When ever you have to make a presentation it is an opportunity to also communicate your personal brand – but that does not have to be in the use of slides – it might actually be by NOT using slides that you can make your message even stronger and more memorable.
In attending a conference last week I saw the opposite uses of PowerPoint – one that enhanced the presentation, message and ultimately the personal brand of the speaker and the other a lesson in boring your audience or at the very least getting them questioning the accuracy of their last eye exam!
In a 45+ minute keynote the first speaker created buzz, excitement and clear messaging with the use of just 6 slides – and to be honest she probably could have dispensed with those and we would not have noticed.
The 2nd day speaker used predominantly words, black & white and drove a number of poeple to leave – either through relying on slides a crutch versus a tool or the fact that in a room of 500+ trying to read 10 lines on a slide is impossible.
When you next present be mindful of your audience and also ensure that what you are doing is a reflection of your brand and it is memorable for the right reasons.
What do you do in your presentations to make them a reflection of your personal brand? Add your toonies worth.
Great point, Paul.
I just read this excellent article on Slate on a similar theme. It includes some links to good video examples of how to use Powerpoint – or slides in general – the right way, including the now famous Al Gore presentation from ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. Some of his statements may now be discredited… but it was still a great presentation!
http://www.slate.com/id/2253050/
Great article link, thanks Steve.
Hi Paul
Your point is very valid. What your present is who you are.
The following link is a bit out of topic but it tell us how we can use power point more effectively especially for communicating statistics.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html
Thanks for the link Imran
Absolutely! Thanks for this Paul, a great example of the KISS principle – less is more.
I think many of us have overused technology at some time, usually when we lacked confidence in our message, or in our ability to convey our message. I agree that letting that kind of uncertainty get the better of your message will get the better of your audience, and of your brand.
great points Susan, thanks for the comment