Cynthia Hartwig shares hard won presentation experience gained over 30 years of advertising and business communication pitches in How to Rock a Presentation. Learn how to make blended presentations, get away from being enslaved by PowerPoint, and figure out how to tell stories that make an audience connect with you.

1. How to Rock a Presentation
March 5, 2014
Cynthia Hartwig

2. A Modest Proposal from
John Bohannon
TED Video
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/john_bohannon_

3. Class covers these topics.
1. Presentation zen.
2. Presentation logistics.
3. The art of storytelling.
4. Personal tune-up.

4. WRITING PRACTICE 101
1. Keep your hand moving. No
stopping.
2. No crossing out, no editing, no
worries about grammar or spelling.
3. This is about thinking on paper.

5. Write about your worst or best
presentation experience.

8. The Zen of Meeting and
Presentation Control

9. Become an expert on the business.

10. You are helping your audience.
Erase all thoughts of selling.

11. At most companies, the enemy is
routine.
Clients should ask, “What are they going to do next?” Not,
“When will this be over.”

12. Figure out what you want to accomplish
BEFORE a meeting.

13. 24 hours before is optimal.
One hour before is doable.

14. Team presentations are intrinsically interesting.

15. Each person has a presenting persona.
Figure out yours.

16. Ways to reveal information:

17. Ways to reveal information:
If people know you and like you,
you can present the recommendation first,
then make the case.

18. Ways to reveal information:
If people don’t know you or are hostile,
you need to work up to
the recommendation with proof.

19. Blended presentations
make more interesting meetings.

20. Decide on each person’s role up front.
When organizing, use the same philosophy as
setting up a group photo.

22. Lizzy O’Leary on
“How to Tell a Story with Numbers”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kMydB5l9Ns

23. Everyone must have a part. Bring people up or
back based on time on stage.

24. • Stories
• Whiteboards
• Group exercises, brainstorms, mind-mapping,
games, writing…
• Videos or audio clips

25. Argue before the meeting.
You are best friends in the meeting.

26. Aim for content that’s 70% visual, 30% words.
.

27. Boards/Slides, Story Telling or
Whiteboard?
• Use boards and slides to educate.

28. Boards/Slides, Stories or Whiteboard?
• Use boards and slides to educate.
• Use storytelling to get people on your side,
excite them and persuade them.

29. Boards/Slides, Stories or Whiteboard?
• Use boards and/or slides to educate.
• Use story telling to get them on your side.
• Use whiteboard to drive decisions.

30. Q & A
• 70% of all questions can be anticipated.
• Repeat the question so everyone can
hear it.
• If there aren’t questions at first, start with one
of your own.

31. Incorporate questions into presentations.
Aim for dialogue, not a monologue.

32. Appoint a Director of So What?
for important meetings.

33. Review commitments at the end.
“So this is the new company logo, right?

34. Logistics

35. PRACTICE.

36. PRACTICE.

37. PRACTICE.

38. Always scout the room to avoid surprises.

39. Research says audiences remember information
longer & relate better when you show people.

40. EXIT STRATEGIES
1. If the meeting goes south, get out.
2. Don’t try to solve the problem on the fly.
3. Say “Thank you. Let us get back to you by
(date).”

41. Big
Big
Big

42. Numbers are usually little data points of human behavior.
In translating a numerical story to a boardroom presentation,
look for a way to find the humanity.
Visualization 101:

43. Figure out what you want to say
away from PowerPoint
(don’t let the outliner control you).

44. Break up the PowerPoint
3 bullet pointed slides in a row is too many.

45. Break up the PowerPoint
• Insert pictures, video and sound throughout

46. Make a point.
Tell a story that reinforces the point.

47. Incorporate more visuals, less type.
Visuals are exciting.

48. Free imagery is available everywhere:
• Search: free imagery, free vector art

49. Free imagery is available everywhere:
• Search: free imagery, free vector art
• PowerPoint image collection

50. Free imagery is available everywhere:
• Search: free imagery, free vector art
• PowerPoint image collection
• Stock photos

51. Free imagery is available everywhere:
• Search: free imagery, free vector art
• PowerPoint image collection
• Stock photos
• Company image file

52. Free imagery is available everywhere:
• Search: free imagery, free vector art
• PowerPoint image collection
• Stock photos
• Company image file
• Flickr Creative Commons

53. Free imagery is available everywhere:
• Search: free imagery, free vector art
• PowerPoint image collection
• Stock photos
• Company image file
• Flickr Creative Commons
• Your camera

54. Incorporate questions into presentations.

55. Go to a black slide
when you have a planned question,
discussion or story.

56. Review commitments at the end.
“So this is the new company logo, right?

57. Slides that look amateurish
make you look like an amateur.
Visualization 101:
hang in
there!

58. Forty years of research says that
if you use pictures of people, your audience will remember your
information longer and relate to you better.
Visualization 101:

59. Forty years of research says that
if you use pictures of people, your audience will remember your
information longer and relate to you better.
Visualization 101:

60. Forty years of research says that
if you use pictures of people, your audience will remember your
information longer and relate to you better.
Visualization 101:

61. Visualization 101:
• Bullets and numbers are signposts.
• They give the eye a place to start.
• They keep you on the page.

62. Visualization 101:
Avoid type orphans by using manual line
breaks.
(Keep key points together.)

63. Visualization 101:
Avoid type orphans by using
manual line breaks.
(Keep key points together.)

64. Visualization 101:
If you have a budget: Hire an art director.

65. Visualization 101:
If you don’t have a budget:
Become a power user of PowerPoint or KeyNote.
http://www.lynda.com

66. Visualization 101:
Pick a colored background.
White spotlights the audience.

67. Visualization 101:
No more than 5-6 lines (not bullets!) per slide.

68. Picture rights are visible with a right click
so you can see usage rules.
Visualization 101:

69. Numbers are usually little data points of human behavior.
In translating a numerical story to a boardroom presentation,
look for a way to find the humanity.
Visualization 101:

70. Use background colors from the picture.
Color-Cop is free.
Visualization 101:

72. Typography 101:

73. Typography 101:
• Using fonts consistently makes your slides look
more professional.

74. Typography 101:
• Using fonts consistently makes your slides look
more professional.
• When using different fonts on a slide,
do so with purpose, not to make things “look
interesting.”

75. Insert type into visuals to vary the look.
(Watch for blank spaces in photos.)

80. Amy Cuddy: Body Language Shapes
Who You Are
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_lang
uage_shapes_who_you_are.html

81. Get up & do the gorilla pose in the
bathroom or somewhere private at te
break in preparation for presenting.

82. The power of
storytelling.

83. We are hardwired for story.
Stories make us lean in. When you
tell a story about yourself, you
share something vulnerable and
hidden to us. You allow us to get
closer to you & we like you for it.

84. Don’t Regret Regret
By Kathryn Schulz
TEDVideos.com
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/kathryn_schulz_don_t_reg

85. Write down a story about yourself.
Tell us something personal, the more
humiliating, the better.

86. Write down a story about yourself.
“Hell is story friendly.”
--Charles Baxter

87. Reading on the page and hearing a story read
out loud are completely different.

88. This American Life:
Wedding Bells and
Door Bells
Elizabeth Gilbert
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/e

89. Now write about what this story
illustrates that’s universal.

90. PERSONAL TUNE-UP

91. Presentation buddies:
Write notes on anything you observe
as your partners presents.

92. Write about what you know (or hate)
about yourself as a presenter.

93. Words really matter.

94. Tan Le’s Immigration Story

95. Tan Le’s Immigration Story
Why does this kill us?

96. A Case for Reading Your Slides
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68bNMaG9OII

97. It’s a myth that you shouldn’t
read your own slides. Steve Jobs did it.

98. Follow Two Pens
http://www.twopens.com
@twopens2
Cynthia@twopens.com