September 2014

4 Presentation Tips for Addressing Executives

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Rick E

It’s important to learn as much as you can about the audience. How you prepare will depend on who you will address. A conference where you expect to address colleagues and peers will have requirements that differ from a project proposal you have to make in front of executives within your company.

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For starters, the second scenario definitely seems more intimidating. The stakes are high for executive presentations. A successful outcome can lead to good opportunities.

Make sure your message resonates to the top decision makers by following these presentation tips:

1. Mind the clock

Time is important for executives. If you were given a specific schedule to present, be courteous and finish your presentation within the allotted time. You don’t want to be cut off or miss the chance to hear feedback because the CEO has to run off to another meeting. Be concise with your points and avoid being repetitive. These are just a few things you can try:

Review your content and trim out points that deviate from the main message.
Keep your PowerPoint deck from becoming 50 slides or more, illustrate key points using visuals and graphs.
Rehearse your entire presentation with a timer. Make sure you end with a few minutes left for questions.
If you can, come to the venue a few minutes ahead of schedule. Set up your PowerPoint deck before anyone else arrives, so you don’t have to waste time sorting out any technical difficulties.

2. Start with the end in mind

A powerful and memorable introduction is crucial to any presentation. However, the usual presentation tips won’t work for addressing executives. While there are occasions when you can lead with personal anecdotes or jokes, executive presentations are more formal in nature. The best way to start is to plunge straight into the heart of the matter. Since time is precious for them, executives want to hear the purpose of your presentation right away.

Start by being straight to the point. You can say something like, “I’m here to present our marketing plan. We want to spend $1 million on channel incentives.” Give them the reason for your meeting, clarify what outcome or goal you want to achieve from it, and then use the bulk of your time explaining main points and details.

3. Be ready to improvise

Executive presentations can quickly turn into a high-stress situation. You need to think quickly and improvise when you need to do. To save time, senior executives will ask you to skip specific parts of your presentation. Other times, they may want you to return to a certain slide and expound on several points. They might also cut you short and start asking difficult questions.

When this happens, keep your composure. Prepare yourself for any questions that may come up. To make sure you can cover everything in the allotted time, figure out parts that may need more emphasis and forgo points that aren’t as crucial to the discussion.

4. Have your data prepared and printed on handouts

Rhetoric can only get you so far with senior executives. If you want to achieve the outcome you’re hoping for, you need to provide data that supports your arguments. You need to have evidence prepared for points that could be seen as challenging or controversial.

Present data in a clear and concise manner. Make your illustrations discernible by focusing only on numbers that directly support your points. Anything else, including additional information and explanations, should be printed on handouts.

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Presenting to senior executives can easily cause anyone stress. But while intimidating, it can also open up great opportunities for you and your career.

Focus on the message you want to convey and be flexible with how you handle your time limit. Follow these presentation tips and you’ll create lasting impact.

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Reference:

speakingppt. “5 Tips for Presenting to Executives.” LinkedIn SlideShare. August 13, 2014. Accessed September 8, 2014.

Featured Image: ricardo via Flickr

How to Create Doodles with PowerPoint Shapes

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Rick E

Hand-drawn illustrations can add a unique quality to your PowerPoint design. Even simple doodles can make things interesting, especially if the rest of your deck sticks to a more formal aesthetic.

The stark contrast is especially useful for emphasizing key points in your slides. If you want to give it a try, there’s a simple way to create cute doodles using PowerPoint Shapes.

To make one yourself, follow these 4 easy steps:

Step One: Draw a PowerPoint Shape

Head to the Insert tab and choose any of the PowerPoint shapes available. For this tutorial, I decided to go with the heart shape under Basic Shapes.

Before moving on, right-click on the shape you just drew, choose and click No Fill. You can also change the outline color to whatever you want by clicking on .

Step Two: Edit Points

The problem with PowerPoint shapes is that they look too perfect. To make them look hand-drawn, we need to make a little less precise. Right-click on your shape again and choose Edit Points. You’ll end up with something that looks like this:

Step Three: Open Path

To get the look we’re after, right-click on a specific point on your shape and choose Open Path.The point you’ll “open” will depend on the shape you chose. Just keep in mind that you can’t select Open Path for two different points. For this tutorial, I decided to open the point on top.

Step Four: Make adjustments

This is where you let your creativity run loose. Simply click and drag on the path you opened and adjust the shape to your liking. The best way to get the results you’re after is by trial and error. If you end up with something that you don’t think looks right, simply click Undo or hit CTRL + Z on your keyboard.

There you have it!

Here’s how my shape turned out:

If I decided to use the point at the bottom of the heart shape, it would end up looking like this:

The Takeaway

Don’t hesitate to give this a try and create interesting doodles using PowerPoint shapes. Just remember that since everything on your slides should correspond to your main message, you should only add these designs when needed.

Make sure that they correspond and point towards your main objective, rather than distract the viewers from it. Need help with your PowerPoint? Our design experts can lend you a hand, or give you a free quote. You can also check out our previous PowerPoint tutorials to sharpen your presentation design skills.

Featured Image: Matt via Flickr

3 Ways to Creativity: How to Come Up with Better Presentation Ideas

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Rick E

You might think that creativity is only reserved for poets and artists. But it’s not a personal trait that someone is immediately born with. While there are people who are more inclined to creative pursuits, everyone is capable of thinking outside the box and coming up with new ideas. And this is especially crucial if you’re preparing for a presentation.

If you’re feeling like you’re running short on creativity, you just need to re-orient yourself with a different outlook and you’ll soon come up with bigger and better presentation ideas.

Instead of waiting for your muse, give these techniques a try for creative presentation ideas:

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Try not to stress yourself out

We’re often pressured to come up with creative solutions when there’s a lot on the line. The higher the stakes, the more you feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself in a cycle of stress and frustration.

So how will you save yourself from pulling out all your hair?

According to Sparring Mind‘s Gregory Ciotti, it’s important to create “psychological distance” between yourself and the task at hand. In a study conducted last 2009, researchers found that respondents were able to jog their creativity when they thought of their tasks as something distant. By detaching yourself from your presentation, you’ll be able to ease some of the tension you feel.

You can also try creating some physical distance between you and your workstation. Reduce your stress by taking a moment away from brainstorming. Enjoy a quick stroll outside, and you might come across something that will give you new ideas.

The fresh air might also help in relieving the stress you feel from your creative block. If you don’t want to go outside, a quick nap can do wonders to refresh your mind. Several studies have found that a short snooze can help improve memory, cognitive function, and creativity.

Ask yourself the right questions

When faced with a difficult task, we often stick to the solutions that have worked for us before. With presentations, you immediately try to visualize how your PowerPoint deck is going to look like. You might even ask how many slides you need to make. This technique can stifle your creativity because you’re focusing too much on the finished product. What you need to do is take a step back and ask yourself the right questions.

The questions you ask should be more specific to the goal you want to achieve. Instead of wondering how you’re supposed to start a PowerPoint deck for an investment pitch, go into the rationale behind your presentation.

If coming up with the right questions seems too difficult, try the “Six Hats” technique:

Red Hat: Look at the situation emotionally. What do your feelings tell you?
White Hat: Look at the situation objectively. What are the facts?
Yellow Hat: Use a positive perspective. Which elements of the solution will work?
Black Hat: Use a negative perspective. Which elements of the solution won’t work?
Green Hat: Think creatively. What are some alternative ideas?
Blue Hat: Think broadly. What is the best overall solution?

Seek inspiration

Inspiration can be found anywhere. In the case of presentations, there are plenty of sources to get you started. The Internet is a great place to look for presentation ideas.

After a quick Google search, you’ll find plenty of blogs and websites offering their own tips and tricks to solve your dilemma. Don’t just stare at a blank slide all day. Do your research and look for things that can inspire you. If you’re finding it difficult to write your content, try creating a presentation storyboard to get you started.

You can also get great ideas from things that don’t seem related to your task at all. You might think it’s crazy, but a lot of random things can relate to presentations. Think about the movies that made an impact on you. Browse through the book you just finished reading. You might even find inspiration from watching a soccer match.

The Final Word

But while it’s important to search for inspiration, don’t use it as an excuse to procrastinate from your task. While surfing the Internet, try to avoid sites that might distract you.

Social media networks are the usual suspects. Web tools like StayFocused can block sites for a specific period of time to keep you on the right track.

Give yourself time and space to look for inspiration and refresh your mind. Using these three strategies, you’ll be able to come up with a more creative presentation in no time.