Refuse to be Boring

Lighting strikes twice… is there a “Doctor in the House?”

Sometimes when a large group of people gather to attend a concert, sporting event, or a corporate event (etc), you may hear the call “Is there a doctor in the house?” I was attending a large corporate event in Orlando when it happened during a presentation with an audience of 2,500 people.  

The presentation was about the military hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The presentation had some graphic images of the horrendous injuries soldiers and civilians receive from landmines and IEDs (improvised explosive device). The presenter described the incredible skill and effort involved in saving the lives and limbs of the (fortunate) people who make it to the hospital alive. 

Presentations such as this can be emotional for even the most seasoned health professional; our audience was comprised of some health professionals, but there were many “non-medial” business people who were not used to seeing such images and feeling the intense emotions. Suddenly someone shouted “Is there a doctor in the house?”  Well, yes there was … he was on stage giving the presentation. 

So our presenter (who was a doctor in the United States Navy) quickly jumped off the stage and ran down the aisle to see if he could help. Thankfully the person was just overwhelmed by the images and emotion.  So what did our presenter do?  He trotted back to the stage, hopped up, and continued his presentation without missing a beat … exactly where he left off.  The only comment he made was to assure us that everything was all right. I thought WOW, here is a speaker who isn’t fazed by anything, and of course given his experience in Afghanistan I wasn’t surprised.  So, he continued on until…it happened again.  The second time he did the same thing, jumped off the stage, and ran right past where I was sitting to the back of the room.  The situation was the same, so he again trotted back, hopped up again, and finished his presentation (without further incident) completely unfazed.  Double WOW.

Should he have used less graphic images and less emotional stories? No, I believe he wanted to take us deep into his world; into the reality.  I think every presenter should strive for that.  For me, these incidents reinforced the notion that as a presenter you should always expect (and be prepared for) the unexpected. Computers fail, fire alarms go off, and people faint. When it happens (even if it happens twice) you need to go right back to your presentation as smoothly as possible.

I guess the old saying is true, the show must go on.   

Joe Pops

Refuse to be boring

One Year with Refuse to be Boring - by Cindy Murphy

One year ago today Joe hit the “publish” button for his first Refuse to be Boring blog post. He did this with a bit of trepidation since his schedule was already demanding.  He travels almost weekly to cover “Canada” as needed in his sales/marketing job (that is a BIG territory!!),  his hours are long,  he is heavily involved in volunteer work,  he is learning French,  he has family responsibilities, and he likes some leisure time with friends. Successful blogs require regular posting ... would he have the time needed to devote to this?  Would people find his tips helpful?  Would anyone follow his blog?  I can report that the answer to these questions is YES. 

One year later Joe has posted 39 blogs – that gives us 39 (or more) things to do to improve our slides and presentation skills.   I have been Joe’s proof reader for each of the blogs (every writer knows that this is a vital step) and have even been able to suggest a topic or two.  I review the blog for readability however as an educator in a health sciences program I also reflect on the content, and could I implement this in my own work?   Initially I would lament that I don’t have time to make the changes he suggests, it would mean re-designing all my presentations! His response was to change a few things at a time, and to evolve slowly.   So, yes, I have made changes; slowly as he suggested so that it is manageable.  And I now look at other people’s presentations differently now, and sometimes think things like “They could have used a full screen image there”, or “Oh – that is a slideument”.   

Joe is passionate about the art of presenting. He sincerely wants to share his ideas, and help people develop their skills.  His efforts seem to be paying off.  Based on data from Google Analytics and TypePad, Joe’s Refuse to be Boring blog has developed a regular following across North America, and even in Europe.  Joe has also been invited to do “live” presentations and workshops for groups in education, sales, and the non-profit sector. 

So  - Happy Anniversary, and cheers to you Joe! Thanks for inspiring us to be a little less boring.

Guest blogger - Cindy Murphy

 

Webinars: watering down the wine

I wonder how much water you would add to a glass of wine before you couldn’t taste the wine anymore.  I expect that if you have a big, bold red wine it would take more water than if you have a lighter white wine.   

This analogy can be applied to webinars and presentations. In my opinion, webinars are watered down versions of presentations. Many of the important nuances of human communication are missing in a webinar, like body language, facial expression, the interactions between audience members and even the discussions at the coffee break. The presenter cannot gauge the audience’s response, nor can the audience fully “hear” the enthusiasm of the presenter without seeing them.  Video webinars may be an improvement but my experience thus far is limited.

So why do they exist?  Is their role to enhance communication or save money?  I think they exist primarily to save money and to add convenience (save time). Saving money and time are good things for all of us, but it is almost impossible for a webinar to have the same impact as a live presentation.  Research indicates that an audience only remembers 1 to 3 things from a live presentation; what happens when you water it down? Studies have shown that during webinars people do email, work on other projects or talk on the phone as they “participate”.  I certainly have even been guilty of that! It is unlikely that most webinar presenters even have a chance at getting the audience’s full attention.

In addition to distractions, webinars can have issues like technical glitches, poor phone lines or slow internet connections. The most recent webinar that I “attended” had a new issue – the speaker had to talk over the music that was playing when one of the participants put us on hold.  

Webinars are less than ideal for the sharing/transfer of information, but for topics which are persuasive like sales presentations and selling important ideas, they are even more challenging.  If you are planning one, ask yourself if it is really necessary: could a written report be used instead, or is the topic important enough for a live presentation?  If you do decide to have a webinar (sometimes it is a necessary evil) make sure your presentation is well designed and rehearsed (a big bold red wine).

What do you think about webinars?

Joe Pops

Refuse to be boring.

Take Sir Richard’s Advice

I recently read Sir Richard Branson’s new book Screw Business as Usual. http://tinyurl.com/cpuwfjr  The book is about a form of capitalism based on the (old) concept of corporate social responsibility.  Sir Richard takes it to a new level and calls it Capitalism 24902 (the circumference of the earth is 24,902 miles).  This new model for business focuses on putting people and the planet first, and that giving away expertise and opportunity (not just money) to people/groups in need is good for business.  In the book he quotes Wafic Saïd (a benefactor of the Saïd Business School at Oxford University) who says “The companies that focus most on profit are not necessarily the most profitable companies.”

The book prompted me to reflect on my experience with presentation design; specifically some of my consulting experiences and what my goals are for the future.  I have been fortunate to have had a number of opportunities to work with other people on presentations, and many of the ones which stand out are the ones where I was able to donate my services.  I have supported university students as they prepared their professional presentations, assisted a radiological technologist share her story of working in the multi-national medical unit in Afghanistan, and designed an informative/persuasive presentation for a cat rescue group seeking political support. These experiences are mutually beneficial; while it is helpful to the recipient(s) of the service, it also gives me a fresh perspective.  Designing presentations outside of my regular sales/marketing world allows me to expand my creativity and develop my skills... which then in turn impacts my professional life.

In addition to further developing your skills, volunteering and working with non-profit groups is also very rewarding on a personal level.  I highly recommend sharing any expertise you have with a person or group(s) who can benefit from them.  We all need to take Sir Richard’s advice and put people and the planet first.  This is my first post of 2012; my goal (resolution) for this year is to offer my services in presentation design to as many non-profit groups/people as I can. 

So if you know of someone who may need a little help with an upcoming “not for profit” presentation, keep me in mind.     

Joe Pops

Refuse to be boring

 

 

Is your presentation a futon?

A couple of years ago I was explaining two of our medical imaging products to a hospital administrator.  I mentioned that one was a “dedicated” system for specific procedures and the other one was a “multipurpose” system.  She immediately commented on the multipurpose system, “Oh I see, it’s like a futon!”  I asked her what she meant and she said it’s in-between, like a futon, “Not really a couch and not really a bed.” 

A lot of presentations visuals that I see are like futons - not really a document (not enough detail) but not really presentation visuals (too much detail); they are caught in-between. While “multipurpose” may work for some things, presentation visuals are not one of them. You may only have one opportunity to present your idea, concept or product; you don’t want to water down your message with dual-purpose visuals. So how can you avoid having “futon” presentation visuals?

It helps to use the right software for the right application. For example, if you need to send information to a group or to produce a handout, use Microsoft Word (or equivalent) instead of PowerPoint.  Using Word allows you to use a document format … you can write in complete sentences and provide more detailed explanations (instead of abbreviating content into bullet points on PowerPoint slides). If you feel you must use PowerPoint because it’s easier to include images and other visuals, then write it as you would a document and send it out in PDF format. That way everyone knows it’s meant to be a document.   But use different slides for your presentation.

You can also turn your presentation visuals into notes. I sometimes rework my presentation visuals (in PowerPoint) into notes. I add more detailed explanations and edit them down into a “readable” notes package.  I then convert them into “2-slides per page” PDFs so that no one mistakes them for presentation visuals.  It takes a bit more work but I can at least avoid making a futon.

As Garr Reynolds says “Slides are slides, documents are documents; they are not the same thing.”  And a  futon is not really a couch, or a bed.

Joe Pops

Refuse to be boring.

Sometimes it’s like climbing Mt. Everest

Sometimes I struggle with designing a presentation.  It happened to me last week when I decided I needed to do an “overview” presentation on one of our products.  Maybe the problem was that we had initially proposed too many options, so I felt I had to re-explain everything, or maybe it was the fact that I did not know this particular group of customers very well. Regardless, designing this presentation was like climbing Mt. Everest; slogging uphill all the way.

I changed the main message 5 or 6 times, going back and forth between a couple of ideas. I also changed the opening visuals more times than I can remember. It finally got “OK” a couple of hours before I had to present (did I mention I had a 7:00 a.m. start time?) which didn’t leave much time for rehearsing.  

Doing an “overview” presentation should have raised a red flag for me since I had read a blog post about it. Olivia Mitchell (from New Zealand, home of famous mountaineer Sir Edmund Hilary*) wrote about why you should not do overview presentations but I didn’t remember this until after I delivered the presentation!!  The blog post I that I wish I had remembered is called 6 reasons why you shouldn’t give an overview presentation.  Basically…

1. It’s not memorable

2. Nothing will stand out

3. Positions you as a generalist

4. It’s uninspiring

5. It’s boring

6. It’s not efficient

To read the commentary on each point, visit her blog at www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/content/overview-presentation/

Next time I get bogged down designing a presentation I am going to re-read this blog post and make sure that I haven’t slid into “overview” mode.  In Olivia’s words it’s better to be deep than wide, and I agree.  Next time I will present the deep part, and I will make a nice handout for the wide part.

So when you feel like you are slogging uphill in designing your presentation think of Mt. Everest, which should lead you to Sir Edmond Hillary (from New Zealand), which should lead you to Olivia and her 6 reasons why you shouldn’t give an overview presentation blog post.  Check and make sure you are not doing an “overview”.

No more overviews for me.  Love to hear your experiences

Joe Pops

Refuse to be boring

* We shouldn't forget that Tensing Norgay was the other person to be first to the top of Everest.

Learning slide design while you drive! End of the line.

As I said in part one of this series, you can learn a lot about slide design from roadside billboards and the mini-billboards you see in airports.  10 Rules for Billboard Design  were outlined in an article on billboard design by BPS Outdoor Media (www.bpsoutdoor.com).  Here are the last 4 rules with some more Refuse to be Boring (RTBB) editorial comments.

Billboard Rule #7 - Getting attention is the most important thing your ad needs to do so it won’t be overlooked. You can get attention in several ways, but the best advice I can give you is to be creative and do something out of the ordinary.

RTBB – I touched on this in a previous blog – the one called Grand Openings. There are a variety of ways to get your audience’s attention at the beginning of a presentation; the most common methods include telling a story/anecdote, sharing an interesting statistic, or stating a “catchy” quotation. Of course once you have your audience’s attention, keeping it is the challenge!! Using interesting pictures and visuals/props that are different can really help. Like Rule #7 says, be creative and do something out of the ordinary.

Billboard Rule #8 - Once your ad has captured attention, your next step is to create an interest in your product or service. Your main goal here is to make your product stand apart from your competition. Use benefits to tell your target market what’s in it for them; do not bore them with the facts. For example, instead of saying “product xyz reduces fine lines” say “xyz will make your skin look 10 years younger.”

RTBB – Too many presentations are informational only – you want your product/service or idea to stand out. Using persuasive presentation elements like examples, metaphors, analogies or stories can change a (dry) fact based presentation into one that is engaging (and memorable). 

Billboard Rule #9 - Create a desire for your product. Give your audience a small taste of your product or service. But don’t give away too much information because the goal of your ad should be to get people to request more information.

RTBB – You don’t have to present everything.  But have the details ready (handouts work for this) for those in the audience who want/need more information.

Billboard Rule #10 - Call to Action - Don’t leave your audience hanging; tell them what to do next. For example “Call Now” or “Visit our website.”

RTBB – Make sure you clearly state what you think is the next step. Get agreement on the next thing that needs to happen to move your idea/project forward.

That’s the last of the 10 Rules for Billboard Design as applied to presentation/slide design.  I hope you enjoyed them; I’d love to hear your comments.

Joe Pops

RTBB

How to SUCCES fully present your Turbo Encabulator.

The other day I received a link via Twitter for the original Turbo Encabulator movie on YouTube     (http://tinyurl.com/3z52s4x). It is worth watching; it is just under 2 minutes long. According to Wikipedia the movie was made in 1977, but the original technical description of the Turbo Encabulator appeared in 1942.  For those of you who don’t know (like I didn’t) what the Turbo Encabulator is, it’s a fictional machine and the presentation describing it is completely full of technobabble.

I have been to presentations that sound a lot like the Turbo Encabulator presentation; I may have given presentations like it too.  The extensive use of technical jargon (technobabble) in a presentation is a symptom of the “curse of knowledge”.  I have talked about the curse before but the Turbo Encabulator is a wonderful, humorous example of the curse in action.

In their book Made to Stick, brothers Chip and Dan Health describe the curse of knowledge as the idea that when we know something, it becomes hard for us to imagine not knowing it.  The more of an expert we become, the harder it is to communicate our “expertise” to people who are not at our level of understanding. Of course the problem is compounded because people who are experts in their field are often asked to give presentations.  I expect that many of us have experienced the curse and technobabble in action.

So how can you beat the curse and avoid giving a Turbo Encabulator-like presentation?  First realize that the curse is real, and second, follow the Heath brothers 6 principals to SUCCES, tell a Simple Unexpected Concrete Credentialed Emotional Story (www.madetostick.com). It is just about impossible to fill a story with jargon, and stories are engaging and memorable.

Using stories and other persuasive presentation elements such as metaphors, analogies and examples can help your audience remember that your Turbo Encabulator can be successfully used for operating nofer trunnions, and also whenever a barescent skor motion is required.

What’s your favorite “Turbo Encabulator” story?

Joe Pops

Refuse to be boring

Learning slide design while you drive! Part 2

As I said in part 1 of this series, you can learn a lot about slide design from roadside billboards and the mini-billboards you see in airports.  10 Rules for Billboard Design were outlined in an article by BPS Outdoor Media (www.bpsoutdoor.com).  Here are the next 3 rules, again with Refuse to be Boring (RTBB) editorial comments on how the rules apply to slide design.

Billboard Rule #4 - Use contrasting colors like yellow and black or red and white. Do not use colors that are similar to each other like blue and purple or orange and red because it will be hard to see two different colors from a distance.

RTBB - Never mind a distance, it’s hard to see the difference in some colors across a conference room! I find that high contrast is the best strategy for slide (presentation visuals) design.  However, what looks great on your computer screen may not project well, especially in a well lit room. It’s always a good idea to try your visuals with a projector before your presentation.

Billboard Rule #5 - Make sure your ads appeal to your target market. Use colors, graphics and words people will be interested in. Make sure your target market can understand your ad also.

RTBB – Always customize your presentation for your audience.  Just like one size doesn’t fit all, one slide does not fit all either.  The more you know about your audience, the better you can customize your presentation and visuals so it resonates with them.  

Billboard Rule #6 - All effective ads must have a smooth flow. When someone looks at your ad you want them to see one thing first, then a second item, and so on. You don’t want them to get lost in your ad and not know which way to look next. If this happens, they will stop looking at your ad!

RTBB - Individual slides also need a flow.  When you look at your slide, what is the first thing you notice; what is the second? Does the flow complement the message of the slide or confuse things?  Do you want the audience to see the picture first and then read the words, or the other way around?  Your presentation visuals are there to amplify your message, stay away from anything that doesn’t do just that.

So that’s part 2 of the 10 Rules for Billboard Design.  The rules for billboards work well for slide design; stay tuned for part 3.

What great billboards are you seeing?  Happy motoring.

Joe Pops

Refuse to be boring

Learning slide design while you drive! Part 1

Since I am not a professional designer, I am always trying to learn more about slide design, usually through reading books and blogs and talking to presenters.  However, you can learn a lot about slide design from roadside billboards and the mini-billboards you see in places like airports (I am in a lot of airports).  I ran across an article a while ago by BPS Outdoor Media (www.bpsoutdoor.com). It outlined their 10 rules of billboard design.  It was interesting so I wanted to share them, and relate the concepts to slide design.  Here are the first 3 of their rules (the other rules will be discussed in later blogs), with some Refuse to be Boring (RTBB) editorial comments.  

Billboard Rule #1 - Effective billboards are short, simple and to the point. Passing motorists are limited to the time they can see your billboard and they can’t safely read very much. They also cannot read small copy (less than one foot tall) when “flying” by the sign.

RTBB – The same is true for slides: simplicity is best and keeping slides easy to read is important. I always refer to the “billboard rule” I first saw in Nancy Duarte’s book Slideology.  She said that your audience should be able to read a slide in 3 seconds or less. 

Billboard Rule #2 - All billboard words should be at least 18 inches tall in order to be legible from the road. If your sign is close to the road, please do not ignore this rule, it still applies. Also if your sign is further away (higher than average) from normal, your copy should be bigger than this.

RTBB - I always try to keep fonts no less than 30 points on my slides - actually 28 in my version of PowerPoint.  The words have no value if the audience can’t see them.  Using larger fonts also means you cannot use a lot of text, so the slide is simpler by default.  It also forces you to decide which words are important and which are fillers.

Billboard Rule #3 - All graphics need to be large enough to be seen at fast speeds and far distances; generally make graphics as tall as the billboard (with an exception to directional information). 

RTBB - I am a fan of images which cover the entire slide, sometimes called “full bleed” images. These images give a sense of drama, urgency or emotion to your message.  If you are going to use them with some text you will need to find or make some open space on the image to fit your text in.

That’s the first 3 of the 10 Rules for Billboard Design.  I actually get some good ideas on slide design from looking at billboards.  It gives a unique perspective on “what works”. What great billboards are you seeing? 

Happy motoring.

Joe Pops

RTTB