Jul 19 2010

Ensure Your PowerPoint Presentation Spurs Discussion

Don't be a slave to your PowerPoint slides! (c)Thinkstock

Don't be a slave to your PowerPoint slides! (c) Thinkstock

You have an important internal presentation coming up where you’re going to present to a group of senior managers at your company. Here’s your big chance to make a great impression and land the promotion you’ve been after. You’re excited to learn that they’re going to give you a full hour. You invest a lot of time in creating the perfect presentation. However, as you finish your last slide right before the hour is up, you realize you made a critical mistake — you left no time for group discussion. As your audience quickly files out the door to their next appointment, you’re left wondering if you should have structured your PowerPoint presentation differently. Continue reading “Ensure Your PowerPoint Presentation Spurs Discussion”

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Oct 06 2008

Death by (Bad) PowerPoint – Part II

In the Part One, I discussed the familiar epidemic of “death by PowerPoint”, and how we should be focusing blame on the presenters — not necessarily the software. I presented four factors that I feel contribute to bad PowerPoint presentations. After covering two of the factors — lack of preparation and lack of experience and knowledge — I’m going to focus on the remaining two factors of indifference and self-importance. Continue reading “Death by (Bad) PowerPoint – Part II”

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Oct 03 2008

Death by (Bad) PowerPoint – Part I

Rest in peace, Boris Toudeth (c)iStockPhoto/Arvid Emtegren

Has your life been threatened by bad PowerPoint presentations? Maybe a recent presentation stole 30-60 minutes of your life which you would like back. Unfortunately, too many of us have sat through an experience known as “death by PowerPoint” – a disinterested presenter, a series of disconnected slides, a merciless procession of bullet points, and a mishmash of overly complex clip art, charts, and tables. Sound painfully familiar? Continue reading “Death by (Bad) PowerPoint – Part I”

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Sep 10 2008

PowerPoint Slides are like Sushi – Part II

In Part I, I covered three of the six important components of a PowerPoint presentation in terms of a sushi restaurant analogy. In this blog, I will discuss the three remaining areas: the server, atmosphere, and customers. Continue reading “PowerPoint Slides are like Sushi – Part II”

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Aug 28 2008

PowerPoint Slides are like Sushi – Part I

I’d like to share with you a useful analogy I thought of in terms of breaking down all of the critical components of a PowerPoint presentation. All ninjas love good sushi so I’d like to compare a PowerPoint presentation to a sushi restaurant setting. I will look at some key elements in a sushi restaurant: the meal, tableware, chef, server, atmosphere, and customers. In this blog entry, I will focus on the first three areas. Continue reading “PowerPoint Slides are like Sushi – Part I”

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