Presentation Skills’ Post

Let's face the truth about (most) presentation masters. Every company has one, many departments rely on it, and while some know how to use it, no one loves it. HOLISDECK is used to turn boring into bold, but every time the topic of “masters” comes up, it is more about turning pain into pleasure. HOLISDECK cracked the code. Here is how to write the prompt (just kidding): 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘: ease of use, on-brand look, and high output 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋-𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄: analyze and understand the business needs and (common & specific) use cases 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘: flexibility within consistency by categories ------------ Sneak Peek at 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 Here’s an example of how your categories might turn out: 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒: Universal slides for any occasion (e.g. about, mission, [company] in numbers) 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋: Basic slides found in all presentations (e.g. agenda, chapter, contact) 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋: Slides for ongoing projects/topics (e.g. checklists, to-do lists, timelines, status updates) 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋: Slides to impress and inform clients or audiences (e.g. insights, takeaways, synthesis) 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐄𝐒: Custom-designed slides to stand out (e.g. title, product, cases) ------------ 𝐒𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫, 𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝... 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 – 𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧? 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤!

What’s the most important thing to focus on when creating a presentation? Design? Content? Number of slides? Including all the details? Or the main points only? None of the above really. The most important thing to focus on is what you want your audience to feel after you’ve presented. I started my career creating presentations for other people before moving to create them for myself. A lot of people will say they feel like they’ve created tens of thousands of slides but that’s probably true for me. From internal presentations, to pitching to big corporate clients in my last role, I’ve learned from the good and the bad that there’s just one primary truth when creating a presentation. Some people may focus on clearly defining objectives before making their presentation. Others will say be natural when presenting. Or keeping it simple. And prepare and rehearse. All good things to bear in mind but absolutely everything should stem from what you want your audience to feel. Excited? Informed? Inspired? Engaged? Entertained? Valued? Motivated? Challenged? Decide this up-front and build your presentation around that emotion. Sure, presentation style, rehearsing, slide content, etc are all important too, but if you focus first on how you want your audience to feel, all the rest will fall into place.

🥱 Have you suffered through a dreadful presentation? 💰 I'd bet money you have...because they're so common. ➡ There's a consistent pattern of mistakes that lead to dreadful presentations. ✍🏻 In my newest article for Forbes, I explore five of these pitfalls: 1. Building the Wrong Agenda 2. Thinking the Slides are the Presentation 3. Doing a Data Dump 4. Telling 5. Confusing Reviewing with Rehearsing 💡 What other presentation mistakes have you seen/heard/done? #leadershipdevelopment #connection #communication #collaboration

If are working on your presentations, executive summaries, business cases, trying to obtain buy in from decision makers, preparing for meetings to present your updates/ideas... ...but not sure how to structure it and how much time you need to spend on each section... ...try a story telling mountain approach. I have been working with my 9 year old son trying to teach him to write a story in school. We are using a Story Mountain approach. → A story mountain is a way of visually planning the plot and structure of a story, by separating the plot and structure into clear stages or sections. 🤔 This made me realise that we often have to tell and write stories at work and this model works just as well. Stories that raise an awareness, solve a problem and help decision makers make a decision based on the presented information. Let's say you have a 25 min meeting trying to present something and help the audience make a decision. → Opening (5 minutes): 1. Begin by grabbing your audience's attention with a compelling opening statement or story hook. 2. Introduce the main characters, setting, and context of your story. 3. Clearly state the purpose or objective of your presentation and what your audience can expect to learn or gain from it. → Build up (5 minutes): 1. Provide background information and context that is essential for understanding the situation or problem you're addressing. 2. Describe the actions, decisions, or steps that led to the situation or challenge. 3. Build empathy by connecting the audience emotionally with the characters or the situation. → Problem (5 minutes): 1. Present the central problem, challenge, or conflict that needs to be addressed. 2. Explain the consequences or potential impact of not resolving the problem. 3. Highlight the urgency of addressing the issue. → Resolution (5 minutes): 1. Describe the actions, decisions, or strategies that were implemented to address the problem. 2. Share key events, turning points, or discoveries that led to a resolution. 3. Highlight the results or positive outcomes achieved as a result of resolving the problem. → Ending (5 minutes): 1. Summarise the main takeaways or lessons learned from your story. 2. Connect these lessons to the broader message or objective of your presentation. 3. End with a memorable closing statement or call to action that leaves a lasting impression on your audience. p.s. This structure allows you to tell a complete and engaging story while staying within a 25-minute time frame. Make sure to rehearse your presentation to ensure that each section fits comfortably into the allotted time and that your transitions between sections are smooth. Visual aids, anecdotes, and engaging storytelling techniques can enhance the impact of your workplace story. I post daily visuals about work productivity, communication at work and the new world of work. If interested in the same follow for more Sanja Williams

Today, I had the privilege of sharing valuable insights on one of the most common challenges we face in the workplace: "Managing emotional reactions to presentation content". It's a crucial skill, and I'm excited to offer effective strategies to help you confidently navigate your next presentation . . . . Allow me to share some essential pre-presentation rituals that I routinely follow. These straightforward steps, which have proven effective for me, might be valuable additions to your own preparation routine. . . . 1. Preparation - Thoroughly prepare for presentation. Knowing your content inside and out boosts your confidence and reduces anxiety. 2. Practice - Rehearse presentation multiple times. 3. Visualize - Visualize yourself delivering a successful presentation, feeling confident and in control. 4. Focus on the outcome - What will be the end goal your audience going to take away from your presentation. Remember that managing emotions during a presentation is a skill that can be developed with practice and experience. Embrace opportunities to present and continuously work on improving your emotional management strategies. #PresentationPreparation #SuccessStrategies

There are many reasons why a really busy presentation slide is a bad idea… The audience might not be able to read it at all. ❌ The hearts of the audience members will sink as soon as they see it. ❌ Even if they can read it, they will spend a long time doing so. ❌ While they are busy reading it, they are not really listening to you. ❌ Even if they are listening to you, they could get distracted by the slide and then stop listening. ❌ A busy slide is not much fun to deliver. ❌ The presenter gets an initial negative feeling when the slide appears. ❌ The slide will take a longer time to deliver and momentum could be lost. ❌ You can see there are many reasons not to have very busy slides. I am struggling to find positive reasons for having them. And yet the majority of presentations out there are crammed full of busy slides. 🔶 Try this idea before your next presentation. Put up the first slide. What is your instant reaction to the slide – is it broadly positive or negative? Make a note. Put up the second slide. Answer the previous question – make a note of your answer. As you can see, this is a speedy process. Once the deck is completed, review your answers. For any slides that evoked a negative reaction, take all the steps you can to make them simpler and less cluttered. There might even be some slides you can simply delete. The end result will be a better presentation – and it did not take you very long. Give it a try.

Making persuasive decks is easy, once you know this: The secret to phenomenal presentation decks Want to instantly improve the clarity, flow and impact of your next boardroom slides? Embrace the "one idea per slide" principle. It's simple: every slide you create should communicate just one distinct idea, concept or data point - no more. This discipline brings immense power: First, singular clarity. With the limitations of visual real estate and human attention spans, trying to showcase multiple ideas on one slide inevitably dilutes comprehension. Isolate each point for crystal understanding. Second, flexibility. When freed from cramming in excessive content, you can flexibly zoom in on whatever level of detail you choose for each idea. Lingering for 2 minutes on a complex chart? No problem. Whizzing through 10 straightforward data snapshots? Simple. Third, logical flow. With each building block of commentary separated onto its own slide, you construct an ironclad progression of thought. Your audience seamlessly connects the dots of your broader narrative from start to finish. And finally, alignment. If a slide ever feels disjointed, it's likely because you squeezed in one idea too many. Edit ruthlessly to ensure cohesion. So banish the mess of text-heavy slides. Embrace the clarity and persuasiveness of restricting yourself to just one compelling idea per frame. Both you and your audiences will benefit tremendously. #presentationskills #publicspeaking #leadership #projectmanagement #storytelling Give this less-is-more approach a try. You'll never view slides the same way again.

As professionals, we often find ourselves in the spotlight, tasked with delivering impactful presentations that can make or break critical business decisions. It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of deadlines and meetings, leaving little time for thorough preparation. However, I'm here to tell you that just 15 minutes of focused pre-presentation preparation can make all the difference. By taking the time to review your talking points, anticipate potential questions, and fine-tune your delivery, you'll be amazed at the level of confidence and mastery you'll exude when it's showtime. Whether you're presenting to the C-suite, pitching to a new client, or leading a team meeting, those 15 minutes can be the secret weapon that elevates your performance and leaves a lasting impression. Don't let lack of time be an excuse - make it a habit to carve out that crucial preparation window, and watch your presentations transform from good to great. The next time you're tempted to rush into a presentation, remember: 15 minutes is all it takes to unlock your full potential and deliver an unforgettable performance. Your audience will thank you, and your career will reap the benefits. #professional #goals #advice