I'm an organizing expert, which means I do consulting, as well as hands-on organizing to help people organize their lives. However, another way I make my living is speaking. You know... Lunch and Learns, half-day workshops, full day presentations, that kind of thing. I've been fortunate enough to have spoken at Paramount Pictures, Earthlink, and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.
In several weeks I'll be doing a full day engagement at Oklahoma State University and I have to admit that each time I book a new speaking gig, I secretly hope the person hiring me doesn't want me to bring a PowerPoint presentation. It's not because I'm lazy and don't want to create one. It's because there's been such...
a backlash against PowerPoint in the past few years, that I don't want to come across like just another lame speaker with a slide show full of bullet points and turn the audience off immediately. Don't get me wrong, I've done plenty of boring PowerPoints in the past when I was young and naive, but I've changed them up and reworked them so when I'm forced to bring one, at least it's not torturous.
Seth Godin wrote a killer blog post today about how to effectively use PowerPoint, so it not only enhances your content, but makes YOU memorable as well. Great solid advice (as usual) from Seth and definitely worth a read. Here's an excerpt:
...Communication is about getting others to adopt your point of view, to help them understand why you’re excited (or sad, or optimistic or whatever else you are.) If all you want to do is create a file of facts and figures, then cancel the meeting and send in a report. (emphasis mine, not Seth's)
Our brains have two sides. The right side is emotional, musical and moody. The left side is focused on dexterity, facts and hard data. When you show up to give a presentation, people want to use both parts of their brain. So they use the right side to judge the way you talk, the way you dress and your body language. Often, people come to a conclusion about your presentation by the time you’re on the second slide. After that, it’s often too late for your bullet points to do you much good.
Read the rest of the blog here, and the next time you need to organize your content into a good presentation and create a PowerPoint to go with it, remember Seth's tips and presentation will be energizing, engaging and make YOU memorable. Thanks Seth.
