This is a primer for people who are put under the gun to present creative work in on-the-fly situations. Ten minutes can be well spent, if you do Creative Director Cynthia Hartwig's tricks. Or work you've spent weeks designing, writing and creating, will be deep-sixed faster than you can remove yourself from the room. Includes tips on recapping the creative brief, appointing a Meeting Czar (someone who runs the meeting and drives decisions) and presenting so that everybody can see that little, teeny mouse-type (assuming it's important). This deck is a supplement to How to Rock a Presentation by Cynthia Hartwig at Two Pens.

1. How to give a
creative presentation in
10 minutes and
10 (more or less) easy steps.

2. Step 1.
Own the meeting
Owning the meeting means taking
responsibility for the flow and
acting with authority. Project confidence.

3. Step 2.
Appoint a moderator
Decide well ahead of time who from
your team will be the moderator, traffic
cop, and facilitator of the presentation.

4. Step 3.
Speak body language fluently
Pay attention to your posture, attitude,
projection, eye contact, and where you place
yourself in the room. Own it!

5. Step 4.
Stick to an agenda
Every presentation should follow
the same agenda so presenters and
reviewers both know the ground rules.
(Presenters need to discuss the meeting
game plan at least 15 minutes prior)

6. Creative Presentation Agenda
> Restate business objective from the brief
> Refresh memories about prior rounds
> Reveal the work and thoroughly explain
> Explain how the work solves the brief
> Big picture comments: are we on strategy?
> Detail comments: executional concerns?
> If time, discuss operations & non-creative
> Recap: summarize what will happen next

7. Step 5.
Use visuals that work
Make layouts oversize so the audience can see.
Use labels, larger printouts, handouts, etc.
Speak loud enough so they can hear.
Use props in a way that gets them excited.
Print out the takeaway statement.
Print out a 25 word synopsis of the concept.

8. Step 6.
Tell a story
Set up the creative reveal with a story
that will make the work more
understandable and persuasive.

9. Step 7.
Take input, not instructions
Be a polite listener.
Ask critics to restate their requests
in terms of a broader issue.
“What I hear you saying is...”
Turn over work that’s getting micro-managed.
Plan your escape routes.

10. Step 8.
When you’re done, stop
Ask for a decision.
Consider “fist-to-five” to minimize discussion.
When you have a decision, stop, thank,
and remove layouts from the wall.

11. Step 9.
Recap next steps
This is an agenda item, but it bears repeating:
Recap decisions made and then
state explicitly what the creative team
will be doing next and when.

12. Step 10.
Say thanks
Thank attendees for their
thoughtful input and support.