the things we suggest.
So let’s get into it.
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STAGE 1
READY
Content is King
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In the 1990’s there was huge wave of presentation training that focused on purely presenting.
The belief was that
‘It is not what you say, it is how you say it’.
BOLLOCKS! That view is so last century.
Now in the 21st century what you say (the content)
and how you say it (the delivery) are both important. So we will focus on helping you decide your content
and then determining the best way to deliver that content.
The first thing to do when you are preparing to present is to not open up PowerPoint and start typing.
We repeat...DO NOT START WITH YOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION.
OK, has everyone calmed down?
It may seem obvious but it seems to be the first step people take when asked to present. We have no
doubt all been guilty of this. You open up PowerPoint and create a flashy title page, do a bit of cut and
paste from a previous presentation and you feel good that you have at least started - right? Come on, we
have all done that.
The second shocking fact is that your presentation is not about you!
Again perhaps this is worth repeating, IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU! Well, it is a tiny bit about you but we will
get to that later. Your presentation should be foremost about your audience.
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Your Audience
The first thing you need to do when asked to present is to think about the audience!
Who are they?
What motivates them?
What will they be thinking?
Why will they come to see you present or listen to what you say?
If you are presenting to a client, what do they really want to hear? Is it the history of your company and
how many employees you have (Hint: YAWN Boring) or is it about how you have successfully serviced
clients just like them?
If you don’t know your audience that well, then speak to someone who does know them better than
you ... research your audience so you can put in place the strategy we suggest below, like our client
Jack did.
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Have them at hello
Jack was preparing to present at a Road Show. We asked Jack what his audience would be thinking
and he answered honestly with this. “Well when I was on the other side of the fence and had to attend
Road Shows, I would think ‘Not another bloody Road Show’, so I have no doubt that this is what they will
be thinking”.
Jack used this piece of research information (see that wasn’t hard) and started his presentation with “So
I know you are all probably thinking, not another bloody Road Show”. Through that one line, people had
a laugh as Jack acknowledged what they were thinking. Jack was immediately on the audience’s side
and they thought this speaker isn’t too bad, let’s listen to what follows.
Recently, we attended a 7:30 breakfast presentation where the CEO of Carmen's Muesli, Carolyn
Creswell was presenting. She started by saying, “When the alarm went off this morning I thought this
breakfast seminar better be good. And then I thought Shit I better be good!”. The audience laughed and
connected with her straight away. Depending on what you are able to find out about your audience
always try and tap into what your audience is thinking and use that as part of your presentation.
In fact we often recommend you begin with that, like Jack and Carolyn Creswell. If you first line is about
the audience then like the line from Jerry Macguire “You have them at hello“.
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Lose them at hello
Please note, there is an opposite strategy which we term the, ‘You lost them at hello’. Two things to
absolutely avoid at the start of your presentation are any sort of housekeeping announcement or an
apology. Delegate any housekeeping stuff to someone else. If there is absolutely no way of getting out
of it, do not waste that vital first impression with this announcement. Be wise and do it at a later point,
say after 5 minutes of the presentation. If anyone is busting to go to the toilet, they would have found it
by now – no doubt.
Our PET hate is presenters who start with an apology. They say stuff like, ‘My apologies, I couldn’t get
all the images I wanted on the slides’. Or, ‘Sorry you are getting the short version of this presentation
because the organisers could only give me 30 minutes’; or, ‘Sorry I have to rush through this as I want to
cover as much as possible in the short time I have with you’. The tough news is your audience doesn’t
give a toss. In fact sometimes you can even see the words ‘Loser’ hovering in the thought bubble over
the audience. Sorry this is ‘Tough Love’ – we have to call it as it is. Don’t waste their time, your audience
just wants you to do the best you can in the circumstances.
The only exception to this is if something does go seriously wrong. If you are 30 minutes late and have
kept everyone waiting then this deserves a genuine apology. If the audience came to see a specific
speaker and you are a last minute fill in, this needs some sort of explanation and an apology. But make
it funny and keep it real.
So once you have considered your audience, then the focus can move on to you. The next thing you
need to address is why your audience would listen to you and your messages.
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Who are you?
You need to answer the question that your audience will be thinking: “Who are you and why should I
listen to your message?”. Even if you know your audience well they will be asking these questions every
time because your messages are different. You could be the CEO, the subject matter expert or their
manager; they will still be mentally asking this.
One of the ways to address this is to start with a story and it doesn’t have to be long, as this example
illustrates. You might have heard of Anna Gare, the new judge in the first episode of Junior Master Chef
in Australia. When Anna was introduced to her audience she said, ‘I started cooking when I was your
age and I could barely see over the counter’. Her audience laughed and immediately connected with
her.
Anna opened with something personal that demonstrated empathy for her audience. Empathy, humour,
connection all in less than 30 seconds. Do you think you could achieve all three in the first 30 seconds
of your opening when you make your next presentation?
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Annette Simmons, story expert, says one of the first stories you need to use are, ‘Who am I?’ stories,
that is, what personal qualities make you a trustworthy person... in this context?
Its wisdom rests on that old adage ‘people need to trust you before they trust your message’. Anna’s
use of self disclosure shows that it doesn’t have to be a long story that trawls all the milestones in her
life, which can be boring and certainly wouldn’t have held her audience’s attention or worked on prime
time TV. It can be one sentence that shows who you are, and tells the audience what they need to know
about you …that is relevant to them.
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Your Key Messages
The next aspect of the ready stage you need to ask yourself is, if the audience could remember 1, 2 or 3
messages, what would they be? We often ask this of senior executives only to be told that they have 8
extremely important points and that they want all 8 remembered. It will never happen ... and this is
‘projection bias’. Projection bias is the tendency to assume that others share similar values, beliefs or
thoughts. Put simply, projection bias is where you like chocolate, which is fine, and you assume your
audience will also like chocolate, which is not fine and may not even be true.
Just because all 8 messages are important to you - big time projection bias - doesn’t mean they will be
equally important for your audience. When you emphasise all 8 messages guess what – your audience
will remember zero messages. That is the harsh truth, you are fighting a losing battle against the
fundamental way humans are designed to absorb information in small chunks. So if you don’t choose
your top 3 messages and prioritise these for your audience, you leave it to your audience to choose.
Human nature being what it is, they will choose to remember nothing at all.
Once you have your 1 or 2 or 3 (maximum) key messages you need a story for each of those. Now we
run a company that specialises in organisational storytelling so it may not be a surprise to you that we
are suggesting stories but ask yourself what you remember from presentations?
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Take the example of a CEO who was the first speaker at his company’s leadership forum. There were
over 400 senior leaders present and the forum was about how to better engage their employees.
The CEO started with this story: “There was a boy who was walking along the road and a man came up
to him in a car and said, ‘I will give you ten dollars and a bar of chocolate to get into the car’. The boy
continued walking without looking at the man. A couple of minutes later the car approached the boy
again and the man said ‘OK what about if I give you 50 dollars and two bars of chocolate will you get into
the car?’. The boy continued walking ignoring the driver. Another minute passed. The car approached
the boy again and this time the man said ‘All right, you win. I will give you $100 and all the chocolate you
can eat’. With that the boy stopped and walked over to the car and said, ‘Dad, you bought the Volvo,
you live with the consequences’. And that just goes to show that it takes more than money and
chocolate to motivate people.”
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The theme of taking more than money and chocolate to motivate was picked up and used by all the
following speakers. The leader then went on to explain the strategy for the next 12 months, the
challenges and opportunities. But he had clearly identified the most important message he wanted to
deliver to his audience. He wanted them to start thinking differently about employee engagement. He
did that through the story because people remember stories.
Humans are hardwired to listen to stories and they interpret information through stories. Stories help
people understand and remember what you are saying. As an added bonus, people tend to re-tell stories
and this automatically spreads your messages
After the presentation is finished, your audience will probably only remember the 1 or 2 stories you have
told. If those stories are purposefully used to communicate your key messages, then that is what will be
remembered.
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The Ending
The last thing in planning your content is thinking about what you are going to leave your audience with?
Can you finish with a bang? Something really memorable, a quote, a provocative statement or a recap of
your main points? You can and wait for it ... try a story.
A presenter ended his presentation with this parable.
“High in the Himalayan mountains lived a wise man. One of his skills was to 'psychically' tell the villagers
the contents in their pockets, boxes, or minds.
A few young boys from the village, decided to play a joke on the wise old man. One boy came up with
the idea to capture a bird and hide it in his hands. Knowing the wise old man would correctly state the
object in his hands was a bird, the boy would ask the old man if the bird was dead or alive. If the wise
man said the bird was alive, the boy would crush the bird in his hands, so that when he opened his
hands the bird would be dead; if the wise man said the bird was dead, the boy would open his hands
and let the bird fly free. So no matter what the old man said, the boy would prove the old man a fraud.
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The following week, the boy quickly caught a bird and cupping it out of sight in his hands, walked up to
the wise old man and asked, 'Old man, old man, what is it that I have in my hands?'
The wise old man said, 'You have a bird,' and he was right. The boy then asked, 'Old man, tell me, is the
bird alive or is it dead?' The wise old man looked at the boy and said, 'The bird is as you choose it.' And
so it is with what you have learnt today – you choose what to do with it.’’
Now you may be thinking at this stage, “How many stories do I need? I only have 30 minutes”. The
answer to that is that you probably need:
One to start with (especially if your audience does not know you).
This is the ‘Who am I’ story
You need one for each of your key messages, and
One to finish on.
Remember that purposeful stories, done well, should only be a minute or so long. In fact if your stories
are going longer than 3 minutes, they are too long.
Stories are the most effective and time efficient way to get your message across so the less time you
have the more important it is to tell a story. You only have 5 minutes? ... you absolutely NEED a story.
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This book was never designed to take you through the process of finding, crafting and polishing
appropriate stories you can use in business. We have a whole website, YouTube channel and other
products dedicated to that ... so certainly feel free to check out our website and contact us for that
specific training. www.onethousandandone.com.au
So that ends the ready stage. To recap in planning your content remember:
In the 21st century both content and delivery matter
Do not start your content by opening up PowerPoint
Start by researching your audience
Strategies to have your audience at hello, not to lose them at hello
Who are you? What does your audience need to know about you at the start?
Identifying your three key messages and three examples or stories to use
How are you going to end?
Now it is time to figure out the best way to communicate this....
Time for you to get SET.
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STAGE 2
SET
Delivering My Content?
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OK so you have all your content mapped out. Your next challenge is how will you deliver your content?
The reality is that if you are presenting to a large group then you will most probably need PowerPoint
slides. You may even work for a company where PowerPoint is expected. We once tried to encourage a
leader not to use PowerPoint and his response was, ‘I have to, if I don’t it will look like I am not
prepared’ ... sad but true.
So let’s first look at PowerPoint and some ways we can start using it effectively.
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PowerPoint Rules
We have a rule of thumb that the ratio for PowerPoint slides to time is 1 slide every 3 to 5 minutes. Now
this is very much a rule of thumb but if you are talking for 45 minutes and have 60 slides that is way, way
too much. Always, ALWAYS ... less is more.
If in doubt, halve the number of slides you use. If you have 40 slides make it 20, if you have 20, make it
10. Sounds drastic, but repeat this like a chant “My audience does not need to see everything I am
saying on my slides”.
Secondly, there is absolutely nothing more infuriating than putting up a slide and saying “You probably
can’t read this but ....”. It’s insulting to your audience and it makes you look lazy and a poor presenter. If
you know that people in the audience cannot read it, do not put it up there ... it really is that simple and it
is not rocket science. What you could do instead is have a handout ready for everyone or use a
whiteboard to draw up the key aspects of the data you want to draw attention to.
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Take this example for instance, which was used to show the complexity of the USA’s military strategy for
the war in Afghanistan...
Some may argue that the slide actually demonstrates the complexity, but a member of the audience was
stated as saying “When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war”.
To read the post of, ‘We have met the enemy and he is PowerPoint’ go to...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html?_r=1&hp
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A picture paints a thousand words
Another option for PowerPoint is that every slide does not need to
contain text. There is an option for ‘insert picture’ so feel free to
use this. This is especially appropriate if you are using stories to
convey your message. Just stick up a picture that represents your
story and as far as possible keep it real and use your own photos
rather than standard stock photos. Standard stock photos are the
clip art of the 21st century!
I was once involved in a very, very long-term transformational
project and after 2 and half years when the change was complete I
needed to do a series of presentation to the business. The first
slide I put up was a picture of my daughter who was nearly 2. I
spent about 30 seconds talking about her, knowing people would
be thinking ‘why is she telling us about her daughter?’. I then
said, ‘you are probably wondering why I am talking about my
daughter. The reason is that when we started this project, I was 6
weeks pregnant.’ One of my key messages was to get across how
intensive and long this change had been and I believed that doing it
via my daughter’s age would have more impact than just saying we
have been working on this for 2 and half years....and it did.
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So your slides do not always need text but if they do, keep the text to a minimum.
To share our learning with you: when delivering key note presentations we often discuss Aristotle’s
model of influence and the uneven and ineffective way business relies on logic when attempting to
communicate and influence. This is the slide we previously used.
This PowerPoint slide emerged from what we used to write up on a white board and we fell into the trap
of being constrained by the templates of PowerPoint and delivered a boring slide.
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Now we just have three words up on the screen, which gets across the overemphasis on Logos and then
we do all the explaining. We love our new slides - we hope you do.
!
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Read and Hear
There is a common misconception that if I have the text written on the slide and then I read it out, that this
will increase understanding. WRONG, WRONG and WRONG ... It actually decreases understanding.
Research from Professor John Sweller from University of New South Wales, Australia, who is well known for
his work on Cognitive Load theory, has shown that the human brain processes information better if it is either
in the written format or if it is verbal. To get both simultaneously reduces the brain’s ability to process the
information. So asking a person to read off the slide as you are talking reduces the effectiveness of your
presentation. If you want people to read text, let them read it. Give them time to read it in silence and then
perhaps ask a question about it. Such as ‘What stood out for you in that text? What do you think will have
the biggest impact for us? What are you most concerned about when reading that?’.
This approach of letting people read and then asking questions also gets some audience participation.
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Professor Sweller states that, "The use of the PowerPoint presentation has been a disaster. It is
effective to speak to a diagram, because it presents information in a different form. But it is not effective
to speak the same words that are written, because it is putting too much load on the mind and decreases
your ability to understand what is being presented."
This research really challenges the way most of us have been instructed to develop our PowerPoint
presentations. The current paradigm of capturing what you want to say in bullet points is just not working
and now we have the research to tell us why …. our brain does not like it and, even worse, our brain
cannot handle it.
Professor Edward Tufte in his essay "The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint", points out many criticisms of
PowerPoint which are discussed in this book including:
It is used as a guide for the presenter, rather than to aid the audience;
It causes ideas to be arranged in an unnecessarily deep hierarchy which then means the
audience need to be taken through a very linear progression.
And the one we like the best is that Tufte states that PowerPoint forces ‘Simplistic thinking, from ideas
being squashed into bulleted lists, and stories with beginning, middle, and end being turned into a
collection of disparate, loosely disguised points.’
Professor Tufte wrote an interesting paper which explored how PowerPoint was ineffectively used to brief
senior NASA officials prior to the 1986 Columbia disaster in which seven astronauts lost their lives after
the space shuttle disintegrated during re-entry. The paper explores how vital information was buried in
the PowerPoint presentation, due to the very nature of PowerPoint.
So with your PowerPoints try to use pictures, use graphs and if you must use text, keep it to one or a few
words.
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Split your presentation
Many presenters know that not everyone will be there on the day and those who are not present can be
emailed the PowerPoint pack. They end up producing a pack rich in text to cater for the people who will
not be there. They try to kill two birds with the one stone and achieve nothing. The two birds are sitting
there on the branch, wondering what the hell just flew past them.
If you know people are not going to be there and need to receive the information in written format,
produce another document in Word or put all the additional text into the notes pages of the PowerPoint.
Another reason we have seen presenters put additional text on the slide is ‘it helps me remember and I
like having it up there’. Remember right at the start when we said this is not about you? ...same rule
applies. The PowerPoint slides should only be used if they assist the audience to understand and
remember your message ... do not use them as prompts for you.
Prompts are always a good idea but have separate notes for that. So adding additional text may help
you but, as we have just discussed, it will have a detrimental effect on people understanding and
remembering your message. So, honestly, why would you do it?
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PowerPoint-less
Think about the scary proposition that you may not need PowerPoint at all ...are you still with us?
We
conduct a full-day workshop and do not use PowerPoint. When we do key note speaking presentation
to a large crowd we have a handful of PowerPoint slides and that is it ... and we have survived.
Also consider other presentation packages like this one we have come across recently Prezi. It allows
you to create in their words ‘eye popping presentations’. Even better check out this presentation by
James Geary that uses Prezi to give you an idea of how different this is from ye olde PowerPoint. Just
something to consider and perhaps try. No matter what package you use try to mix it up.
Mixing it up
For each section of your presentation or each key message, do something different.
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Increase the involvement of your audience
Do this by asking well thought out, appropriate questions. Don’t think you should be a talking head right
through your presentations. Why are you doing all the heavy lifting? Think of an attention grabbing
question you could ask at the start and questions you could ask right through the presentation. This
gets people thinking, lifts the energy in the room, and basically people hear some voices besides yours
… which might be good thing!
‘I don’t have time for audience participation’
If you do subscribe to that view, it is industrial age thinking. Presenters who crunch through their
presentation are saying implicitly that they think that people are empty vessels waiting to be filled up.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, think of your audience as an intelligent, well informed
resource that you can draw on to make your presentation shine.
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Use video and other aids
You could perhaps show a small video clip. Scour the internet and think laterally. We once attended a
presentation on change management when the presenter started by showing the Amazing Honda Ad
called ‘The Cog’ which ends with the tag line “Isn’t it wonderful when things work?”. He then used this
tag line to make the rest of his presentation work.
But never rely on technology because there are so many things that can go wrong. If it does not work,
than just move on.
Depending on the size of the group you could use a whiteboard or flipchart to draw out your message.
Even with these tools always write a few words and write big. Use mostly black or blue markers as these
are colours that show up and people can see them. Don’t be tempted into using colour by thinking that
will make it more interesting ... coloured markers are much harder to see.
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Even draw a few images if needed. We often draw up a giant heart and giant glasses on a whiteboard
when we talk about how a good story has emotion (the heart) and sensory data (the glasses). Low risk
and high impact ... even if you are not a very good drawer.
People always remember the heart and the glasses, months later. For larger groups when we use
PowerPoint we still just use these two simple images.
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Props
Using props can be a good way for people to remember. We had a client who narrated the following
story and ended it by sticking a milk crate on the table.
“When I was about 14 my Dad took me to the football every week. We would stand in the outer and
being smaller than everyone else, I often missed out on seeing the action. One week we decided to
bring along an old milk crate we had lying around to stand on. It was great - I was finally ahead of
everyone else and could watch the whole game. The next week we brought along the milk crate again
but this time we noticed that a few other people had also brought along their milk crates. We were
actually a bit impressed that we had started a trend. Unfortunately, within a few months nearly everyone
had a milk crate and I was literally back to square one, back with the rest of the pack. My experience at
those matches reminds me of what we are trying to achieve with the war for talent. We can’t be happy
with starting a trend and taking an early lead, we need to constantly be on the lookout for our next milk
crate.”
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Power in the unexpected
Don’t be afraid to do something completely unexpected that will help people remember.
We saw a great example of this by one of our clients. It was at the company’s annual conference where
targets for the next year were normally announced. Franc who headed up the Australian region, knew
that the targets were going to be a big stretch for the team and he knew that as soon as he
communicated the targets their reaction would be, ‘That is impossible’. He knew that because secretly
he had pretty much thought the same thing when he saw the targets.
Franc took the time to consider what his audience’s emotion would be when he delivered his message.
Franc did not use a story to address this emotion, he did something that created a story that has been
told over and over again throughout the company.
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Franc was co-presenting with his Sales Manager. Upon presenting the targets to the wider group he
started reacting with comments like ‘That is impossible! We could never achieve that!’, and with that he
simply walked out of the door. He left the room and walked out. There was a couple of seconds where
people were wondering what was going on but then Franc slowly walked back in, mumbling under his
breath but just loud enough for people to hear, ‘Perhaps we could give those targets a go. When you
think about it, there are a few things we could do differently that might help us achieve this’.
By the time Franc arrived back at the front with his co-presenter, he had fast tracked people through their
initial reaction of ‘that is impossible’ to being able to talk about how it could probably be.
That entire day consisted of PowerPoint presentation after PowerPoint presentation. That day Franc
was a hero in more ways than one. He saved everyone from certain death by PowerPoint. His did the
unexpected and this was the only thing that people remembered and are still talking about two years on.
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Different ways to present
Instead of doing a stand-up presentation, can someone interview you? It is a more casual approach; it
lends itself to more stories and will be more engaging, especially if the audience can ask questions.
We also did some work with a CIO who used to deliver regular employee briefings to her 200 staff. She
hated doing them and the employees hated going to them. We convinced her to try cafe style sessions
where she could present to smaller groups of about 30 or 40 people sitting around small tables (like a
cafe). She found that this created a better opportunity for real dialogue. She uncovered a lot more of the
real issues that were facing her employees, which put her in a better position to address them. She
developed stronger relationships with her employees. Not surprisingly, the employees felt this was
worthwhile and that they were being listened to.
Did it take her longer to do? Yes, there is no doubt it did, as she had to do this session more than once.
But the benefits were worth it. And if you are doing something that is just not working, then why do it at
all. We have a favourite quote, “if you always do what you have always done, you will always get what
you have always got”.
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Also, treat any Question & Answer (Q & A) time as part of your presentation. Never end with a weak,
‘Any questions?’. End by asking the audience a question yourself. Ask for example, “How do you think
you can apply this back at work?”. And from that more questions will flow. Not all answers have to be 5
minutes long - know when to stop. Don’t talk for 55 minutes and leave 5 minutes for Q & A – it looks like
you are saying is, ‘Actually, I don’t want any questions’.
Finally, be courageous, just because everyone else in your organisation uses PowerPoint it does not
mean you have to. If you are a CEO or senior leader, than lead by example, do your bit to eliminate
death by PowerPoint ...your people will love you for it.
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So the set stage is all about how you will deliver your messages and just to recap:
If you are using PowerPoint remember, less is more: reduce the number of slides and the
amount of text on each slide.
Remember, a picture speaks a 1001 words (subliminal marketing): so use pictures.
NEVER read what is on the slide verbatim unless you want to deliberately decrease your
audience’s understanding of the messages.
Split your presentation in two – the light version you present to, the detailed version can be
emailed out.
Everything on your slides should cater for your audience.
Have your prompts on separate speaker’s notes.
Consider abandoning PowerPoint all together – set yourself free.
Mix it up, even if you are using PowerPoint, ask the audience questions, use video, other
aids and props.
Throw in something unexpected that people will remember long after the event.
Remember, you don’t have to use PowerPoint ...does it always have to be a presentation,
could you be interviewed, could you do smaller ‘cafe style’ sessions?
Make the Q & A section part of your presentation.
So are you ready? Are you set? Time to go.
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STAGE 3
GO
Presenting
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Well not just yet.
You have done all the hard work, all the preparation. Before you get to actually GO, it goes without
saying that you need to practice. Perhaps it does not go without saying:
YOU NEED TO PRACTICE.
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Practice makes Perfect
No matter how well prepared you are, the words will not come out right first time, not even second time.
So you need to practice. Now this may just be going through it in your head while you are out on a run
or walk but we really encourage you to say it out loud. This maybe in the shower or in your car. Some
people suggest in front of a mirror.
You could simply record yourself into your phone and listen back or video yourself. Just remember that
you will always be more critical of the way you look and sound than anyone else will be.
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Depending on the presentation, it may be a good idea to practice in front of other people that you trust so
they can give you honest and constructive feedback. Practicing for real allows you to get a better
indication of how long the presentation will take (you never want to go over time); helps you determine
your pace; and makes it all come alive. It also gives you more confidence on the day.
There is a lot of truth in the adage ‘Practice makes Perfect’. We are often told we are good presenters
and that we are naturals ... we are not! Well we think we are pretty good but we are definitely not natural
presenters. We do two things: we prepare and we practice ... a lot.
For more information on this check out our video ‘Myth of the Natural Born Storyteller’
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Notes
Another thing you may want to do just before you get to GO is have notes. We always prefer to either
draw pictures or have 1 or 2 words to remind us of key points. This is all you may need. But you know
yourself best. So if fully written out notes help you, go for it. Of course as long as you don’t read from
the notes verbatim, as that creates a disconnect with your audience.
So you have practiced and the big day has come.
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Visualise Success
Now this suggestion may not sit comfortably with you but try it before you dismiss it. Take some time the
night before, the morning of or just before you are to begin your presentation. Visualise in your mind
walking on to the stage, going through your content, nailing your stories; see the engaged bodies in the
audience, nods of agreement. Visualise the questions and the positive way you answer them. Visualise
the applause and the people coming to you afterwards saying how much they loved your presentation.
Visualise success.
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Avoid the Lectern
If you have any control over the environment of the room, do not use a lectern but ask if you can have a
lapel microphone. This is not always an option but if you can it will make the world of difference. You are
trying to connect with your audience and the lectern automatically puts up a physical barrier between you
and your audience.
Please don’t use a lectern just because it is there. We have seen speakers presenting to small groups of
15 people going the whole hog – standing behind the lectern and talking into the microphone. It’s much
more effective if you step out from behind the lectern and not use the microphone. Remember,
presenting is about connecting with your audience as individuals. Don’t be a slave to the set up you are
given and make sure you alter it to suit your audience and your mission of connecting with them. One
way to disconnect from your audience is to hide behind a lectern.
We watch a lot of the TED talks and hardly ever have we seen a speaker behind a lectern...have you?
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Actually Presenting
Once you are presenting, there are a few things you can do that will help.
Make eye contact with people from various parts of the room.
Find those smiling faces in the audience and come back to them.
Talk to the crowd like you are talking to one person.
Opinion is divided between the ‘stay still and be centred when talking, do not move around too much’ and
the ‘walk around and use the whole stage’. We think this very much comes down to your own style.
Maybe a happy medium is the way to go. When you are getting to the crux of your message, when you
are about to really emphasise a point, that may be a good time to be still and centred. When moving
from one point to the next, that is always a good time to move.
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The most important thing to remember is to work in your natural style. Do what feels comfortable for
you, because if you are not comfortable or confident it will impact your performance. Having said that, it
is OK and natural to feel a level of anxiety.
So just to recap the final stage, before you deliver:
Practice, practice and practice ...it really does make perfect.
Write out ‘prompter’ notes if you need them.
Visualise success.
Avoid the lectern and use lapel microphones if available.
During your delivery
Make eye contact.
Look for the reassuring smiling faces.
Use both pacing and staying still.
Be yourself, and, finally.
Enjoy it ... if you have done the preparation, you will be fine...in fact you will be great!
So we hope this has helped. You will notice that the bulk of this book is about preparing your
presentation because we believe if you do that well, the actual delivery is easier.
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What Next?
So join the revolution and help us eliminate Death by PowerPoint.
If you found this of value you may find other resources on our website useful. Especially around how
you can use story to better communicate and engage with people. We really believe that stories are key
to an engaging and memorable presentation.
But now it is over to you. With your next presentation take the time to prepare and practice and enjoy
the fruits of your labour.
All the best and we would love to hear how you go.
Gabrielle & Yamini
ppt@onethousandandone.com.au
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Checklist on a page
READY
I have researched my audience?
I have identified my 2 or 3 key messages?
I have identified how I am going to start to grab their attention?
I have identified how I am going to end my presentation?
I have developed stories to help with my start, end and key points?
I have consider abandoning PowerPoint all together?
SET
If using PowerPoint I have reduced my number of slides?
I have used pictures as well as limited text?
If I am emailing my presentation to people who could not attend I have a light
version for the presentation and a more detailed version to be distributed?
Everything on my slides caters for my audience?
I have identified where I can mix my presentation up by ask the audience questions,
use of video or props and doing something unexpected?
I have practiced, practiced and practiced?
I have written out prompter notes if I need them?
GO
I have visualised success and I am loving what I see?
I have asked if a lapel microphone is available?
During my delivery, I made eye contact?
I looked for the reassuring smiling faces?
I used the techniques of both pacing and staying still?
I enjoyed myself and wondered why people fear public speaking more than death?
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References…
Speakers to watch
Garry Reynolds (Presentation Zen) - Watch at least the first couple of minutes. Note how many ways in which he
connects with his audience. How he tells his personal story upfront and through some slides and then links it in to his
presentation.
Benjamin Zander - watch the whole clip for style, engagement, use of story and a presentation that rocks.
People to follow on the internet and blogs to read
Susan Trivers at http://www.greatspeakingcoach.com/
Garry Reynold at http://www.presentationzen.com/
Books to read
Dan and Chip Heath ‘Made to stick’ on making your key messages stick.
Patrick Forsyth - The PowerPoint Detox: Reinvent Your Slides and Add Power to Your Presentation.
Research papers, articles and posts
Professor Edward Tufte – PowerPoint does Rocket Science
http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0001yB&topic_id=1
We have met the Enemy and he is PowerPoint
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html?_r=1&hp
Patty, A. - Research Points the Finger at PowerPoint http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/04/03/1175366288359.html
And remember good quality photos that don’t break the bank. Check out iStockphoto.com.
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About the Authors
Gabrielle Dolan is co-founder and Director of One Thousand &
One. She has worked as an independent business
management consultant and has held various senior
management roles at the National Australia Bank. Her handson experience of the challenges leaders face in communicating
effectively led her to the power of organisational storytelling.
Gabrielle has had extensive experience in the finance industry,
professional services, Government and not-for-profit sectors.
She has held various roles in change management, learning
and development and project management. This background
puts her in an ideal position to provide expertise on the various
applications of organisational storytelling.
Regardless if it is one leader needing a story for a presentation
or an organisation needing stories to drive transformational
change, Gabrielle helps leaders find, polish and share the most
appropriate stories through a variety of mediums.
Gabrielle’s academic qualifications include a Masters Degree in Management and Leadership from
Swinburne University and an Associate Diploma in Education and Training from the University of
Melbourne.
Her current interest is Vietnamese cooking after a recent family holiday to the country.
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Published Articles
Dolan, G. September 2010, ‘Facts Tell, Stories Sell’, Australian Hardware Journal
Dolan, G. & Naidu, Y. October 2009, ‘Evolving Leadership’ Local Government Manager
Magazine
Dolan, G. & Naidu, Y. July 2009, ‘Once Upon a Time’ Local Government Manager Magazine
Dolan, G. September 2008, ‘Seven Sins of Organisational Storytelling’, Management Today
Magazine
Dolan, G. August 2008, ‘Time to Trust’, Management Today Magazine
Dolan, G. October 2007, ‘From the Tearoom to the Board Room’, Australian Anthill Magazine
Dolan, G, 12 June 2007, ‘Getting the Story Right is Telling for Change Success’ The Age,
Melbourne. Republished in CEO Online, 25 July 2007
Dolan, G. June 2006, ‘A Story Tells the Story’, Australian Institute of Training and
Development Magazine, Vol 33, Number 3, Sydney
Featured Articles
Walters, K. 18 June 2009. ‘Imagine That’. BRW June 18-24 2009
Careers, 15 May 2008, Business by the Book, City Weekly, Melbourne
Halliday, C. 30 Nov 2005, ‘Time for a Story in the Boardroom’, The Age, Melbourne.
Molloy, F. 16 Sep 2007. ‘Class Act for the Workplace’ The Age, Melbourne
Hopkins, I. Feb 2007, ‘Telling Stories’ Human Capital Magazine, Sydney. Republish People
and Performance, New Zealand Aug 2007
Lynch, D. 5 Feb 2007, ‘Sales Success Story is all in the Telling’, The Australian Financial
Review
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Recent Public Speaking
Financial Executives International (FEI) of Australia, Luncheon, November 2010, Melbourne
Institute Public Administration Australia (IPAA) Writing Seminar, October 2010, Melbourne
IBM’s Sales and Delivery Conference, February 2010, Melbourne and Sydney
Serious Women’s’ Business Conference November 2009, Melbourne
Women in Finance Lunch August 2009, Melbourne
Victorian Public Service Continuous Improvement Network (VPSCIN) July 2009 Melbourne
Customer Contact Management Australia (CCMA), Dec 2008, Melbourne
Mary Jane Louis Scholarship Foundation, ANZ Mentoring Graduation, Nov 2008, Melbourne
American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Business Leader’s Lunch, Sep 2008,
Melbourne
Institute of Chartered Accountant in Australia (ICAA), March 2008, Melbourne
Last Thursday Club, Nov 2007, Sydney
Institute of Chartered Accountant in Australia (ICAA), Nov 2007, Melbourne
American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Business Leader’s Breakfast, Nov 2007,
Melbourne
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About the Authors
Yamini Naidu is co-founder and Director of One Thousand &
One. She has extensive corporate experience and has worked in
a range of industry sectors with senior industry leaders, key
stakeholders and company boards.
Yamini has also taught leadership and management at RMIT
University. This passion, experience and knowledge in learning,
management and leadership studies are now being directed to
organisational storytelling.
She has a Masters degree in Economics from Bombay University
and a Masters degree in Personnel Management from the
London School of Economics and further qualifications in
Education and Training from the University of Melbourne.
Yamini works with leaders, reaching into their heads and hearts
to find the right stories they can tell, so their messages stick.
She shows leaders and businesses how to increase their
performance using storytelling and believes that no matter what you are trying to achieve in business
storytelling can help you do it better.
To satisfy her thirst for continual learning she is has undertaken swimming and Bollywood dancing
lessons, although not at the same time…..although it would make for a interesting, new Olympic sport.
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Published Articles
Dolan, G. & Naidu, Y. October 2009, ‘Evolving Leadership’ Local Government Manager
Magazine
Dolan, G. & Naidu, Y. July 2009, ‘Once Upon a Time’ Local Government Manager Magazine
Featured Articles
Walters, K. 18 June 2009. ‘Imagine That’. BRW June 18-24 2009
Edwards, P. 9 July 2008. ‘A Story Tells a Picture’, The Age, Melbourne
Hansen, K. June 2008, ‘Tell Me a Story’, In the Black Magazine Vol. 78:05 p 42 to 45
Downing, J. 21 May 2008 ‘The Gift of the Gab’, Small Business, The Age, Melbourne
Lynch, D. 5 Feb 2007, ‘Sales Success Story is all in the Telling’, The Australian Financial
Review
Gurvich, V. 11 Nov 2006, ‘My Resume: Yamini Naidu’, The Age, Melbourne
Halliday, C. 30 Nov 2005, ‘Time for a Story in the Boardroom’, The Age, Melbourne
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Recent Public Speaking
Financial Executives International (FEI) of Australia, Luncheon, November 2010, Melbourne
Institute Public Administration Australia (IPAA) Writing Seminar, October 2010, Melbourne
LJ Hooker Conference, March 2010, Alice Springs
IBM’s Sales and Delivery Conference, February 2010, Melbourne and Sydney
Serious Women’s’ Business Conference November 2009, Melbourne
Women in Finance Lunch August 2009, Melbourne
Victorian Public Service Continuous Improvement Network (VPSCIN) July 2009 Melbourne
Customer Contact Management Australia (CCMA), Dec 2008, Melbourne
Mary Jane Louis Scholarship Foundation, ANZ Mentoring Graduation, Nov 2008, Melbourne
American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Business Leader’s Lunch, Sep 2008,
Melbourne
Australian Institute of Management (AIM), May 2008, Brisbane
Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM), March 2008, Sydney
Institute of Chartered Accountant in Australia (ICAA), March 2008, Melbourne
CEO Roundtable, March 2008, Melbourne
Last Thursday Club, Nov 2007, Sydney
Institute of Chartered Accountant in Australia (ICAA), Nov 2007
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