Imagine the impact that would have on your audience? They might just pay more attention to you, the presenter, rather than focusing their attention on all those words you crowded onto your busy PowerPoint slides – all 200 of them!

It’s a revolutionary idea and one whose time has come.

When giving presentations, Less is the new more!

Below is a copy of the email that Seth Godin sent out today on this important matter.

The 200 slide solution

From Seth Godin, author of The Purple Cow

The next time you find yourself on the hook for a 40 minute presentation (with slides!) consider, at least for a moment, a radical idea:

A slide every 12 seconds. 200 slides in all.

You’re used to putting three or four bullet points on a slide. That’s at least four distinct ideas, but more often, each of those ideas has three or four sub ideas to it. In other words, you’re cramming 32 ideas on a slide, and you’re sitting on that slide as you drone on and on. Perhaps you spice it up with some reveals or animated bullets, but it’s still 32 ideas going stale before our eyes.

What if you blew it up? Just one word on a slide. Or, perhaps just one image (no cheesy stock please). Maybe you write, “Cheaper” on one slide and, “More durable” on the next…

Slides create action. When did you decide that the appropriate amount of action was six or twelve times every half hour?

How would your pace change if you had 200 slides? How much better would the integration of slides and talk be?

I don’t honestly expect you to do your presentation with 200 slides. I’m hoping this exercise will help you realize that you might not need any slides. Or that 50 or 100 slides will pick up your energy and make your argument more coherent.

But please, don’t do that presentation you did last time.

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To follow Seth Godin, do what I do and subscribe to Seth’s blog (it’s very very good!)

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Recommended Books:  another great resource on getting your PowerPoint under control – buy the book Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. It’s like the “safe sex guide for PowerPoint”. Again – very very good.

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Training Workshops. Lastly, if you are motivated to improve your presentation skills and confidence and want to learn how to reduce your dependency on PowerPoint and other technical crutches, CALL ME at (860) 408-0033.  I teach a high engagement presentation training program called The Motivated Presenter™.

You will learn the tips and tricks of going “PowerPoint-FREE!” and how to strengthen your communication and persuasion when giving presentations.

The presentation training program is available as a corporate on-site group workshop in an accelerated 1-day or intensive 2-day format. It is also available to individuals using a 1:1 executive coaching format.

Here’s what one client just sent me last week following his participation in the Level 1: Essential Fundamentals of High Engagement Presentations:

“I just wanted to thank you for the 2 days that you spent with us.  I can honestly say that I gained much more from your seminar than you can even imagine.  Not only did I gain some invaluable insight on how to gather my thoughts and create a powerful and strongly communicated message, but I also was able to rethink how I look to present material based on the audience that I am presenting to.  I came out of those two days with some vigor, ready to take on a whole slew of new challenges.”-Scott Decoteau, Lead Art Director / New Media, LEGO Systems Inc

“When we understand that slide,we’ll have won the war,” said General Stanley McChrystal, the US and NATO force commander

This slide was generated by a consulting company (PA Consulting Group)  But they are not totally to blame for this horrific piece of visual communication. The client – some military official- approved this piece to show in the presentation.

The article goes on to suggest that:

“PowerPoint has become public enemy number one for many US officers who find themselves battling slide presentations rather than insurgents. Some have gone as far as to declare all-out war on the software after the military command was over-run with mind-numbing 30-slide presentations. General James N. Mattis, the Joint Forces Commander, isn’t taking any prisoners in his approach. PowerPoint makes us stupid”

Brigadier General H.R. McMaster went one step further and banned the presentation package when he led an offensive in Tal Afar, Iraq, in 2005.

‘[PowerPoint is] dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control,’ Brigadier General H.R. McMaster told the New York Times. ‘Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.’

For the safety  and comfort of your next audience, please be careful how you use PowerPoint. It can kill rapport, create confusion and bore your audience to death. For new ideas and alternatives to PowerPoint, please check out the web page Stop Global Boring: reduce your PowerPoint emissions now! If immediate triage is required, download the audio training program Stand & Deliver to your computer.

I had the privilege of working with the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut this past summer, training their “loaned executives” and agency speakers on how to give high engagement presentations that move audiences to action. These motivated individuals would go on to make countless presentations to the many organizations, companies, labor unions, government groups, hospitals, etc., that were participating in the United Way 2009 “Live United” fall campaign here in Connecticut.

Today was their campaign celebration luncheon, where they announced how much they had raised through the generous support of thousands of people working at companies across the region. The celebration took place at the Pratt & Whitney Hanger – a very inspiring spot of history, innovation and high ceilings. For all intensive purposes, this was a “thank you” event, where the United Way wanted to recognize the many people who had made it all possible.

These types of awards and recognition banquets can be hard on the audience – tons of clapping for people you don’t know, sitting in uncomfortable chairs for long stretches at a time, eating high fat foods. You know what I’m talking about.

The United Way team WOW’d their audience with an unexpected skit that definitely proved to be “high engagement.”

Rather than announcing their fall campaign total $$$ results with a drum roll or some other common reveal method, they put on their own version of the DEAL-NO DEAL game show.

Rather than the short-skirted babes on the TV show, The United Way took the  high road and involved their twelve loaned executives, each holding a silver brief cases (very official looking!).  They had two contestants, the unseen “bank manager” and a very charismatic master of ceremonies. The sound effects were fantastic: the telephone rang, the music was exciting, the props were engaging and their PowerPoint graphics were clean and supportive.

The audience was fully engaged and having a great deal of fun with the blue/white plastic “clapper hands” and raucous shot outs. In the end, we all learned that the United Way fall campaign resulted in a pledge amount of $ 25,784,118. This is an amazing result given the economic conditions facing our community and nation. It’s a testament to the enduring spirit of people to help others and the fact that no matter how difficult things are for us , everybody has something to give.

Congratulations to the United Way, its staff, volunteers, community leaders and fans who believe in the value of making our community and world a better place for all!

She lived up to her impressive speaker introduction, which amongst all of the awards and accomplishments, described her as “the sassy and no nonsense woman.” Michelle Singeltary is a columnist for the Washington Post (her column the Color of Money) and is the author of Spend Well, Live Rich: how to get what you want with the money you have.

I listened to Michelle from two vantage points:

1. From the perspective of a woman who wants to and needs to get smarter about money. To read more about what I learned from Michelle about money – keeping it and making it work harder for you – click through to my summary.
2. From the perspective of an executive presentation coach who works with professionals to present themselves and their ideas to others more powerfully.

What can we learn from Michelle as a speaker / presenter?

What did she model for us that can help you to become a more powerful, confident and effective communicator in front of large groups?

Here’s what I took away:

• She spoke from the heart and brought all of her to the stage. We enjoyed Michelle as a personal finance guru; Michelle as a mother of 3; Michelle as a wife;  Michelle as a frugal, “cheap skate” who hangs on to money because “every penny has a purpose”‘ ; Michelle the faithful, church-devoted and tithing member; Michelle the woman.
• She expertly choreographed the energy build in the room, starting with a casual friendly beginning and leaving us with high energy determination.
• Her message was simple and her information was well organized. Specifically she introduced the Five S.T.E.P.S. to financial freedom and lasting wealth. Click through to read a summary of her talk.
• She was controversial and challenged our thinking with phrases like “credit is evil,” “stop swiping your life away,” and “you never save money when you spend it,” and “the sense of entitlement leads to financial ruin.” She warned our young people that they are “texting and talking way your wealth.” She motivated us with the idea that “priorities lead to prosperity” and that we must learn to discern between “needs and wants.”
• She shared personal stories throughout her presentation, including difficult stories from her family upbringing, to inspiring stories of her grandmother, to humorous moments with her children. This made us feel like she was one of us, not above the challenge and strife of life. Excellent rapport and connection with her audience.
• She included family photos in her presentation, including her wedding photo, her baby picture and teen daughter’s photo. This generated the “oooh” response from the audience and increased her likability.
• She was bold, not hesitate, to “sell” her books from the podium, including her newest one “21 day financial fast” and challenged us to take it. She did this right up front in the presentation.
• She gained our permission upfront to step on our toes and to talk straight and tough with us.
• She entertained us with streaming video, including short clips of video parodies, ridiculous but real advertising commercials to make her point.
• She allowed time for Q&A and handled it brilliantly. At one point, she had a young college graduate up in the front of the room and demonstrated how she could pay off her $60,000 in college loan debt in 2-3 years. Accountability was high in the room!

How could Michelle improve her speaking/presenting effectiveness?

I loved listening to and watching the powerful and sassy financial guru, Michelle Singletary. I have only two pieces of critique and constructive feedback for Michelle Singletary on her presentation skills:

1. Reduce the number of PowerPoint slides by 75% and clean them up. No slide, no matter how fancy or informative, can stand up to your magnificence. (you don’t even need them, really!)
2. Move away from the podium. Walk the stage. Let us enjoy your commanding presence more. It would be a real present!

With her powerful content and masterful delivery style, Michelle Singletary doesn’t need podiums or PowerPoint. She is powerful enough!

For more tips on how you can improve your presentation skill and confidence, check out our free presentation resources.

Presentation coaching investment pays off for this subject matter expert

Insurance and financial services professional, Scott Kallenbach is a graduate of the LIMRA executive development 2-day workshop Powerful, Persuasive Presentations taught by me, Kathy McAfee, executive presentation coach.

Scott also enlisted me for private session of presentation delivery coaching to give him the extra edge.

After a 4-hour focused coaching session, Scott perfected his presentation opening and closing, developed effective use of compelling props, theme, and techniques to maximize his audience engagement. Scott even used a red ladies handbag to visually drive home the message about the “power of the purse” and female spending power.

Scott called me from the airport on his way home to report the great news. Here’s what he said:

“Kathy, I just wanted to let you know that, pardon my French, but I kicked absolute [butt] today.  It was awesome.  Not only was the audience looking forward to what I had to say, they paid attention. In fact,  I used one of your suggestions to emphasize a point and told the audience to, “write this down, this is important,” and the next thing I knew, people were grabbing their pens and anxiously awaiting to hear what I was about to say.  Midway through my performance I was thinking about how much I was enjoying the experience.

When I was done, I was mobbed like a Rock Star.  Not only were people telling me what a great job I had done, but they wanted me to continue to share my thoughts. It was beyond my expectations. Thank you so much.  This was the most powerful presentation I have yet to deliver, and it strengthened the relationship with the client that extended the invitation.”

- Scott Kallenbach, Associate Director, Strategic Research, LIMRA International

The Value of 1:1 Executive Presentation Coaching & Training

When I asked Scott what he thought about the private 1:1 presentation coaching session with me, this is what he told me:

“Although you were pricey, I must admit that it was money well spent - I truly could not have done as great a job as I did without you.  Your creativity and inspiration were critical to my success.”

Scott’s comments reminded me of the old L’Oreal commercials “It’s expensive and I’m worth it!” This may be one of the best compliments that I received all year! Thanks Scott!

How Can You Benefit from Presentation Coaching/Training?

Check out our Presentation Training Workshops & Coaching Services

The modern talking pad

by Seth Godin BLOG “marketing, tribes and respect”

“I think this is a big idea, but your mileage may vary. I’ve been having great success with a hybrid of the yellow legal pad and a printed presentation from Keynote (or Powerpoint). I use it during small meetings where more interactivity is useful, and where the group is too small for a laptop to be the best way to present slides (I think running a presentation says, “I talk, you listen…”)

Here’s how it works:

1. Create a presentation. A good one, not one filled with bullet points. Instead, graphs, images, a few words to anchor a discussion. A page might be nothing but a blank 3 x 3 grid.
2. On every page, remove some of the information.
3. Print the presentation out (horizontal, not portrait).
4. Bring it to Staples and have them spiral bind it with covers. (Not that cheap plastic comb, though.)
5. Get a good pen. Now, when you make your presentation, sit next to the person you’re meeting with and go through the booklet page by page, writing directly on each page. As you work your way through the ideas in the booklet, the two of you can talk about what’s in front of you and mark it up. It’s not a brochure, it’s the outcome of a working session. Leave it behind when you go. “

- end of Seth Godin’s blog article  -

Interesting idea, isn’t it? I can see its applications in a sales presentation and possibly other settings where the audience is small and you want to create a more intimate and interactive environment.

For more refreshing and innovative ideas from Seth Godin, you can subscribe to his blog “Marketing, Tribes and Respect”

My goal was to help them become more aware and intentional about how they plan, design and deliver their presentations. The first step was learning what and how to avoid the most common presentation pitfalls. So far, I have accumulated 17 common pitfalls that can trip up competent subject matter experts when they present their stuff.

As a “PowerPoint-FREE speaker, I designed and delivered this presentation without the use of PowerPoint. They responded well to this and the overall  level of audience engagement was high.  One of the feedback sheets that I received after the presentation stated

“I don’t believe you defined the 3 phases clearly. There is a very fine line between planning and design. This should be made clear.”

I think this is very fair feedback and I’m grateful for it. It gave me cause to really think more deeply about the three phases of presentation: planning, design and delivery. I am motivated to share my deeper thinking on the subject. Please feel free to comment on this article and share your perspective on this topic. Let’s get the conversation going.

What are the 3 Phases of Presentations?

1. Planning phase
2. Design /Build phase
3. Delivery phase

What should you do doing during each phase?

Presentation PLANNING Phase

During this phase you are to be thinking about why you are giving this presentation. What do you hope to accomplish? What/how will you serve your audience? What do they want? What outcome are you striving for? What does success look like? Even if someone else assigns you to give the presentation, you will need to take the to think it through before you jump into the design/build phase.  Think before you do.  This is the time to ask alot of questions of yourself and of others. You must do this before you rush into phase 2 – the design/build phases. Short-changing the planning phases is the primary cause of many downstream problems, including huge wastes of time, getting off-focus, and not producing a good outcome.

• Helpful Resource #1: A great way to ensure that you give the planning phase its proper respect and attention is to use the Clean Sheet Thinking™ pre-planning presentation tool. It takes only 30 minutes to complete and helps you to establish a high level game plan for your presentation. It works great on both formal, informal and impromptu presentations. Try it out and let me know how it works for you.

Presentation DESIGN/BUILD Phase

During this phase you should be starting to compile your core content and organize the flow of how you will build your argument. Now is the time to make a decision about whether or not you want to use PowerPoint or other methods to communicate your message. Make it a conscious choice – not a corporate default.  Think about creative and innovative ways in which you can bring your key message to life. How specifically will you open your presentation (first impression) and how do you intend to close it (last impression)? What personal stories can you share to engage the audience and make your key message moving and memorable to them? What physical props could be useful to you to illustrate and engage? What level of audience interaction do you want and how will you achieve that? How do you want to handle questions? You must design your presentation in such a way that you can achieve your objectives. Don’t just build PointPoint slides aimlessly. It’s not about the clever photos and riveting bullet points; your presentation must be “built” to create a specific outcome.

• Helpful Resource #2. I always recommend that you give your audience a compelling WHY before you deep dive into the WHAT. I myself use the 4Mat System of organizing presentation flow.
• Helpful Resource #3: Consider what might happen if you re-arranged the order of your content. Literally – moving pieces of your presentation around in a different order. Like furniture and pictures in a room, when you change their position, you can get a very different feel to the environment.
• Helpful Resource #4: buy a copy of the book Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds.

Presentation DELIVERY Phase

Now the fun begins! You get to practice  until it feels comfortable. This is when you engage some of your trusted colleagues to help critique you in your rehearsals and give you specific focused feedback that can help you get ready for the big day. Consider how you want to use two of the most powerful presentation weapons that you have: your body language and your voice. What kind of hand gestures will help drive your point home? How can you use vocal inflection to keep the audience engaged and support your key message? Where will you stand and how will you move around the room. (I encourage you to come from behind the podium and get closer to your audience. It’’s a powerful high engagement technique and it’s fun!)

• Helpful Resource #5: have yourself videotaped in a practice presentation session. View the footage with the sound ON and the sound OFF, so that you can critique both your spoken performance and non-verbal delivery.
• Helpful Resource #6: for “high stakes” presentations, hire an executive presentation coach to help you fine tune your presentation and polish your delivery. Four hours with a seasoned professional can help catapult you towards your personal best. YES! We offer that specific service to our clients.  Call Kathy McAfee at (860) 408-0033 to discuss your needs.

So that’s it. The 3 phases of presentations: plan, design/build and deliver. Yes- there is a lot of work involved. However, if you are serious about achieving your presentation outcome, then you must be aware and intentional about how you do each of these steps. You will also be building a powerful skill set that you can take with you anywhere. So, no matter what the context or the content of the presentation, you have the presentation skills and confidence to engage your audience and move them to action. Go for it. Become a motivated presenter!

“That was the best “mistake” that  ever happened to me.” – Lindsey Pierret, scholar-athlete from Quinnipiac University, CT,  reflecting upon how she discovered her own presentation preparation ritual to ensure her best performance. What we can all learn from this motivated college student and budding entrepreneur.

What’s my story?

Pack your duffel bag…check. Prepare you snacks…check. Lay out your racing clothes…check. There is something exciting to look forward to the next morning, but what is it? What is one thing that gets you pumped up about what is to come? It is Morris County Championships tomorrow and I have never been in better shape. Now, get a good nights sleep, but keep focusing in on that exciting factor!

First thing in the morning have a glass of water! Just a small 8oz glass will do. A ham, peppers and onions omlette, a slice of whole grain banana bread and a non-fat yogurt smoothie. That was the best “mistake” that  ever happened to me. I call it my “superhero breakfast.” My sophomore year of high school I had my “superhero breakfast” before the cross-country county championships. I ran what was arguably my best performance at the time that day.

When reflecting on my race afterward my dad and I decided that my preparation ritual could have had a positive effect. The next time I had a race I mimicked the preparation ritual I went through that morning with the same positive results.

Who Am I? My name is… Lindsey Pierret and I am Kathy McAfee’s college intern for the summer of 2009. I am pursuing an  entrepreneurship major with a marketing minor at Quinnipiac University. I will be entering my senior year this fall. I have been a cross-country and track athlete since the age of 13 and continue to pursue my athletic career in Division I athletics at Quinnipiac University.

What does this have to do with business?

I just explained my preparation ritual for the morning of a competition. I know what your thinking, “How much difference could breakfast make?” Why should preparing for a presentation be any different? You still need to feed your body with positive energy (no, a cup of coffee doesn’t count) the morning of and even weeks beforehand.  Think of it as a competition with yourself. It should be your goal to overcome obstacles and excel above and beyond your previous presentation, just like I aim to run faster at every race. Consider it your personal best.

What’s your story?

Maybe you already know what works for you. Maybe you discovered your routine by accident just like I did. Maybe you don’t have a ritual at all, but would like to develop one. Share your stories with us. What works for you and what changes can you make to excel at that next presentation.

Here are some of our ideas:

• The week before- Do a live run-through of your presentation.
• The night before- Lay out all of your materials, clothes, etc.
• The morning of- Have your “Breakfast of Champions”.
• Fifteen minutes before- Relax and orient yourself with your presentation area (including the people around you).
• Following the presentation- Get feedback from your audience.

Tell us yours…Or, download the attachment and create your own!

Countdown to your successful presentation

Please enjoy this short video (1.5 minutes long). I especially like the funky chicken dance that the character does. Interesting observation: the robotic vocal pattern used by the character in my opinion diminishes the meaning of the message.

Think about how you use your vocal inflection to engage your audience and bring your message to life in your next presentation. Thanks Don for creating this clever animated video for me and my community. And remember…Death to PowerPoint!

What Don Gilbreath has to say about this new technology:

“This XtraNormal application has appeal to me as a compelling infomercial or edu_tainment tool. The monotone aspect will get better over time but finding its sweet spot is worth playing with for both commercial and expanding my kid’s horizon point of view. My business world is mashing science with science fiction. To find better ways to get any message out in today’s world is worth pursuing.”

- Don Gilbreath, CEO and founder of www.ComCam.net

What do you think? What technology  are you using to make your marketing communications more compelling and enagaging? Please share your ideas and favorite resources with the rest of us. We can all get better at this…

Kathy McAfee's presentation at the 2009 YWCA In the Company of Women luncheon

Get more creative when you communicate your message.

As a PowerPoint-FREE speaker and executive presentation coach, it is my job to investigate and experiment with the many different ways in which you can engage your audience and motivate them to action during presentations. Because of the over-use and misuse of PowerPoint and other technical crutches that most presenters rely on,  we  must strive to find new ways to provide visual stimulation in our presentations. I have found the use of props to be quite effective.

Props are physical objects that you can use to help you tell a compelling story. They are excellent tools to open or to close your presentation – the two most vital times during your presentation. (first and last impression).

Your props can be small or large, but they must be relevant to your message and intriguing to your audience. In the past few years, I have used the following props with incredible success:  pair of green  shoes, a boomerang, a velvet bag full of river rocks, hard covered books, a sprig of parsley, to name just a few.

A red purse and a jar of marbles?

My client Scott Kallenbach of LIMRA International successfully used his daughter’s red leather handbag to bring to life his research insights on the power of women and their purchasing power at a major insurance industry conference. He pulled items from inside the purse (keys, wallet, lipstick, etc) to talk about the economic power that women hold and why the insurance industry needs to learn how to better serve and sell to them. He got a standing ovation…and an invitation back to speak the following year.

My other client Sean from a major financial services organization used a jar of marbles to illustrate the conflict of competing resources used in two major corporate initiatives. He emphasized that unless the senior leadership figured out a way to better allocate the internal resources, things could get really messy (like dropping all the marbles on the floor).

Both of these creative presenters used ordinary objects to help them communicate important key messages and to leave lasting impressions with hundreds of people. Imagine what props could do for you in your next presentation?

The story of the green shoes.

On March 26, 2009, I gave the “appeal” or “the ask” at the 14th annual YWCA of the Hartford Region’s In the Company of Women luncheon. I had seven minutes to get 1,400 people to feel motivated enough to write large donation checks – larger than they had planned to do when they decided to attend this remarkable event.

The script was written for me by the talented Rosemary Keogh O’Neill of Kinetic Media based in Glastonbury, CT. Rosemary had a concept that we could get people to realize that it takes such little effort on our part to make a huge difference in the lives of others. Her script asked that rather than buying a new designer handbag or new pair of shoes, that we donate this money to the YWCA instead.

There was one magical part of her script that said [insert Kathy's personal story]. That’s when I went to my closet and found the box of 9West green shoes that I had worn the year before at the 13th annual In the Company of Women luncheon. Ironically, I had only ever worn that pair of shoes once. I never missed them; I didn’t even know they were there, hidden in my closet along with all the other “I need this” items. YES – the spirit of Rosemary’s script was true in my life.

That’s when I realized that I had to bring this box of shoes on stage with me and tell my personal story. And it worked like magic!

Here’s some of the positive feedback received following my presentation.

“Kathy was AMAZING!”

“When she walked off the stage and came back to our tables I was so proud and I thought boastfully, I’m with her!”

“She compelled me to write my check out for more than I had planned!”

“YOU ROCK!!! You transformed that prepared speech that made you feel green into a masterpiece ~ memorable on steroids!  Your green shoes are being celebrated by all! Talk about ‘Being your Brand!’ YOU are Brilliant!!! “ – with love and admiration, Marge Piccini

Even more meaningful than this feel-good feedback, was that I was able to help the YWCA of the Hartford Region raise an unprecedented amount of money in individual contributions against a most challenging economic landscape.

I am absolutely sure that I would not have achieved such success if I stood behind the podium and gave the standard “professional” PowerPoint presentation.

So my advice to you as an executive presentation coach and motivational speaker is:

1. Use a prop to help tell your story and communicate your key message;
2. Get out before behind the podium. Don’t hide behind furniture. Get closer to your audience;
3. Practice, practice, practice. Practice “diligent practice.” This will allow you to “put your notes down” and communicate without all the slides, note cards and other tele-prompters;
4. Tell your story. Get personal with your audience and connect with them.

YES – all this possible without the use of PowerPoint!

Check out our presentation training and coaching services. We specialize in helping you become a motivated presenter, leveraging high engagement techniques without the technical dependency!