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It Doesn’t Matter, Any Tequila!

Posted on by Rick E

Sure it’s funny, but think if it wasn’t about tequila, and instead it was about your business. You obviously wouldn’t be laughing.

If you’re looking for a house to live in, would you choose one by saying this to your realtor, “It doesn’t matter, any house?”

How about when finding a spouse? Or what about when your choosing a major in college?

Any semi-rational person would not. Houses, spouses, and careers are all monumental aspects to someone’s life and because of that, people tend to weigh out the pros and cons thoroughly when it comes to any decision.

Much like houses, spouses and careers are huge aspects to someone’s life, the way the world identifies with your company is one of the most crucial aspects to its success. When you are presenting yourself, or more importantly your company, to an audience of buyers, sellers, investors, or whoever, it is imperative to come off as a professional, valuable, and effective entity.

Impressions you give

Most people will judge whether or not they like you, dislike you, find you interesting or boring in a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds. These minutes are what can lead to earning or losing new clients or sales. Knowing that your presentations have this much significance, a rational person wouldn’t say “It doesn’t matter, any presentation.” In fact, they would focus on making that presentation the best it could possibly be.

This is where you bring in professional presentations designers, like SlideGenius. SlideGenius is headquartered in San Diego, California with over 500 Worldwide Clients. The “Geniuses” (presentation experts) see on average over 200 presentations per month and have years of professional experience creating captivating PowerPoint presentations for a wide variety of clients.

Bringing in Professionals

The Geniuses can update an existing presentation or build one from scratch, leveraging your brand. SlideGenius works with you to ensure that the message you want to get across to your audience is communicated as effectively as possible, while leaving your audience impressed with a polished, professional presentation.

 If you do not have a professionally designed PowerPoint Presentation you are undeniably leaving business on the table. Many sales people have reported an increase of up to 25-50% in closed sales simply by providing a highly visual presentation.

When it comes to your business, don’t take just anything. Take the best, and be the best.

Work Cited:
Http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7tlp/hornitos-plata-tequila-any

Winston Churchill: Orator of the Century

Posted on by Rick E

Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, Winston Churchill inspired Great Britain and the Western world to stand up, and fight against the strongest military empire of the century. You can agree that convincing millions of people to support you in any cause is an almost impossible task. Churchill was very tactful when it came to give convincing speeches. In fact he famously said, “Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.”

First, and perhaps most importantly, becoming a great speaker is a matter of practice and persistence, not natural talent. Even Churchill himself was not born a great presenter. He actually had a slight stammer and a lisp (that made him sound drunk) when he was young. He spent hours on end crafting his speeches, perfecting every word. Churchill himself said “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential.”

With that, here are four lessons Winston Churchill can teach us about perfecting our speeches and professional powerpoint presentations:

Speak in crisp and direct sentences.

As ugly and inconvenient as what you say may be, be straightforward in what you say and your audience will respect you. Winston says, “If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time – a tremendous whack.”

Churchill’s examples of this:

“An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”

“A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.”

Be eloquent and rhythmic in your vocabulary.

By this, I don’t mean stuff big words everywhere just to sound fancy. What I mean is that you should make the simplest form of whatever you’re saying into the most professional way it can be said. Churchill also had a melodious flow to his speeches, keeping the audience on their toes at all points throughout. At any rate, bettering your vocabulary can also be a very helpful activity for bettering your vocational skills. Learning 5 new words a day might be a great way to start…

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat.

Churchill utilizes repetition in almost ever single one of his speeches. He would consistently use phrases or words over and over again in the same breath to highlight a point.

Churchill’s examples of this:

“Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.”

“We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Ironical humor.

Churchill was known for his wit and word play. While wit seems like a more “born-with-it” sort of concept, one will surely develop it by knowing a certain concept through and through. Once you master a specific idea or issue, you will have the necessary background to react quickly and wittily to questions or comments you are confronted with. This ultimately comes down to practice; know what you are talking about and you will know what to say at all times.

Churchill’s examples of this:

 “If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law.”

“We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English.”

As one of the most revered leaders and orators in history, Winston Churchill changed the world with both his voice and his actions. Following and epitomizing Churchill in your next professional powerpoint presentation will be a great way to improve yourself as a public speaker and powerpoint expert.

 

Reference:

“Winston Churchill Quotes.” BrainyQuote.

Presentation Lessons from the Fed; Intentional Vagueness & Ambiguity

Posted on by Rick E

“I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

Ladies and gentlemen, Alan Greenspan.

In 1987, Alan Greenspan famously said this and confused the crap out of a reporter questioning him about his plans for the Federal Reserve’s position on some matter, which for the sake of this article, is no longer important. Understanding the coded financial jargon, known as “Fedspeak” (a deliberate parallel to “Newspeak” of George Orwell’s novel, “1984”), used by U.S. Federal Reserve officials, is quite the challenge.

Greenspan, much like every other Fed board chairman in history, intentionally uses this vague and ambiguous dialect to answer questions about their monetary policy. In doing this, they can prevent financial markets from overreacting to their remarks. According to Alan Greenspan, the recognized chief in “Fedspeak,” using the coded dialect involves, “purposeful obfuscation to avoid certain questions coming up, which you know you can’t answer.” Here’s an example:

The Fed originally said: “The Committee will maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and continues to anticipate that economic conditions, including low rates of resource utilization, subdued inflation trends, and stable inflation expectations, are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate for an extended period.”

The Fed’s official explanation of this “Fedspeak” phrase reads: “Extended period is conditioned on resource slack, on subdued inflation and on stable inflation expectations.”

Nevertheless, some observers think the phrase actually means something closer to: “the U.S. economy is still doing pretty poorly, and so we really have no clue as to how long the economy will take to recover enough for the Fed to start raising interest rates.”

war-is-peace-freedom-is-slavery-ignorance-is-strength-e13136358167901

Although “Fedspeak” may be useful in political, economic, or governmental situations, a corporate presentation should be exactly the opposite. Any presentation expert will agree with the fact that clear, concise, and tangible information is necessary for a successful and effective PowerPoint presentation.

Have a story to tell before you start creating your PowerPoint presentation. Once you can clearly define your beginning, middle and end, you are ready to begin the presentation design and sequence.

The best way to avoid ambiguity and confusion in your audience can be found in a “three-act story” structure. This structure revolves around these three questions that your audience will ask themselves:

  1. Why should I care?
  2. How will your product make my life better?
  3. What action would I need to take?

Instead of using 30 different statistics, 4 slides of technical data or long background stories, focus on simple, clear, direct language. Make your content easy to understand, easy to remember, and better yet, easy to share. Make your content into universal converter (those big bulky blocks you take on trips to Europe to charge you phone or camera) .

Your content should be universally transferable from Facebook statuses, to Tweets, to text messages. The easier it is for people to share, the more they will.

Ill leave you with Leonardo Da Vinci’s philosophy that Steve Jobs often quoted: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

 

Reference:

Alkalay, Leo. “Understanding Fedspeak.” eToro Blog. June 17, 2011.

If You Don’t Want To Spend Money On Yourself, Why Would Others?

Posted on by Rick E

In early 2004, when I was 19 or 20, I came up with this crazy idea to create a website where people would essentially log in to a virtual version of their real lives. People would’ve uploaded their own profiles with their own bio and interests. They’d choose to connect or not connect with other users in the network. They’d upload pictures they took on their recent trips or parties and then tag their friends. People would have been able to play games, watch videos, or read articles and then share them with the world with one simple click! I honestly think that idea could’ve changed the world like never before. The problem was that the cost to incorporate my idea was around $1000. As a student I really didn’t have much to live off of, so I decided not to go through with it.

Imagine if that was Mark Zuckerberg’s story. Imagine if he decided not to spend that initial $1000 in Facebook (or “thefacebook” as it was called back then). Zuckerberg knew that $1000 wasn’t a cost, but an investment. Knowing the difference between the two is one of the most useful tools in any business.

Investing in the way your company presents itself is one of the most tactical ploys of investment as a whole. Whether you are pitching to a client, raising capital or presenting to a group of your peers and employees, a well-crafted presentation will make your message more memorable. When people remember your name or company, they will reference you when they need expertise in your field. It really comes down to simple math: Better presentation = Increase in sales.

At SlideGenius, our presentation experts see on average over 200 PRESENTATIONS PER MONTH and have years of professional experience creating captivating PowerPoint presentations for a wide variety of clients. We can update an existing presentation or build one from scratch, leveraging your brand. We work with you to ensure that the message you want to get across to your audience is communicated as effectively as possible.

If you do’t have a professionally designed PowerPoint Presentation you’re undeniably leaving business on the table. Many sales people have reported an increase of up to 25-50% in closed sales simply by providing a highly visual presentation.

With SlideGenius custom PowerPoint development services you will immediately:

  • Enhance your reputation.
  • Increase the customer’s confidence and trust.
  • Maximize your conversion ratio.
  • Increase your sales leads.
  • Raise Capital.
  • Increase your sales volume.
  • Decrease your operating costs.
  • Get the right message across.

According to a survey by Accenture, nearly 90 percent of sales executives said that they are not as good at PowerPoint as they should be and that they would sell more products if their message was more effectively conveyed. Stop looking at enhancing your presentations as a cost, and start investing in yourself. If you don’t want to spend money on yourself, why would others?


Controlling Your Physiology for Your Presentation

Posted on by Rick E

Can you guess what this is describing?

Your hands are disgustingly warm and sweaty, your heart is beating at frightening speeds, you knees are weak and you feel like you’re going to collapse. Your fingers can’t seem to stop pinching each other. Each breath you take is getting progressively harder and weaker. Those butterflies in your stomach (the ones that everyone talks about in romantic movies) seem to be flying viciously into places they’re not supposed to. In a matter of minutes, you seem to have developed a stutter and the ability to crack your voice like a pubescent thirteen-year-old boy.

In medical terms, it’s called glossophobia, but for those of us without PHDs, it is what most people feel before speaking in public.

Let’s be honest, nobody wants to wants to sit through twenty minutes of some guy twitching and sweating through a presentation about why their software is the latest and greatest. Controlling your physiology for your presentation is crucial if you want your presentation to have any value to your audience.

You may not be a presentation expert, but you can certainly train yourself to be able to give an interesting and effective corporate presentation. Here are a few tips for that:

Find a way to relax right before your presentation. Take deep breaths, wash your hands with warm water, listen to your pump-up song (Kanye West seems to do the trick for me), or stretch. Find something that gets rid of your nerves but keeps you focused at the same time.

Be the body for your presentation. Let your fingers point, your hands wave, and your shoulders shrug. Movement is good; it keeps the audience focused on you. Just make sure to have it under control. Don’t be excessive with it. Pinpoint three people in the audience: one on each far corner of your vantage point, and one smack in the middle. As you speak, alternate making eye contact with each. This will help you know where to look and keep any nervous movements away.

Smile and laugh; they’re both contagious. It is instinctive for people to smile at a smile. Since you are in control of the mood in the room while you presenting, use it to your advantage. Smile and look happy, and soon enough your audience will mirror that. Speaking to a public that seems genuinely interested and happy to hear what you are saying will ease your nerves and relax your body. This in turn will make your presentation more human and organic.

Prepare for perfection. In his Art of War, Sun Tzu explains how “every battle is won before it is ever fought.” Practice every scenario, every word and movement. A LOT! If your presentation is interactive with the audience or includes questions, anticipate them. Use them to your advantage. Practice in front of anyone and everyone. Time yourself. You can even record yourself for critique. Know what you’re going to say, how you’re going to say it, when you’re going to say it, and how people will respond to it. Do this, and you will have won the battle.

Sun-Tzu-Strategy

I Can Drive a Car, But That Doesn’t Mean I’m Joining NASCAR Anytime Soon

Posted on by Rick E

Any mildly educated pre-teen can create a PowerPoint presentation. Adding a text box, a few images, or a graphic here and there can be done by almost anyone with a computer. The question isn’t “can you create a presentation?” The question you should be asking yourself is, “is my presentation effective at convincing my audience of my conclusion?” That is what corporate presentations are; mediums to convince an audience to act on some particular thing.

Original PRISM PowerPoint

When it comes to your business, you always want the best of everything. Why should presentations be any different? You may know how to drive a car, but that doesn’t qualify you to be in NASCAR, does it? There are some things that are best left in the hands of professionals, and when it comes to high-end corporate presentations, PowerPoint design is absolutely one of them.

Currently in the media spotlight for its controversial surveillance practices, the NSA learned this lesson the hard way, when after an underwhelming display of PowerPoint prowess during a leaked presentation, several professional PowerPoint presentation designers mockingly revamped the presentation to highlight its shortcomings.

Parisian presentation designer Emiland de Cubber did the most famous overhaul of the NSA’s lackluster presentation, adding tasteful graphic design and a simplistic, easy-to-digest format. Soon after, other presentation designers, and even Slate Magazine, took a crack at overhauling the organization’s presentation.

The lesson here isn’t that the NSA is incompetent or tech-savvy, because with the wide variety of communications monitored by the national organization, they most certainly are familiar with intensive technical work. What should be taken from this is that there’s no replacement for professional expertise, and when it comes to something as impressionable as a high-end presentation, you don’t want to fail to make an impression because of an amateur PowerPoint presentation.

Professional presentation design not only adds visually inviting graphic design that makes a presentation not only informative, but engrossing, and a professionally designed presentation will help condense and clarify your message, which is key to keeping an audience attentive. When it comes to high-caliber, corporate presentations that need to impress, a PowerPoint expert could make all the difference.

We can’t blame the NSA for producing a bland and confusing presentation, since it’s the best they could have been expected to do, which is why they should have trusted the experts.

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