Theory and practice is constantly progressing in the world of presentations. We are connected to some of the world’s leading practitioners in this area and in this article I’d like to bring three of them to your attention. I’m not going to go into the detail of how because the books speak for themselves but reading and applying any one of them will take your presentations to the next level.
The theme underlying all three is beyond bullet points – just think of those bullet point based PowerPoint presentations that start you thinking about the benefits of death by lethal injection! So let’s go straight beyond bullet points which is a great aspiration and also the title of a great book. Click the link below too see more.
The main theme of the beyond bullet points book is how to create a convincing story and use simple tools like story boards together with the classical three act drama structure to create a compelling presentation before you even think about using PowerPoint. We’ve successfully used these tools to transform the presentation structure of client slide decks that were just a massive (think several hundred slides) data dump. It allows us to go from a crushed together presentation from four or five independent presenters to a cohesive whole that powerfully sways an audience.
Another aspect of presentations that is much more directly connected to how you use PowerPoint is graphic design. Something that maybe only a wealthy marketing department with its funding for that “creative sort of thing” can consider doing. Yet actually you can achieve a lot with a little thought plus the kind of understanding that the next book brings. Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte focuses on design and does it well within the bounds of what is possible for us mere sales mortals.
For a compelling overview of how presentations can shift out of the corporate norm and beyond the corporate template Garr Reynolds’ “Presentation Zen” provides a wonderful modern perspective on presentation design. Presentation Zen gives a whole host of before and after examples that really help to get accross the points clearly and easily.
There is no silver bullet or magic wand that will take your presentations on to the next level. It requires some study and then application to really move up a gear. Study and apply any one of these books and you will really make a difference to your presenting, work through all three and you will be head and shoulders above where you are now..
Have you read any of these books? have you found something that has transformed the way you present?
