September 2007

One clear image is worth ten quick images [more]
Be enthusiastic, never complain [more]
Empowering opening phrase "By the end of my talk you will understand why we need to increase our resources to meet our new customer demands. This won't take long." Not "I have a lot of information to tell you today so I better get started as we are already a little behind." [more]
Using hyperlinks [more]
	Thermometer in PowerPoint [more]

SHORT INTERVIEW WITH CLAUDYNE
I was recently interviewed for Indezine. Click here to read my comments on organizing content and getting your message across.

Monthly Challenge: Look over your images and think about which is a powerful image that will make your point-either you show it on the screen or you tell about it without a picture.

ONE CLEAR IMAGE IS WORTH TEN QUICK IMAGES

I recently heard Thich Nhat Hanh speak. He is a Zen master, poet, and peace and human rights activist. He was making a point about how we suffer, and cause others to suffer, because we act on misperceptions.

He told one story with such a strong image that I still see it in my mind two weeks later. That image conjures up his whole story. In his homeland of Vietnam, a husband went off to war. His wife had his child while he was gone. Returning four years later, he was so happy to see his family until his child said, "You are not my father. My father comes to visit every night. He sits with my mother. He lays down with her." The father was brokenhearted. That day when his wife came home from the market, he would not talk to her. For days he did not talk to her. Finally, she could stand it no more and drowned herself. The next night, while he was eating with his son, the boy pointed to his father's shadow on the wall and said, "There is my father. He comes every night. My mother talks to him." At that moment, the father realized his mistake. Acting on his misperception had caused such suffering for all.

The image of the shadow on the wall is what evokes such emotion and leaves such a lasting impression. Thich Nhat Hanh could have told this story many ways, but the simple image of the shadow on the wall gives this heartbreaking story its power.

Now I know most of you aren't telling these kinds of stories. But you are sharing images. What image do you leave your audiences with? If you are using many pictures in your presentations, consider showing less. The images you do show or discuss should be crystal clear and make your point.

BE ENTHUSIASTIC, NEVER COMPLAIN

It came to me again the other day before a class: I had two choices. I could complain about what had happened or I could future-pace my class for a wonderful day. I had plenty of time to set up the room and was sitting calmly waiting for people to come. Then we had to move to another room. Now I was behind and a bit disoriented trying to set up the new space.

This kind of thing happens all the time before a talk. You show up in the room and you have to readjust; you have to forget an email you just read; you're still flustered because your car broke down on the way to the meeting. The list is endless.

But you always have a choice. No one really wants to hear your complaints, and that's certainly not a good way to start any interaction. So instead I got up and said, "We are going to have the best day. I have so many wonderful hints and tricks to share with you. By the end of our time, you will be able to create more effective presentations in less time." Despite the initial problems, that got our day off to a good start.

So always think about how you start. Set up your talk, your class, even your one-on-one exchange with positive energy.

Opening Phrase That Will Empower You and/or Your Audience

"By the end of my talk you will understand why we need to increase our resources to meet our new customer demands. This won't take long."

Not "I have a lot of information to tell you today so I better get started as we are already a little behind."

In the first opener, you reassure your audience that your talk won't take long. They feel good as you start talking - they know they won't be bored for hours and that you are organized just by how you started. With the second opener, the audience will get nervous because you have told them you are behind. That probably means you will rush through the talk.

Which audience do you want in front of you?

WHEN I HYPERLINK TO A SLIDE, HOW DO I GO BACK TO THE SLIDE I WAS ON?

You have a hyperlink to extra information that answers a question an audience member just asked. You are now on that slide with the extra data. There are three ways to go back to your previous slide:

• In Slide Show, press shift + F10 + V
• Right-click button + V
• Right-click and select Last Viewed

Now that you realize how easy it is to get back to your last-viewed slide, you can set up hyperlinks to data you might want to show just in case. You will then very easily be able to get back to your previous slide.

THERMOMETER IN POWERPOINT

Would you like to show how much of presentation has progressed and how much more is remaining? A free add-on from Geetesh Bajaj (http://www.indezine.com, http://www.ppted.com) creates a thermometer-style bar in the bottom area of the slide. The bar turns partly white and also the color of your Fills in Slide Color Scheme. The add-in installs a toolbar inside PowerPoint with four icons:

• Click the icon on the left just before your go Slide Show>View Show. This adds or updates the thermometer in the active presentation.
• The second icon removes the thermometer in the active presentation.
• The third icon resets the thermometer toolbar within PowerPoint, making it inaccessible for the remaining part of your PowerPoint session. The thermometer loads normally the next time you launch PowerPoint.
• The fourth icon shows you the "About Thermometer" dialog box.

Download the thermometer add-in here. It works with PowerPoint 97 through 2003 for Windows.

Winning Presentations Public Seminar
October 16-17, Boston, MA

This seminar is open to those who both create and deliver presentations.

• Increase your presence in front of a group.
• Use opening, closings, and transitions focused on your audience's "need to know."
• Redo a presentation, including, if necessary, a new background and many slide design ideas.
• Learn how to create PowerPoint slides that enhance your presentation's objective.
• Leave with a personalized action plan and a video of the six presentations you gave during the seminar.
  

Corporate Consulting:
Presentation Performance Process for Your Company or Division
Save days of time creating a presentation. Put my process in place and save at least one-third of the time you used to spend putting together a talk. Guaranteed!

My clients include: The Gillette Company, Genzyme Corporation, CVS, Harvard Medical International, State Street Global Advisors, Mercury Computer Systems, Harvard Medical School, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Avid Technology.