SmartArt is not PowerPoint + Bob Ross.

PowerPoint is often criticized for encouraging presenters to rely too heavily on bullet points and not helping people to communicate more visually. Microsoft added a feature known as SmartArt to help convert text into various stylized graphics. When you’re designing your PowerPoint presentation, you can quickly rotate through various shapes, colors, layouts, and styles in order to find the right graphic for your presentation.

For novice or casual PowerPoint users, SmartArt can be a handy tool for quickly making your presentation more visual and professional looking. If you decide to use SmartArt in your PowerPoint slides, you need to be careful because SmartArt is dumb.

Warning: SmartArt is dumb

I'm not calling SmartArt stupid...just dumb. (c) Shutterstock

Hear me out before you say, “Hey, PowerPoint Ninja, you’re dumb! SmartArt is the greatest.” By “dumb” I don’t mean “stupid”. When I refer to SmartArt as dumb, I mean what the Merriam-Webster dictionary refers to as “not having the capacity to process data.” In other words, SmartArt is not going to intelligently guide you to a diagram style that is appropriate for your content. SmartArt provides you with lots of visual options, but it is up to the presenter to choose an appropriate graphic based on his or her content. This is where presenters and SmartArt can go wrong.

Recently, I was asked to fix some slides that someone else had built. The main slide of the presentation emphasized the three core teams (consulting, training, and client support) within our client services department. The designer had used a diagram with three flowing circular arrows that has been re-purposed several times in various presentations at my company. The diagram wasn’t a SmartArt graphic, but like SmartArt it was used as a more visually attractive alternative to a boring list of bullet points.

The circular flow diagram wasn't an appropriate diagram in this case. The diagram needed to align better with the content -- aesthetics aside.

Replacing bullet points with the wrong graphic is worse than just having bullet points. It’s a downgrade, not an upgrade. The circular motion of the graphic implied that our customers flowed through consulting to training to client support — and then the whole process would be repeated over and over. If our clients never had to work with our client support team, I wouldn’t see that as a problem. And yet the diagram’s circular flow implied our customers would rotate through the different teams when this wasn’t intended or wanted. The diagram didn’t accurately portray what needed to be communicated — that these three teams are the core foundation of our client services organization. As a result, I changed the circular-arrow diagram to different diagram with three pillars — each pillar representing one of the three teams.

Choose your diagrams wisely

With diagrams you need to remember that the diagram style contributes to the overall message just as much as the actual labels do. You need to choose an appropriate graphic for what you’re trying to communicate. Each type of diagram — chart, map, timeline, venn, etc. — has different strengths, weaknesses, and preconceptions. PowerPoint users may not realize that Microsoft provides helpful descriptions of each SmartArt graphic and how they should be used in the SmartArt pop-up window.

Read the descriptions to make sure you're choosing appropriate SmartArt graphics.

If you’re looking for further guidance, Dan Roam’s book “Back of the Napkin” focuses on developing better visual thinking and provides a good framework for choosing appropriate visuals.

SmartArt just got smarter!

If SmartArt was so smart, why couldn't I ungroup it? (c) Shutterstock

You may be wondering if PowerPoint ninjas are too cool to use SmartArt. Actually, I’ve frequently wanted to use this feature, but a fatal flaw of SmartArt has been the inability to ungroup and customize SmartArt objects directly. It was unfortunate that I couldn’t use a SmartArt graphic to get 50-75% of what I needed and then customize the remaining parts of the graphic to my liking. Unless my concept matched up nicely with one of the preset SmartArt graphics, I really had no use for SmartArt (99.9% of the time).

With the release of Office 2007 Service Pack 2, you can now ungroup SmartArt graphics. Rather than being forced to build your own ideas entirely from scratch, you can now ungroup and edit SmartArt objects when appropriate to save time. This small change turns SmartArt into another useful tool in your PowerPoint tool box. I’m glad I installed SP2 as it has fixed a number of annoying issues in PowerPoint 2007 and added this new option for ungrouping SmartArt (Note: Consult with your IT team before installing any service pack just to be safe). Kudos to Microsoft for making this change!

Office 2007 SP2 enables PowerPoint users to ungroup SmartArt. Just right-click on the SmartArt graphic and select Group > Ungroup.

Must...finish...this...presentation. (c) Shutterstock

It’s getting late, and you’re the last one in the office besides the late-night cleaning crew. With the soft buzz of a distant vacuum in your ear, you wonder how you’re going to bring everything together in time for tomorrow’s big presentation. You stare blankly at the empty slide in front of you, thinking just a few more slides and you’ll be done. Two hours later, tired and hungry, you’ve made some progress (if you call one mediocre slide progress) and even the cleaning crew has gone home now.

How can you keep your creativity flowing through the entire process of designing your slides?

Sure, we all start off with a burst of creativity, but you may lose your steam before completing your presentation. Creative blocks can occur at any time, but they’re more acute when you’re on a short deadline. When your back is against a wall, what do you do? Business people frequently approach these challenges like they do any other daily tasks, which are mainly non-creative tasks. They simply buckle down, try to focus hard really, and devote more time to the task at hand. They figure they’ll eventually be able to grind it out.

You may be familiar with the economic theory of diminishing returns. I believe the same theory applies to the creative process in presentation design (and other creative activities). Once you’ve exhausted your creativity, simply devoting more time to the design process will result in more time being spent to achieve less and less (i.e., diminishing returns). Frequently, as your creativity wanes so does your productivity. “Grinding out” your presentation is an inefficient use of your time and may result in an inferior final product if you’re forced to lower your standards in order to finish your slides in time.

If you run into these situations from time to time, what should you do?

Step #1 - Recognize when you’re in a rut

Recognize when you're stuck in a rut!

The first step to jump starting your creativity is recognizing when you’re stuck in a creative rut. Being self-aware of your situation is critical because it can be tempting to keep plowing ahead. I was recently working on a presentation at home that was due the next day, and it was getting late. I felt as though I was still missing 3-4 key slides to tie together some of my main concepts. I really wanted to wrap up the presentation before I went to bed, but I noticed that my creativity and productivity had fallen sharply. The last hour had yielded very little as I found myself vacillating on a single slide. Experience told me my current trajectory wasn’t taking me to a solution anytime soon. As the euphemisms go, I’d “hit a wall” or “run out of juice”, and now I was “dead in the water”.

Step #2 - Step away from your presentation

When things aren't progressing, take a time out. (c) Shutterstock

With a deadline hanging over your head, it seems counter-intuitive to step away from your slides. However, when your creative productivity is low, it’s exactly the right thing to do. You can’t force creativity. In the personal example above, I went to bed with an incomplete presentation and a limited window of time to complete it the next day. A curious thing happened the next morning. Rather than waking to my alarm, my mind kicked into gear processing the gaps in my presentation. By the time I hit my morning shower, I had several great ideas on how to complete my PowerPoint presentation. The amazing thing about your mind is that it will continue to process information subconsciously even when you’ve stepped away from the presentation design process.

Step #3 - Recharge your creativity

Do something different to recharge your creativity. (c) Shutterstock

Once you’ve pulled away from your monitor screen, you need to do something entirely different to recharge your creative batteries. In the example above, simply getting away from my presentation and going to bed gave my brain an opportunity to process all the disparate information I was working on.

I’ve found that taking a break and engaging in a passive activity such as going for a short walk or drive is sufficient to jump start my creativity. At the office, it might be as simple as walking to the vending machines to get a snack or a drink. At home, it might be taking a break to play with the kids, walk the dog, or pick up some grocery items. I haven’t found more engrossing activities such as watching a movie or playing video games to be as helpful because your mind isn’t as free to process information from your presentation. However, any chance to disengage and refresh your mind is better than nothing.

Step #4 - Rinse and repeat

Rinse and repeat as necessary. (c) Shutterstock

Sometimes all you need is a single jump start to get your creativity back on track. Other days can be more difficult due to fatigue or stress. Maybe you’re working on a larger or more demanding strategic PowerPoint presentation. As a result, you may need multiple jump starts throughout the presentation design process to keep your creative fires burning. The key is to not get sucked into the trap of trying to “grind out” your slides. Remind yourself that at any point, you can take a time out and rejuvenate your creative productivity. You might need to do it several times — there’s no shame in that. The final product is what matters, and you usually end up being more efficient even with the repeated breaks you take.

Ninjas hate unicorns. Don't be deceived by their cuteness because they're ugly, soul-sucking monsters that steal your time. (c) Shutterstock

Beware of unicorns!

Related to being in a creative slump, you also want to realize when you’re chasing a “unicorn” such as an all-encompassing analogy, chart, diagram, image, or quote that neatly sums up all your key ideas. Taking a break may allow you to figure out an alternative solution or give you a more realistic perspective on your situation. Don’t lament how much time you wasted. If my accounting courses taught we anything, it’s to not dwell on sunk costs (in this case hours). The unicorn doesn’t exist — cut your losses and move on.

Don't miss an opportunity to impress the execs! (c) Shutterstock

When it comes to presenting, knowing how to present to senior executives within your own company or another company is going to have the biggest impact on your career. Some presenters figure it out to their great success. Other people crash and burn only to lament an opportunity missed.

I’ve compiled a series of tips that will hopefully come in handy the next time you’re going to present to a CEO, CMO, Senior VP, VP, etc. For example, you might be proposing a promising new social media initiative to marketing executives at your company or pitching a prospect’s executives on a new web-based payroll solution. My suggestions will focus on the boardroom situations rather than keynote presentations. Boardroom presentations are typically two-way interactions in smaller, more personal settings (e.g., meeting room, office, etc.) compared to the one-way interactions with large, anonymous groups of executives at business conferences.

You’d be wise to consider the following suggestions:

1. Start strong

A good start is critical (c) Shutterstock

Starting strong is important for any presentation and audience, but you might find senior executives slightly less forgiving. Starting strong with executives means giving them confidence that you’re going to use their time wisely. You gain their confidence by establishing a clear direction for what’s going to be covered and what the desired outcome is.

Executives are frequently going from meeting to meeting — often not always knowing what the exact purpose of the next meeting is. Their admin assistant may have accepted the meeting on their behalf or they may not have had time to review any information prior to the meeting. You need to tell them why they’re there and why your topic is important to them.

2. Use your time effectively

Senior managers’ time is valuable. They have 20+ other things they could be doing in the 10-60 minutes they have given you. Be prepared to cover your content in the time allotted. Also, leave ample time for discussion or questions.

I was recently in a presentation to several VPs where the presenters delivered a great presentation, but left no time for discussion and questions at the end. Unfortunately, they missed an opportunity for the senior executives to discuss the presentation content, buy into the recommendations, and determine a plan of action. The executives had to run to their next meeting.

3. Be flexible while presenting

Be flexible and incredible like Elastigirl (c) Disney

It’s common for senior executives to ask you to jump back to a previous slide or fast forward through your slides to a particular section of your presentation. Don’t be surprised when executives interrupt you as you present a painstakingly crafted slide with “Got it. Next”. Fight the urge to scream “I spent 5 hours on this slide!” and reinterpret those three words as “Great job on this particular slide. I understood its main point. Please move on.”

An extended discussion on a particular slide may mean you need to whip through other less important slides in order to get back on track in terms of covering all of your slides. In some cases, you may even forgo covering all of your slides because the discussion on a particular aspect of your presentation is going really well. The key is to be flexible and cover what they want to focus on — not necessarily what you want to. In order to achieve your objectives (e.g., more resources, budget, executive support, etc.), you may not need to go through every slide. 

4. Be ready with supporting data

Don’t make the mistake of not being able to answer a senior manager’s question during your presentation. Executives are experts at finding holes in your logic or content. They want to be sure you understand the consequences and implications, and that they can trust your analysis and recommendations.

I made the mistake of including some preliminary survey data that indicated that customers felt differently about a particular company practice. I thought the data was interesting, but when the senior VP shouted “bull sh!t” I knew I had made a terrible mistake including it in my presentation. I should have either gathered more information on the surprising insight to verify it or left it out of my presentation entirely.

It’s a best practice to anticipate potential questions by identifying what content could be susceptible to further questioning. Be prepared with additional supporting data on any parts of your presentation that could be viewed as counter-intuitive, unexpected, challenging to current opinion or practices, or result in significant changes. You may need to have additional data at your finger tips, including back-up slides in an appendix section or a spreadsheet ready to go. Senior executives often take comfort in the fact that you have tortured the data.

5. Know your audience

Before you open that door you should know what you're heading into. (c) Shutterstock

It’s always important to know your audience and in the case of senior executives it is imperative.

• How much do the VPs know about your topic? (i.e., how much time should you spend on providing background information?)
• What topics are hot buttons or particularly interesting to the executives based on their current business goals?
• Which executives would be politically threatened by your recommendations?
• What can you find out about their pet peeves or preferences?

For example, I worked at one company where the CEO hated when people substituted “challenge” or “issue” for the word “problem”. He wanted people to call problems what they were. It’s better to avoid pet peeves such as this one that can unnecessarily sidetrack a presentation.

You need to find an insider who can coach you on how to best present your material to the targeted executive or group of executives. That person could be your executive sponsor, one of the executive’s direct reports, their admin assistant, or another peer/next-level manager who has interacted with your audience on a regular basis. You’re looking for inside information on your audience so that you can avoid derailing your presentation and wasting everyone’s time.

6. Keep it simple

In a study that asked top executives at several large companies how people could present more effectively to them, the overall feedback was to make the presentations shorter and more candid. The researcher found that “Senior people don’t have time to learn about your topic. They just want to know how they can help you.” Remove extraneous information that could take your discussion off track or cloud your main points. You lean towards focusing on the bottom-line in presentations to executives. The more simple and candid your presentation is, the easier it will be for your executive audience to understand how they can help you and move things forward.

7. Be prepared

Be prepared like a Wilderness Explorer (c) Disney

For most of us, opportunities to present to the senior management team don’t happen everyday. A key to seizing the moment is to be prepared, which may mean conducting an exhaustive analysis and review of the topic, carefully building slides that clearly and succinctly convey your message, creating back-up slides with supporting data, rehearsing your slides several times, seeking peer feedback prior to presenting, etc.

Being prepared means that you will be more confident in these intimidating situations. You’ll also be more flexible when executives throw curve balls your way such as switching the focus to a whiteboard instead of reviewing the rest of your slides. Your preparedness and polish will leave a positive impression on your executive audience — one that will benefit your career long-term.

What has been your experience?

I’m sure many of you have had different experiences with senior executive presentations — both good and bad. I’d love to hear your war stories and what valuable lessons you have learned along the way. If you’re a senior executive, I’d love to hear your perspective as well.

While writing this blog post, I found a couple of related articles on this subject which may be helpful to you. Good luck with your senior executive presentations in 2010!

1. “Now That We Have Your Complete Attention…” (Eric Matson, Fast Company)
2. “Presenting to the Big Dogs” (Marsha Redmon, Bnet)

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